Chronicle Books

Some words are just more fun to say than others. Rutabaga, for example. Or pumpernickel.

Somehow neither of these words made the cut for “L Is for Lollygag: Quirky Words for a Clever Tongue,” a charming dictionary of words that are a pleasure to pronounce. Many of these words, such as gobbledygook or humdinger, aren't even necessary. We have other, shorter, simpler words we could use. But, especially in the spoken word as opposed to the written word, brevity and simplicity are not primary show more objectives. More important, at least in casual conversation, is entertainment value.

Comedians know this. Writers like Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll knew it as well. Yes, they were working with written language, but they knew their books would be often read aloud and enjoyed as much for the sound of the words as for their meaning. (In Carroll's case, sometimes the words didn't even have any meaning.) We might say the same thing about Dr. Seuss.

Say aloud some of these words from “L Is for Lollygag:” cantankerous, dungarees, haberdasher, hullabaloo, peccadillo, plethora, rapscallion, rumpus, scalawag, serendipity, wisenheimer and Zamboni. Pleasurable words need not have several syllables. Even words like crux and rogue are included.

I was surprised how often I thought of my mother while reading this book. I didn't realize it during my youth, but she must have loved the sound of such words as catawampus, conniption, gadabout, gallivant, gumption, kitty-corner and persnickety. All these words are in the book.

If the words are fun, so are the definitions. Here's how this book defines amok: "going crazy or out of control, like children who've had too much sugar. People usually run amok because walking amok would take too long." With writing like that it's a shame Chronicle Books did not see fit to give the writers, Molly Glover and Kate Hodson, cover credit. Their names are listed, however, in small print, on the copyright page. To that I say fiddlesticks! show less

Mixing in a bit of hide-and-seek, this is an book which will have kids hunting for eggs again and again.

Taking on the fun of Easter egg hunting, these pages challenge young readers to go on a search to find them where ever they can. Two doors are found on each page—in the most unexpected places—where an egg, or none, or maybe two are waiting to be discovered. But it's not as simple as opening a door and finding a bright egg. The wheels on the side of he page turn the eggs, making what's show more behind each door a surprise every time.

The illustrations are lovingly done and invite with Spring feelings. The 'door's are incorporated nicely, making it fun to discover each one. And the characters...such as mice and birds...add an extra drop of cuteness to the mix. There is a short phrase on each page, such as 'guess which hand', but this pales in comparison to the searching fun.

It's a cute idea which made me and my kids smile. The wheel is simple to operate and the doors are fun to peek behind. The idea of having the eggs change, is quite clever and insures an extra play factor. It's a sweet book for Easter that young listeners are sure to enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy and found the entire thing clever and cute. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts. show less

I'd seen this at a few shops and found the sloth so cute and inviting even from first glance. When I finally flipped open the pages, I was even more delighted.

Created for the youngest reader, this books takes reading-aloud and adds a new dimension. Now, this isn't the first finger puppet book I've run across, but it's definitely one of the better ones I've had my hands on. The pages are thick and sturdy, perfect for small hands and built to handle some bumps and tosses. Especially the finger show more puppet impressed me. It's soft and cuddly, and invites to touch and play with a nice quality. The sloth's neck is long enough to poke through all pages and still can be easily moved around in all directions. The neck is fastened well to the back page and will hold up hours of fun without ripping right away. Even the hole and the sloth's neck are spacious, allowing even thicker fingers to fit through. In other words, thought went into creating this one.

The pages are bright and colorful. While the scenes are relatively simple, they pack just the right amount of details to make it clear what's going on. Plus, they offer a fitting background for the sloth to stretch and play.

While screaming cuteness, the purpose of this book isn't just to have fun. Young listeners get to learn a few sloth facts along the way. Fitting to the intended age group, the animal facts are kept extremely simple (food, sleep, etc). One simple sentence accompanies every page, making sure it stays at the right level. The combination of play and a little fact is definitely getting big thumbs up from us.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it so much (as did my kids) that I'm leaving our honest thoughts. show less

As a llama fan, my daughter flipped when she saw this book. Although she is older than the suggested age group, she's immediately laid claim to it.

Created for the youngest reader, this books add a fun embellishment to the usual story-telling fun. It's sturdy with thick pages to suit small hands and to handle some harsher usage. The finger puppet is so soft and cuddly, and invites to touch and play. I was happy to see that the puppet's neck is quite long and pokes through with enough room to show more easily move the head around in all directions on every page. The head is fastened nicely to the back page, ensuring hours of fun without fear of instant breakage. And the hole as well as the puppet are spacious for even thicker fingers. In other words, it's practically made.

The book itself is super cute and draws immediate attention. Each page is bright and colorful, which fits to the huge smile on the llama's face. While the illustrations are relatively simple, there are still enough details to make it clear what's going on...and the scenes create a lovely background for the llama to 'play'. The purpose of this book is to also let young listeners learn just a little bit more about llamas. Now, we're not talking tough facts here but simply a light, general glimpse at things such as what a llama eats or where it sleeps. Each 'fact' is presented in a very simple sentence, perfect for the intended age group. I found the combination sweet and loved how a tiny, itsy bit of knowledge is delivered in such a fun, playful way. It's definitely getting big thumbs up from us.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it so much (as did my kids) that I'm leaving our honest thoughts. show less