The Word Collector

December 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-Jerome is a collector. While others collect stamps or trading cards, he collects words that he hears, sees, or reads-words that catch his fancy "multisyllable words that sounded like little songs" or "words he did not know the meaning of at first, but ... were marvelous to say...." When he accidentally slips and his word collection scatters, he is inspired to begin "stringing words together. Words he had not imagined being side by side." Soon there are poems and songs and surprisingly simple, but mighty combinations like "I understand" or "I'm sorry." Determined to share his newfound knowledge, on a breezy day, Jerome climbs a hill and tosses his collection to the wind. Reynolds leaves readers with his own string of words, "Reach for your own words/Tell the world who you are/And how you will make it better." Less wordy (excuse the pun) than Roni Schotter and Giselle Potter's The Boy Who Loved Words or Max's Words by Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov, this book is short and sweet yet packs a powerful punch. Reynolds's signature ink-and-gouache cartoons manage to capture both the joy of learning and the power of kindness. VERDICT A perfect introduction to vocabulary units that should encourage youngsters to collect their own words to create their own poems. Have students write 10 favorite words from their collections on slips of colored paper for a poetry word wall, and let the inspiration flow.-Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2017
Young logophile Jerome moves through a deepening relationship with words in Reynolds' latest. Jerome, a young boy of color, is a fastidious collector, but rather than collecting bugs or coins or comic books, Jerome collects words. Words that are new to him, words that sound fascinating to him, words that delight him--Jerome copies down his favorites and keeps them organized in scrapbooks. One day, Jerome takes a tumble, and his books of words seem to explode, and clouds of paper fill the page. His collection becomes fantastically jumbled as "words he had not imagined being side by side" suddenly inspire Jerome to make new creations not only to collect, but also to share. Phrases become poems, and poems become songs. Simple words share powerful feelings. Even as he delights in sharing of himself with his burgeoning lexicon, he decides to share his collection as well, releasing it into the wind for others to find and begin their own collections. In his love letter to those who take delight in words, Reynolds elegantly and with almost ironic brevity demonstrates the entrancing meanings and sounds and textures of English words together with uncluttered (if fairly literal) illustrations to capture the beauty of words and the wonder of sharing them with others. (Languages other than English are largely unrepresented.) Enchanting if monolingual. (Picture book. 4-8)

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December 15, 2017
Grades K-2 Jerome, a slim, brown-skinned boy with a tuft of purple hair, loves words. He doesn't collect stamps or coins or baseball cards like other people; Jerome collects words. He writes down his favoritessuch as mysterious, whispery, serious, and poeticonto small pieces of paper and arranges them in labeled albums. Some words are short, some have multiple syllables, and some are simply pleasing to utter out loud: vociferous, effervescent, serendipity. The more words he knew the more clearly he could share with the world what he was thinking, feeling, and dreaming. Though collecting words for himself has been enjoyable, Jerome decides there is a much better and more satisfying use for his collection. Pastel and white backgrounds make young Jerome stand out while his words on yellow slips of paper float around many of the charming illustrations. Pair with Kate Banks' Max's Words (2006) and Roni Schotter's The Boy Who Loved Words (2006) for explorations of a similar theme.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)