Are We There Yet?: How Humans Find Their Way - Hardcover

by Maria Birmingham (Author), Drew Shannon (Illustrator)

Why do some people have a bad sense of direction? How can you avoid getting lost? Why did early mapmakers put fake towns on their maps and why does every traffic controller in the world speak English?

From finding food, water and shelter to traveling for commerce, trade and eventually exploring the world, humans have always had to find their way from one place to another. Are We There Yet? examines the evolution of how we navigate the world. Our earliest ancestors relied on built-in navigation systems in our brains and followed clues like star patterns and animal behavior. Then came the invention of maps, faster transportation and eventually technology, like satellites and GPS. And from the depths of the ocean to faraway planets, there's still plenty of exploring to do. Where will we go next?

Author Biography

Maria Birmingham has worked in the children's publishing industry for over 25 years. She is the award-winning author of several books for young people, including Are We Having Fun Yet? The Human Quest for a Good Time, SnoozeO-Rama: The Strange Ways That Animals Sleep and A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars. Maria lives in Brampton, Ontario, with her family.

Drew Shannon is an illustrator who earned a bachelor of arts at Sheridan College and has worked with many different clients including CBC, VICE Media, UNICEF, the Washington Post and NPR. He is the illustrator of Extreme Battlefields: When War Meets the Forces of Nature and Out of the Ice: How Climate Change is Revealing the Past. Drew lives in Toronto.