13 words by Lemony Snicket
Maira Kalman. HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780061664670
(Age: K-3) Word Number 1: bird. The bird sits on the table Word
Number 2: despondent. The bird is despondent. In fact, she is so sad
that she hops off the table to look for something to cheer her up.
And so begins this new story from Lemony Snicket (A Series of
Unfortunate Events) that continues his penchant for quirky but
thoroughly engaging stories. Bird hops off the table to explore the
cake (Word Number 3) that is in the box under it and is joined by
dog (word Number 4). Together they eat the cake and then while Bird
gets busy (Word Number 5) Dog goes off in his convertible (#6) and
meets Goat (#7) and together they look for things that might cheer
Bird up. They decide on a hat (#8) and so continues a wonderful tale
that compels the reader to make connections between words like
'haberdashery', 'panache' and 'mezzo-soprano'.
Giving life to the words are the amazing illustrations of Maira
Kalman which have been described in the Kirkus review as 'gorgeous,
Matisse-like, gelato-colored'. They force the reader to engage with
them, drawing you in to discover a range of unexpected delights that
are just as original as Snicket's storyline. It's as though Snicket
and Kalman have decided to take the iconic format of a children's
basic word book and turn it upside-down. Not only have they used
words that kids know and are common in traditional word books, but
they've also chosen some of those that they love to learn and let
roll of their tongue in delight. What kindergarten word list
contains 'panache' and 'despondent'? Add to that, instead of the
words being isolated and disconnected, they've turned them into a
story that puts them in a context that demonstrates their meaning
and makes a most appealing story.
This book works on so many levels apart from just being plain fun.
Students could make a list of the most delicious words that they
love to say; they could make their own list of thirteen words and
try to weave them into a story; they could make a chart of all the
different types of hats and classify them as sunsmart or not; and
given that Bird is still despondent at the end of the story they
could speculate on what might make her happier. It's a book that
keeps on giving and has something for each age group you share it
with.
For a sneak peek, there's a trailer at http://youtu.be/VI1HZFrijeU
Barbara Braxton