Selected for California Reading Association's 2020 EUREKA! Honor Awards
"The accomplished, striking, and vividly colored two-page spreads that cunningly work each word into the overall design of an illustration are the real draw." —Kirkus Reviews
"This book will serve as an effective resource for middle school social studies or language arts instruction. It could also serve as a model for projects investigating cultural influences regarding the development of the English language." —School Library Journal
"Posing thought-provoking questions, this book delights in the concept that language is fascinating. The reader learns how 12 English words have changed their meaning over time, prompting curiosity about other words ... The bold, bright, dramatic, and revealing illustrations are intertwined with the description of the word." —School Library Connection
"Bold, digitally textured spreads by Stevenson ensure readers will pore over every page, with engaging typography seamlessly incorporated into each illustration (mummy is lettered in a long cloth wrap). A color-coded map depicting large language families concludes this visually appealing resource for budding linguists." —Publishers Weekly
"Beginning linguists will learn about the origins and meanings of twelve words, all from different linguistic word families. Openings are illustrated with beautiful collage-like art that evokes the meaning." — Youth Services Book Review
"With simple descriptions and dazzling, evocative and witty illustrations, this is a fascinating introduction to the rich history and cultural diversity of our language. The perfect book for budding linguists aged 7 - 11 to learn about the origins and meanings of the English language." —YA and Kids' Books Central
"This book could be inspirational to a child who is curious about word meanings and those who are considering writing as a career. The title can also be used as a springboard for students to consider more powerful and precise words as they prepare for testing or simply to make their own writing more meaningful and personal. There are very few books out there that address this concept and none that do it with such artistic and beautiful illustrations." —School Library Connection
"Ending with a map of language families and an author’s note, this book is sure to entice young linguists into learning more about the history of words." —Children's Book Media Review
2020-02-09
Ukulele, mummy, karaoke: What do they have in common? These are three of just 12 nouns selected for their “surprising stories.”
In this rather slim volume about linguistic cross-fertilization, the author uses almost more words in his adult-oriented introduction and closing note than he provides for young readers. The format presents phonetic pronunciation, original language, original and English definitions, and a brief history for each word. While the historical anecdotes are interesting, this does not really add up to much of a book. The accomplished, striking, and vividly colored two-page spreads that cunningly work each word into the overall design of an illustration are the real draw. Ukulele means “jumping flea” in the original language, Hawaiian. The name was given to the instruments Hawaiians fashioned after seeing “small guitars brought by European settlers….A ukulele player’s fingers bounce on the strings as quickly as jumping fleas.” In the picture, a band of orangey-brown fleas all bedecked in leis play ukuleles. Questions go unanswered. The entry for “mummy” doesn’t quite explain how the Persian word for “wax” came to be applied to the special Egyptian method of preserving bodies. “Karaoke” means “empty orchestra” in Japanese. The explanation mentions that the “first karaoke machines were developed in Japan” but doesn’t indicate when. The color key locating language families is difficult to correlate with the unlabeled map.
Striking illustrations cannot redeem these lackluster etymologies. (Informational picture book. 8-11)
