Scavenger Hunt, by Thea Whitehead, Suzi Devlin (Illustrator)

 

Why does a bumblebee wear a hat? Nope, not telling, not that I'm sure there's any one right answer, but it's one of the fun things you get to ponder as you read this book. Given the day off because the beekeeper needs to "smoke" the hive, a term you'll learn within, Betty Bumble Bee organizes a fun Scavenger Hunt for her friends, friends of all kinds.

The catch is that the clues ask participants to guess the target color from a visual hint. They're very well done, too, and kudos to the author for finding a way to use a tricky, two word rhyme for orange. Never fear if you don't get it as Betty Bumble Bee quickly explains each. The illustrations are bright and fun and be sure you pay attention to the background and who/what turns up in each. That was an added bit of fun and challenge. The friends work together to solve the riddles, a nice way of emphasizing teamwork as an important skill. And, needless to say, they're learning their colors and about rhymes all at the same time. 

Bottom line, this was a fun book that will have children giggling and chiming in to answer with Betty as answers are revealed. Needless to say, they all involve colors, mostly illustrated via lovely, perky flowers although you may not some bug friends in the pictures that fit the description, too. Friends work together, you know. I definitely liked the different level activity suggestions at the end, falling right into the category of challenging young minds while engaging them in a fun task. My only "Huh?" moment was at the start when I wasn't quite clear on how the clues worked but that quickly became obvious to my tired ol' brain. This would make a great addition to any elementary teacher's library or parent's book stash to keep their children entertained and learning at the same time. Thanks. #BooksGoSocial for the sneak peek at this fun read/activity book. As noted, kudos for the way the author managed to find a way to work in the color orange.4.5 rounded to 5 star.

Wonderful Words That Tell a Tale: An etymological exploration of over 100 everyday words, by Tom Read Wilson, Ian Morris (illustrator)

 Publication October 1, 2024

Remember how much we enjoyed playing with words in, oh, so many ways as kids? Rolling around multi-syllable, almost musical ones in out mouths, testing their sounds and rhymes, even memorizing how to spell L.O.N.G. words because, well, because we could. Wilson captures a bit of that whimsical childhood past in this book with the help of Morris' fun illustrations. While I'd question aiming the book at children, the fun element should make it work. It's not necessarily a book to read from front to back, either, as one can easily flip around, flip back and forth, or, shh, even skip words that simply don't grab you. 

It's been awhile since I read the prior book but these words seem more unfamiliar than the those initially showcased, but the format is the same. Each letter of the alphabet gets four words. One word is highlighted and showcased in a brief rhyme. Tables are shown that share the words origin and how the term came to be and more. The three words that follow aren't necessarily related but did catch the author's whimsy, Finally, the words are in italics for their first use and their source is in bold, with meanings underlined. Don't worry. It's pretty obvious as you go along. 

Phew, with that bit of explanation done, let's turn to the words. Nope, not going to provide you with a full list... part of the fun is in the discovery .... but will highlight a few that aren't mentioned in the blurb. For instance, the word alphabet itself. It comes from the Greek terms alpha and beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. Like many, I knew the word sandwich got its name from the Earl of Sandwich but do you know his real name? Nope. Not telling, but it's there. There's even an explanation for where the abbreviation Xmas came from. Again, nope. Not telling. I will share that the Old English meaning of the word hiccup comes from one meaning "elf induced". That somehow seems fitting. Oh, and the term barbecue comes from the Caribbean and means, oops, almost gave that one away. Check it out before your next barbecue.

Bottom line, a fun book for all ages that can be revisited repeatedly. Morris' watercolor style illustrations are whimsical in nature but realistic, too, if that makes sense. They add to the fun. Thanks #QuartoPublishingGroup - #words&pictures for allowing me an early peek at this fun collection. The glossary in the beginning was quite helpful, btw.

Colossal Words for Kids, by Colette Hiller, Tor Freeman (Illustrator)

 

Publication May 7, 2024

What's your "idiosyncrasy"? It may be "nondescript" or "scintillating" or maybe you're "oblivious" to it. Whatever it is, you'll probably find a word for it in this fun, fun book. I had a great deal of fun reading the rhythmic wordplay within, chuckling at the colorful, humorous illustrations. At times the words and letters seemed to have a life of their own, too, meandering (you'll find that word defined within) about the page, creating shapes that help convey the meanings. Make sure you check out that "Z" for "zest" and the "Y" in "unruly". 

I highly recommend this one for my teacher friends and, for that fact, anyone with children (or even adult friends) fascinated by wordplay. Not only do you get humorous definitions that are far more fun than anything you'll find in a dictionary, but there are added bits here and there about authors and, well, words. Even better, some of the nuances are tackled. So, don't be "doleful" like Eeyore. Order a copy now. If not, it'll be a "colossal" (yes, that word is in there, too) shame and deprive you of fun moments. Thanks #QuartoPublishingGroup and #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks for sharing this sneak peek via #NetGalley. As an avid reader, not to mention writer and former English teacher, I loved it.

Work from Home: A Coloring and Activity Book for Grown-ups, by Harper Celebrate

 

Publication July 18, 2023

I had an image in my mind the whole time I was reading this one of the creators giggling and rolling their eyes as they put it together. It's just plain ol' fun. Full of humor, amazingly right-on-target drawings, word games, suggestions for lists and imaginative drawings, it is a "very serious coloring book for very serious grown ups" who work from home, typed tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure. Heck, there are even drink mix instructions. Okay, maybe not so tongue-in-cheek. Cheers?

The artwork is just detailed enough to make viewers grin and nod, thinking "Yep. True" the entire time. I'm not quite sure which was my favorite, it'd probably depend on mood and the day, but as a retiree I was definitely drawn to the "poster" declaring the new, official dress code to be "pajama professional". Made sense to me. Have to admit, though, the "It's 5 '0'Clock somewhere" one made me grin, too. 

In other words, there's surely something for everyone, from the multi-tasker watching tv across from their laptop to the one pondering why they never knew how their pet spent their days or the exercise machine slowly becoming a clothing rack, they all had a ring of familiarity. All done with humor and a "We're all in this together" spirit. Thanks #NetGalley and #HarperCelebrate for this delightfully humorous tribute to the work-at-home warriors. Even this retiree could relate.

Every Word Tells a Story: An extraordinary A to Z of etymological exploration, by Tom Read Wilson

 

Publication Oct. 4, 2022

Colorful and whimsical, this one is a fun way to, gasp, learn. I have to admit, I was intrigued after seeing he'd used the word "daisy" as an example in the blurb. My dog's name is Daisy and I use her name at the title of my book review blog, so there was curiosity. After reading it, I looked over at her. Yep, eyes ever lowering, she was ready to go curl up safe and sound in bed only to arise bright and bouncy again tomorrow. The word daisy comes from an old English term meaning "day's eye", so named because the flower daisy basically curls its petals up over its "eye" at night and opens at dawn. Yep, I had no clue at the time I named her but fits my Daisy perfectly.

In any case, although I question the target of children for this book, there's much to find, giggle over, and perhaps discuss with adults as they browse the colorful illustrations by Ian Morris and read Wilson's light doses of info and humor. He's selected four words per letter, introducing the first of each set with a humorous, short poem. Don't worry, nothing heavy, with the emphasis of cute and funny. Each word is fully illustrated, often blending from one page to the other, with snippets of into on word origin, meaning, and when appropriate, a bit of history. I did question the use of guillotine as one of the words but, well, who are we kidding. Kids love that sorta thing. They'll find words such as bumf, clodhopper, frippery, kindergarten, ogre, quignog, and zombie among many others. 

The drawings are reasonably realistic but whimsical in nature, hence the Diplodocus is a lovely shade of, well, blue polka-dots. I'm assured that likely isn't realistic but it fits the tone of the book, fun and quizzical looking as good ol' Diplodocus (oh, okay, it's a dinosaur) is. In other words, while there is much to entertain younger children, older children and those of us who are, well, not children can find much to amuse ourselves in this book. Thanks #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup for letting me take a sneak peek. Also to #words&pictures, the original publisher. They're right. Every word does tell a story to those of us who care to listen.

The Vanishing Type, a Secret, Book, & Scone Society book, by Ellery Adams

The mystery was intriguing with its many twists and connections to books and art but for me the highlight is the close bond of friendship shared by the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society. It made me want to move to Miracle Springs just to get to know them. We're not talking "Let's do lunch" or a distracted "How are you doing?" friends. We're talking friends who know each other's inner-most painful secrets and guard them, even from other loved ones.

The plot sounds relatively simple on the surface. A stranger is found murdered with a mysterious book in his coat pocket. In addition, at the same time some of main character Nora Pennington's beloved bookstore books are found defaced, with the name Hester violently sliced out of copies of Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter". Is this somehow connected to Nora's friend Hester, a treasured friend in the Society? Will Hester''s secret ruin her relationship and recent engagement? Is there some connection to Hester having found a beautifully illustrated novel with secrets of its own? Could Hester be guilty of murder?

Bottom line, this is an intricately plotted, meaningful story of not just murder but friendship and, yes, secrets. Are secrets always best kept secret? The story reminds us that we all are touched by past relationships and events. It's also a wonderful reminder that family isn't just blood relatives, that the real magic "is what happens when you finally find your people", whether near or far. Full of book and movie references, nicely collected for us by category at the end, this is an intricate, evolving story of family, friends, and, yes, murder. I highly recommend it.

BTW, it would be remiss of me with the current emergence of the on-line word game Wordle not to mention the role a word "game" plays in the story.

Thank you #NetGalley and #KensigntonBooks for this wonderful story. It has been a thoughtful delight to follow from book one and I look forward to more.