An appealing and enlightening examination of the gallimaufry that is English.
A starter kit for young etymologists.
Words are essential—but what is a word? Where did our words come from? And how do words change over time? Cassidy discusses word roots and stems, portmanteaux and compound words, words “named for what they remind us of” (such as a computer mouse), and terms named after the people who came up with them (including the braille system and the Apgar score). The pages are stuffed with fascinating facts, such as the assertion that 10 new English words are created every day on average. The author also covers the evolution of words, explaining that sometimes longer words are shortened (influenza becoming flu), that mispronunciations often give birth to new words, and that words can be playful (yes giving way to yep, yeah, and even yeppers). Cassidy considers some of the many words English has borrowed from Yiddish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, and more—including First Peoples’ languages. Questions addressed to readers will elicit active engagement; a section that invites kids to say various onomatopoeic words aloud promises plenty of participatory play. McLaughlin’s lineless, slightly simplified but realistically detailed color cartoons against flat backgrounds allow the words to shine. The art is attractive and clarifies the text: On one page, LEGO-style blocks demonstrate how prefixes and suffixes can be used to build words; maps locate the countries from which words have arrived.
An appealing and enlightening examination of the gallimaufry that is English. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781459836631
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early...
Elephant and Piggie make an appearance to introduce the first in their new series, an egalitarian introduction to superlatives.
Each one of seven blades of talking grass—of a total of eight—discovers that it is superb at something: it’s tallest, curliest, silliest, and so forth. The humor aims to appeal to a broad spectrum. It is slightly disturbing that one being eaten by purple bugs is proud of being the crunchiest, but that will certainly appeal to a slice of the audience. The eighth blade of grass is grappling with a philosophical identity crisis; its name is Walt, a sly reference to Whitman's Leaves of Grass that will go right over the heads of beginning readers but may amuse astute parents or teachers. Tension builds with the approach of a lawn mower; the blades of grass lose their unique features when they are trimmed to equal heights. Mercifully, they are chopped off right above the eyes and can continue their silly banter. Departing from the image of a Whitman-esque free spirit, Walt now discovers he is the neatest. Lots of speech bubbles, repetition, and clear layout make this entry a useful addition to lessons on adjectives and superlatives while delivering a not-so-subtle message that everyone is good at something. Elephant and Piggie's final assertion that “this book is the FUNNIEST” doesn't necessarily make it so, however.
Amusing, yes. Useful for reading practice, yes, but not necessarily guaranteed to make new readers the “read-i-est.” (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2635-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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