Maps and mapping activities are essential in the primary grades. Maps are truly ubiquitous today, as evidenced by the popularity of websites such as Google Earth and Mapquest, and by devices such as Global Positioning System (GPS) units in cars, planes, and boats. Maps can give visual settings to travel stories and historical narratives and can display huge amounts of information in a very small space. They are springboards to inquiry and are therefore essential in any elementary classroom. In this article, the authors describe research concerning mapmaking and map reading in the elementary classroom and also provide practical considerations for teaching how to construct and read maps. (Contains 4 figures and 10 notes.)