The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by J. Bryant

Abstract

Bryant, Jen. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Illus. M. Sweet. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2014. Print.Although it is difficult to find the ‘right word’ to describe this book, thanks to Peter Roget, it is much easier … exceptional, marvelous, superb, pleasing, or wonderful. Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet have teamed up to write their third picture book biography, this time about Peter Mark Roget and the journey that culminated with the publication of his Thesaurus.The story takes us through the life of Peter Roget, from a shy and lonely child to a successful doctor. Peter discovered as a child that books made good friends, and he developed a love of words. Throughout his life and experiences, Peter organized words into lists, enabling him to find the right words when he needed them. With the encouragement of his children much later in life, Peter spent three more years finalizing and organizing his many lists. In 1852, his Thesaurus was published.Complimenting this story is a visual experience comprised of a collage of paintings and mixed media. The effect is entrancing, giving the eye so many wonderful treasures to discover to go along with the text. While the magic of getting the answer to a question you did not know you had may be lost on children who have never seen a Roget’s Thesaurus, it is still a delightful book. Younger children will connect with one of the many aspects of Peter’s life growing up and the wide array of illustrations. Older children will connect with deeper themes, and pour over the many facets of the mixed media illustrations. And don’t miss the timeline, author’s note, and illustrator’s note at the end!As soon as I finished the book, I immediately turned to the beginning to read through again and see what I might discover the second time through.Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Cindy JacksonCindy loved to read to her children as they were growing up, and now continues to impart her love of stories as a teacher with her grade six students. One of Cindy’s claims to fame is her daughter, who now carries on the tradition of storytelling with HER grade two students! Cindy is currently working on her Masters at the University of Alberta, focusing on language and literacy.