Book Review: The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus by Jen Bryant

Put together like a beautiful scrapbook, this book explores the life of Peter Roget and his creations on words lists we now have come to call the Thesaurus. Find out how the popular lists that help people find the perfect word came to be!

The scrapbook style of the illustrations gives a fun air to this text. The reader feels as if they are reading a personal journal as opposed to a story. With Roget's love of lists, they can be found throughout the pages and some of the text is written in a list style to emphasize that to the reader. The scenes of Roget are done in beautiful water colors and contrast nicely with the collage feel of the rest of the page. Sprinkled within the text are samples of a what would become thesaurus entries, giving a nod for older readers and introducing the idea of what it does for young readers. There is a time line and author's not in the back of the book explaining how the concept of the book was started. It also includes a page of references, recommended readings and a page from Peter Roget's original word book. All are worth the read!

"Bryant’s and Sweet’s talents combine to make the lowly thesaurus fascinating in this beautifully illustrated picture-book biography of Peter Mark Roget. Born in the late eighteenth century, shy Roget was prone to wandering alone and began keeping lists of words at a young age. Even as he went to medical school and became a talented and respected physician, he still kept his book of word lists, gradually improving on the concept until he published his first thesaurus, classified thematically rather than alphabetically as it is today, in 1852. Echoing Roget’s obsession with words, Sweet’s intricate and elaborate collage illustrations—made out of textbooks, graph paper, maps, fabric, typewriter keys, and other found objects—put words on center stage. Lists in wildly expressive handwritten fonts along with cut-paper assemblages stuff the dynamic pages, even the appended time line and endpapers, with arresting detail. Pivotal moments in Roget’s life get a similar treatment: terms related to plants bloom in tendrils around a watercolor illustration of Roget on one of his many walks. In brilliant pages teeming with enthusiasm for language and learning, Bryant and Sweet (A Splash of Red, 2013) joyfully celebrate curiosity, the love of knowledge, and the power of words." -- Sarah Hunt, Booklist

Book Information:

Bryant, J. (2014). THE RIGHT WORD: ROGET AND HIS THESAURUS. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. IBSN 97080802853851

Book Activity:

Have students pick a word and find it in a thesaurus. How many entries does it have? Is it a word that is used often? Why do some entries have more words than other? Have students create a poster or presentation discussing these topic. For younger students, you may have them create a poster or presentation about how a thesaurus works and display them in the reference section of the library. 

What Next?

The Word Snoop by Ursula Dubosarsky to find out the secrets of the English language!