Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
I love Words: An activity book from writing, drawing and having fun
Novelty Book
For ages 8 to 10
Kane Miller, 2010 ISBN: 978-1935279488
Francoize Boucher loves words and she wants to share this love with us by showing us all the interesting, fun, and sometimes even crazy things that we can do with words. All we are going to need to enjoy this book (most of the time) is a pencil, an eraser, a pair of scissors, and our heads. She suggests that we also need a “super-loud laugh.”
We begin our word adventure with a short word test. The author asks us “What are words for?” and then gives us a lot of options to choose from. The answer is on the second page – upside down – and it is rather surprising. Then we begin to explore the world of words. There are exercises to do, questions to answer, and important topics to think about. For example, the author reminds us that words can be kind, and they can be cruel. Some words can be ugly and they make people “feel bad.” It is therefore a good idea to think before you speak, which is very sound advice indeed.
Some of the projects readers will encounter are really different and fun. For example we are invited to write a funny story on a t-shirt and then to go around wearing the shirt so that the story is shared with others. We even meet a “Super-Spelling Super Hero” who shares a big secret with us. Among other things we get to make a word box, write in a secret code, and come up with some lame excuses.
In addition to these rather unusual projects there are quizzes to complete, funny letters to share and so many other things to try. All of these projects and activities get readers thinking about words in creative and often funny ways. The author helps her readers to appreciate how powerful words are and to understand that words should be an important part of our lives.
