Fascinating facts about words and the English language abound in this giddy Australian import (The Word Spy, 2008), narrated by the exuberant “Word Snoop,” who discloses her discoveries to her “dear readers” in a chatty, conspiratorial style. Those who haven’t pondered how the world’s first alphabet developed (or even the word “alphabet” itself) will be wowed, and trivia buffs will adore learning that quotation marks are nicknamed “goose feet” in Iceland and what the letters in the acronym “laser” stands for. Anagrams, palindromes and oxymorons are demystified, as are mondegreens, Yogiisms and Tom Swifties. Solid-red, chapter-demarcating pages featuring the silhouette of a donkey-riding, telescope-wielding child contribute to the book’s distinctly old-fashioned design and sensibility, but the Snoop’s eclectic cultural references range from Albert Camus to Lauren Myracle, 17th-century Norwegian poets to the Simpsons—and the final chapter analyzes texting (so like haiku!) and emoticons. Wordplay and cryptography aficionados will enjoy the intermittent coded puzzles that culminate in one final message. Riddle’s simple cartoons, often visual puns, enhance the playful nature of this thoroughly engaging, well-crafted primer. (timeline, glossary, code key) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3406-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2009
From the oldest maps in the world, to mapping the earth and other planets from space, Johnson (Ferrets, 1997, etc.) introduces the world of cartography using an outstanding collection of full-color period prints and contemporary photographs. Included is a map carved on a clay tablet made in 500 b.c. in Babylonia; a road map for a.d. 1200; a world map made in a.d. 1482; using information recorded by Ptolemy in a.d. 150; a sea, or portalan chart from a.d. 1489; maps of the New World made by Spanish mapmakers around a.d. 1500; and many more. Johnson discusses the first modern atlas as well as the Mercator projection, and introduces new ways of mapping using satellites and instruments for remote sensing involving radio signals, microwaves, and computer imaging. Accessible, beautiful, and informative, this is essential for most collections. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81813-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This slim collection of actual writings of American girls from colonial times to the mid-20th century contains some real gems that are sure to inspire readers to learn more about history. Their first insight will be that girls who lived long ago weren’t really that different from their modern counterparts. They played games and played jokes on one another, were interested in boys, knew that their teachers and parents didn’t understand them, were picked on by big brothers and sisters, and worried about what the future held for them. Some of the entries are funny, some serious, but all are informative and entertaining, augmented by the co- authors’ introductory notes for every entry and black-and-white photographs of the spirited and spunky girls who wrote such wonderful descriptions of their lives. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82083-6
Page Count: 103
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
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