The Great Dictionary Caper

Reviews / Votes

*"Teachers will have field day with this wordplay; this caper is clever, capricious, and cunning. -- Kirkus, starred review -- Kirkus STARRED REVIEW * 11/1/17 * "Bored with sitting in a dictionary "day in, day out," the words make a break for it and organize a parade which... introduce linguistics terminology in just about the most playful way possible." Publishers Weekly, starred review -- Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW * October 23, 2017 * "Words can get bored. They sit in the dictionary, day in, day out," begins this delightful picture book from Sierra (Wild about Books, 2004), depicting what happens when dictionary words break free from their pages and have a parade. It's all fun and word games, but in the process, readers will also get a tidy lesson in linguistic concepts, like onomatopoeia and contractions. Each concept is exemplified and playfully portrayed by animated, anthropomorphized words and their accoutrements. The "onomatopoeia marching band" leads the way, and features words like bang, clang, and honk. Subsequent spreads include action verbs (with a spinning spin and gliding glide); homophones; anagrams; rhyming words; and even indignant nonrhyming words, which hold protest signs (penguin's reads "What's so special about rhyming?"). Eventually, Noah Webster appears, instructing the words to return to the dictionary-however, turn the page and it seems Roget's Thesaurus' synonym words are looking to escape, too (skedaddle, decamp). While not explicitly defining concepts in the main text (that comes in an appended glossary), this is a charming, peppy introduction, enhanced by Comstock's energetic, retro-flair illustrations, which fill the pages with cavorting words and creative details, like the "Hollyword" setting. In approach and format, this is both entertaining and educational-likely to hold and pique kids' interest in the topic and provide a fun learning supplement. - Shelle Rosenfeld -- Booklist *STARRED REVIEW* * Dec 1, 2017 * "With a "Ready Set Go," all the words in Webster's Dictionary jump out to take a break and join in a parade.... An amusing introduction to the intricacies and oddities of the English language; with some guidance, young elementary students might actually learn a thing a two." -- School LIbrary Journal -- School Library Journal * December 1, 2017 *