We speak about the power of words often and with these three new books being published, they remind us just how great and powerful words can be.
Roots of Happiness, 100 words for joy and hope by Susie Dent and Harriet Hobday, Published by Penguin
“Let’s dwell on the beauty of life” a quote from Marcus Aurelius forms part of the reasoning behind this book of happy words from acclaimed language expert, Susie Dent. She reasons that the sound of words can sometimes make us feel happier, not just the meaning. With 100 words to browse, some of the words are used daily, like happy, cheer, tickle while others were new to me like mellifluous or ebullient. This is a beautiful book to browse through with happy illustrations bringing the words to life. Each word is given a bit of a history lesson which puts things into context and I feel challenged to use these words more often in my day to day language.
Curious Words for Clever Kids by Sarah Cariggs and Fiona Powers, Published by Hachette
This book is more for the younger reader, with colourful and bold illustrations showing the meaning and relationship of words under a theme like technology or flowers. Readers will learn so many new words in this book, as well as those tricky grammatical terms of synonyms and antonyms. Ideal for classrooms so children can expand their understanding and vocabulary while enjoying the awesome images. At the back is a double page spread of games to play around the book, and I love this. Gone are the boring old dictionaries and thesaurus, and in are books that inspire learning around words and parts of speech.
Great Minds by Andre Ducci, Joan Dritsas Haig and Joan Lennon, Published by Templar Books
This seemed an ideal fit for today’s blog around the power of words as so many in history have shared their words and changed paths, ideals and understanding of the world. The “Great Minds” in this book cover the globe, history and beliefs. The book has a graphic novel and highly illustrative feel which will appeal to so many readers. The text is broken into bite size chunks making it accessible and fun to explore. I discovered a few new names and finally understood a bit more about key philosophical thinking from history. The trio of creators also wrote and illustrated the popular Talk
I am a primary school teacher, turned librarian. I am Children’s Librarian for Suffolk Libraries, a job I adore!
I read constantly and have more books than bookshelves, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I celebrate reading every day at work I am currently Vice Chair on the National Executive Committee for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups!
View all posts by Erin Lyn
My Shelves Are Full 