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ABSURD WORDS

A KIDS' FUN AND HILARIOUS VOCABULARY BUILDER FOR FUTURE WORD NERDS

Only fussbudgets and smellfunguses would reject this as bafflegab for sesquipedalians.

A razzle-dazzle roster of locutions sufficient to warm the heartstrings of any logophile.

Steering (to the disappointment, no doubt, of much of her potential audience) clear of curses and sexual slang, Lazar compiles a generous glossary of uncommon words that pack a big punch. Why, for instance, just wander around the mall when you can gallivant with a frenemy? Shop for gewgaws and gimcracks? Chow down on Frankenfood to keep from getting hangry? Digestibly, if often arbitrarily, arranged in small groups beneath broad sections like “G.O.A.T.” for superlatives and “All the Feels” for expressing highs and lows, each entry comes with pronunciation, part of speech, a one-line (usually) definition, and a sample sentence. Individual notes on the cultures or languages from which borrowed selections come are hit or miss, but the author does tuck in occasional linguistic summary charts plus, more often, sidebar etymologies, usage histories, and short tallies of anagrams, eggcorns, mondegreens, and like flimflammery. As further inspiration to level up in talk and texts, she closes by inviting readers to invent their own portmanteaus or “crashwords,” as did that unexcelled master of neologisms Roald Dahl, and see if any stick. Mayhall’s colorful and playful cartoon vignettes add to the fun and show human characters with diverse skin tones.

Only fussbudgets and smellfunguses would reject this as bafflegab for sesquipedalians. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-4926-9742-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021

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MUMMIES OF THE PHARAOHS

EXPLORING THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

An introduction to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. The authors begin with how archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut, then move back 3,000 years to the time of Thutmosis I, who built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Finally they describe the building of the tomb of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II. The backward-forward narration is not always easy to follow, and the authors attribute emotions to the Pharaohs without citation. For example, “Thutmosis III was furious [with Hatshepsut]. He was especially annoyed that she planned to be buried in KV 20, the tomb of her father.” Since both these people lived 3,500 years ago, speculation on who was furious or annoyed should be used with extreme caution. And the tangled intrigue of Egyptian royalty is not easily sorted out in so brief a work. Throughout, though, there are spectacular photographs of ancient Egyptian artifacts, monuments, tomb paintings, jewels, and death masks that will appeal to young viewers. The photographs of the exposed mummies of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti I are compelling. More useful for the hauntingly beautiful photos than the text. (brief bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-7922-7223-4

Page Count: 64

Publisher: National Geographic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001

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AIN’T NOTHING BUT A MAN

MY QUEST TO FIND THE REAL JOHN HENRY

It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine.

With assistance from Aronson, a veteran author/editor and nabob of nonfiction, Nelson recasts his adult title Steel Drivin’ Man: The Untold Story of an American Legend (2006) into a briefer account that not only suspensefully retraces his search for the man behind the ballad, but also serves as a useful introduction to historical-research methods.

Supported by a generous array of late-19th- and early-20th-century photos—mostly of chain-gang “trackliners” and other rail workers—the narrative pieces together clues from song lyrics, an old postcard, scattered business records and other sources, arriving finally at both a photo that just might be the man himself, and strong evidence of the drilling contest’s actual location. The author then goes on to make speculative but intriguing links between the trackliners’ work and the origins of the blues and rock-’n’-roll, and Aronson himself closes with an analytical appendix.

It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-4263-0000-4

Page Count: 64

Publisher: National Geographic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2007

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