Description
***FIVE STARRED REVIEWS***
Caldecott Honor Winner
Sibert Medal Winner
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Best of 2014
Publishers Weekly Best Books
Horn Book Fanfare
Huffington Post Best Picture Books of the Year: Best Biography (Non-Artist)
New York Times Notable Children's Books
Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth
Award-winning author Jen Bryant and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Melissa Sweet tell the captivating story of the Thesaurus and its inventor Peter Mark Roget.
Words, Peter learned, were powerful things. And when he put them in long, neat rows, he felt as if the world itself clicked into order.
For shy young Peter Mark Roget, books were the best companions -- and it wasn't long before Peter began writing his own book. But he didn't write stories; he wrote lists.
Peter took his love for words and used it to organize his ideas and find exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time.
The Right Word is an inviting, visually engrossing portrayal of Peter Mark Roget and the creation of the thesaurus. Jen Bryant's lyrical text and brilliantly detailed mixed media illustrations from Caldecott Honor-winning artist Melissa Sweet celebrate the joy of learning and the power of words.
Other honors
Parents' Choice Foundation Parents' Choice Award Gold Winner
ALA Notable Children's Books
Junior Library Guild Selection
Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature Finalist
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award
National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Honor
Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year
Product Details
| Publisher | Eerdmans Books for Young Readers |
| Publish Date | September 15, 2014 |
| Pages | 42 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780802853851 |
| Dimensions | 11.1 X 8.1 X 0.4 inches | 1.0 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"Sweet envisions Roget's work as a shadow box crammed with the wonders of the natural world, adorned with exuberant hand-lettered typography. Together with Bryant's sympathetic account, Sweet's gentle riot of images and words humanizes the man behind this ubiquitous reference work and demystifies the thesaurus itself."
-- Kirkus Reviews (STARRED Review)
Bryant's prose is bright and well-tuned for young readers. . . . Sweet tops herself -- again! -- visually reflecting Roget's wide range as a thinker and product of the Enlightenment. Injecting her watercolor palette with shots of teal, scarlet and fuchsia, Sweet embeds vintage bits (ledger paper, type drawers, botanical illustrations and more), creating a teeming, contemplative, playfully celebratory opus. In a word: marvelous!"
-- Booklist (STARRED review)
"In brilliant pages teeming with enthusiasm for language and learning, Bryant and Sweet joyfully celebrate curiosity, the love of knowledge, and the power of words."
-- School Library Journal (STARRED review)
"Those who have relied upon a thesaurus . . . will gain a greater appreciation for the reference tool in this beautifully designed picture book biography of its creator, Peter Roget. . . . Busy and exuberant, Sweet's charming watercolor illustrations, layered over collages of vintage images and fonts, capture Roget's passion for classification while also providing readers new opportunities for discovery. . . . Expertly researched and well written, Bryant's narrative not only details the creation of the thesaurus; it also conveys a sense of Roget the man. . . . An excellent illustrated biography."
The Horn Book (STARRED review)
"Apt language and ingenious imagery. . . . both decorous and warm."
-- Capitol Choices
"From its busy end pages this lively book brings to life a creator and the words he was fascinated by."
New York Times
"Spirited portrait of the Swiss-born Victorian who found an ingenious way to help people say what they mean."
Washington Post
"Young readers will see that each page of this book, like each page of 'Roget's Thesaurus, ' contains multitudes."
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Encourages a sense of wonder. . . . Myriad visual temptations luring viewers into a fine browsing experience."
Midwest Book Review
"The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus is a fabulous illustrated junior biography, celebrating the richness and power of words, and the wonderful story of the man who organized and listed words to make them accessible to all who are literate."
Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
"In this remarkable book Jen Bryant's lyrical text is paired with Melissa Sweet's wonderful multimedia artwork to give young readers a compelling story about a man whose book of words, and their meanings, is now a valuable tool used by writers of all kinds."
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