Early Book Review: Absurd Words: A Kids' Fun and Hilarious Vocabulary Builder for Future Word Nerds by Tara Lazar

Absurd Words: A Kids' Fun and Hilarious Vocabulary Builder for Future Word Nerds by Tara Lazar is currently scheduled for release on January 2 2022.  This is a dictionary-thesaurus hybrid,  a user-friendly, engaging book about the power of words. Grouped into themes (“word squads”) and paired with pop culture, etymology, and history facts, readers explore not only what the words in the book mean, but where they came from, uses in pop culture, how to use them! To go even further, readers are encouraged to create their own words (“crashwords”), anagrams, and more.

Absurd Words is full of great information and vocabulary. I like that the book pointed out that the English language  borrows heavily from other language, and that is always evolving. New words are made, some go out of fashion, and some shift meaning drastically. I was very glad to see the pronunciation included, as someone that knows the meaning of more words than they can correctly pronounce thanks to reading and some years of latin, it was good to double check my instincts on some of the words. I did learn a few words in the book, which is always nice. The extra bits of information, including pop culture references and information about the roots and history of certain words, were interesting and help keep readers engaged. I thought it was well organized and can stand up to a straight read through, browsing, and as a reference resource for readers looking for just the right word.  

Book Review: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day: 366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus by Sue Macy

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day: 366 Elevating Utterances to Stretch Your Cranium and Tickle Your Humerus by Sue Macy was inspired by Merriam-Webster's popular Word of the Day digital feature.  This book builds knowledge one day at a time with 366 masterful words. Each Word features clear and helpful illustrations for readers and are introduced with a pronunciation guide, definition and interesting trivia about the world. Each month contains an introduction, one word per day individually or in thematic groups plus an end-of-the-month story that includes all of the words. It includes 12 Free Downloadable audio stories. The audio will be available as a download through the QR codes printed in the book, and also as a separate audio collection.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day is a charmingly illustrated collection of words to learn and use. I like that it is not year dependent, so it can be shared or revisited. I liked the trivia and information that was with the words, and they way that themes and monthly wrap ups are used to bring everything together. I think this collection will appeal to upper elementary school students through adults, to word nerds and smart alecks alike. I could see this being a great addition to family or classroom traditions since it can easily be both fun and educational. This would be perfect as part of a holiday gift for the right person.

Book Review: Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids—Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories by Jess Zafarris

Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids—Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories by Jess Zafarris shows readers of all ages that the English language is made up of words from different places, events, and periods of time. Each of those words has an exciting story to tell us about where, when, how, and why they came about. It has easy-to-understand definitions and awesome word-origin stories, helping readers understand the history and meaning of English words, improve vocabulary and spelling, and learn to play with language. Explore how weird words like gnome, fun words like zombie, and common words like caterpillar came to exist. Discover why some words sound funnier than others (like cackle, sizzle, and twang) and why some groups of words start with the same few letters (like hydrate, hydrogen, and fire hydrant). 

Once Upon a Word is an accessible and entertaining resource for readers of all ages. I like that it uses the history of words, the building blocks of words, and how different languages have created and continue to change the English language. After the rundown on the building blocks and things that have shaped language starts the actually dictionary part of the book- explaining each word in detail. This is a great tool for gaining a better understanding of favorite or interesting words, but it is not the most entertaining part. I really enjoyed the two sections that follow, which explore food  and music related words. Since food and music are two of my favorite things I found this to be very interesting.  I think that this would be a good classroom or school library resource for middle grade readers and older. However, it might also be helpful to those approaching the high school horrors of standardized tests that seem to be very important to their adults. The understanding of the roots and building blocks of words that are laid out in the beginning of the book can help all readers with their vocabulary and the ability to guess the correct meaning of most words- especially in a multiple choice test. I thought that some of the color and formatting choices really broke up the text on the pages nicely, making the read book as a whole less intimidating to readers. 

Once Upon a Word is a well organized and written resources that will help its readers understand some of the building blocks and influences of the English language while offering some humor and interesting tidbits along the way.