Today's read should head in a humorous direct and teach some vocabulary along the way. I'm really not sure what to expect with this one, but I do hope it mixes fun and learning together nicely. And who doesn't love a pink, friendly hippopotamus?
THE HIPPOPTAMUS THESAURUS
A Hefty Menagerie of Delectable Words, Vol. 1
by Samuel Jennings Vinson
R & Stone House Publishing
Children's Fiction
100 pages
ages 6 to 10
COMING AUGUST 6th!!!
This 100 page feast of storytelling vocabulary, poetry, and prose allows children ages 6 and up to embark on a fantastic adventure through whimsical contextual definitions of extraordinary words. Unlike other children’s vocabulary books, The Hippopotamus Thesaurus is presented with the implicit trust that children have the ability to not only understand, but thoroughly enjoy complex language and ideas.
Volume 1 of The Hippopotamus Thesaurus encourages children to dig into the richness of the English language while being impossibly fun to read, and impossible to explore without learning. Hidden riddles, an in-depth glossary, and loveable watercolor characters are all part of the first installment of The Hippopotamus Thesaurus, ready to be enjoyed down to the last morsel by early readers, parents, and educators alike.
MY TIDBITS
Unexpected and amazing words are presented in a way, which will have readers smiling and likely to embrace and remember more than a few long after the book's been put down.
This is a smorgasbord of seldomly seen words, which are whimsical in their own right and way. At the beginning of the book, the author makes it clear that this isn't an usual thesaurus, but rather, a celebration of fun words to enjoy by thumbing and flipping through the pages at will. The word is presented at the top of the page along with the pronunciation...because some of these are quite the mouthful. Then, there's a silly poem about the word, which expands on the meaning or aspects surrounding the word in humorous ways. Add the lovely, aquarelle illustrations, and it holds fanciful tones mixed with the poetic silliness found in some of Judith Viorst's works. But only slightly because this book does take it's own twist on things.
When I picked this up, I was expecting somewhat of a style, which resembles a thesaurus at least loosely, but it doesn't. The poems play with the words and let readers sink their teeth into each one. There's no particular order, and definitions and facts are only added, if at all, as part of the fun. The exact meanings aren't found until the glossary at the very end. Here, each word is listed in alphabetical order with the pronunciation, a dictionary type of meaning, and then, there's a little history or tidbits or information concerning the word as well as the page on which it's found.
The illustrations and text hold a light atmosphere the entire way through and invite readers to visit the book a little here and a little there. It's longer at 100 pages, but then, this is a book which is kept on the table or shelves with the intent of being read as the mood or time allows. The approach allows readers to see the words through different eyes and not as vocabulary words...and the fun will make some of them stick for a lifetime.
It's a lovely collection with tons of humor, poetry, and fun.
And here he is...
Samuel Jennings Vinson is a life-long explorer of all things creative. Whether it be in visual arts through his work in pediatric healthcare design, fine art curation or writing and doodling, the one constant is his drive to positively contribute to the world of young minds.
"We can’t just write for kids. We owe it to them to write to the person they will become.” -SJV
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