Star Sailor, the Story of Words

Written by Sara Cassidy

Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-3663-1 

40 pp.

Ages 6–8

August 2025 

 

Where would we be without words? With a few letters, or sometimes a lot of them, words either alone or with others can inspire, inform, entertain, emote, and connect. They help us communicate that which we need to share, and to learn, and so much more. Their story is one of endowment, giving readers and listeners the bounty of their wealth, and empowerment.

From Star Sailor, the Story of Words, written by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Sara Cassidy begins with an introduction to what words are and how words arise, including the titular "star sailor" which is an astronaut. She discusses how words can be very old while others can arise daily. (Did you know that every day at least ten English words are spoken for the first time? [p. 4]) Sara Cassidy also talks of words coming from sounds that they imitate (e.g., hum), from the combination of words (e.g., bedroom), including to form portmanteaus like "hangry," and from sharing common characteristics (e.g., the ribs of an umbrella and our body's ribs).  

From Star Sailor, the Story of Words, written by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

There are multiple pages of the geographical and cultural origin of words, whether it's cheddar named after a village in England, and Dalmatians originating in Dalmatia, Croatia, or those arising from languages of First Peoples, like canoe, skunk and the cayenne pepper, and from foreign languages (e.g., patio, glitch, and sauna). Words can be built from roots, prefixes and suffixes, and they can be modified as needed. With all this information shared in a snappy presentation, Sara Cassidy still acknowledges that sometimes words have arisen by mistake, that they've arisen without our understanding of their origins, and that sometimes words need to be retired when they become inappropriate or obsolete. There's a lot to know about words, but Sara Cassidy breaks it down into manageable chunks, which will help inspire new lexophiles.

From Star Sailor, the Story of Words, written by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Sara Cassidy, who has written everything from picture books (e.g., Helen's Birds, 2019) and early readers (e.g., The Great Googlini, 2018) to middle-grade fiction (e.g., A Boy Named Queen, 2016) and hi-lo YA (e.g., Skylark, 2014), gives us an illustrated non-fiction book about lexicology, the study of the form, meaning, and use of words. Just like words, it is informative, creative, inspiring, and definitely entertaining. And with Julie McLaughlin's illustrations, Star Sailor, the Story of Words is also colourful and playful.

 

Julie McLaughlin, who illustrated the award-winning Why We Live Where We Live (Kira Vermond, 2015), complements Sara Cassidy's light-hearted approach to an involved topic with her digital artwork that is vibrant and whimsical, inclusive and detailed. Beyond the text, there are many information elements to parse out of Julie McLaughlin's illustrations. Whether it's her depictions of onomatopoeia or her use of LEGO as building blocks for words, Julie McLaughlin keeps everything informative in a playfully enlightening way. 

I love a book that celebrates words and how they work. Because language is always evolving, Star Sailor, the Story of Words gives readers the basics of how words come to be and come to change, helping young people to understand the role words play in culture and how all of us have and will continue to be a part of that. 

The Keeper of Wild Words: Guest review

Today's review was written by teacher Elizabeth Cook.

Written by Brooke Smith

Illustrated by Madeline Kloepper

Chronicle Books

64 pp.

Ages 5-8

March 2020

In Brooke Smith’s The Keeper of Wild Words, young Brook looks forward to spending the last day of summer vacation with her grandmother, whom she calls Mimi.  Secretly, Brook is worried that she won’t have anything good to share on the first day of school about her summer.  Even as Brook goes to confide in Mimi, her grandmother asks Brook to help save some of her favourite words from disappearing.

From The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith, illus. by Madeline Kloepper

Words disappear if we don’t share them when we talk.  If we don’t write them in our stories.  If we don’t read them in our books.  If we don’t use words, they can be forgotten.  And if they’re forgotten...they disappear.

Armed with a list of disappearing words, they set out to find each one. It isn’t long before they spot their first wild word, a wren sitting in a tree outside Mimi’s house.  Brook and Mimi spend the day exploring nature to find all of the wild words to ensure they don’t disappear forever. As they find each wild word, they also take the time to explore. Noting the smells of the flowers, the sounds at the pond, and the taste of freshly-picked mint leaves, Brook and Mimi have a truly magical day as they become Keepers of the Wild Words.

From The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith, illus. by Madeline Kloepper

At the end of this book, American author Brooke Smith explains her inspiration for this book, which originated with a news article that angered her.  The article listed words that would no longer be in the Oxford Junior Dictionary and included over a hundred words related to nature and the wild.  Even more upsetting to her was the fact that words such as “chatroom”, “database”, and “MP3 player” were being introduced. With an emphasis on technology leaving the wild world behind, it is understandable why such a book is needed for our young readers. Enhanced by Canadian Madeline Kloepper's stunning artwork, created in mixed media and Photoshop, the message about the importance of the natural world is threaded throughout.

As a teacher, I find myself thinking of ways to integrate picture books into my curriculum instruction whenever I can.  The Keeper of Wild Words would be great for a variety of lessons and age levels.  First, it could be used as inspiration for a dictionary hunt.  Moreover, it would be great to take a class walk into your neighbourhood to see how many wild words could be found, which is a great tie-in for science lessons of habitats and biodiversity.

From The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith, illus. by Madeline Kloepper

I also loved how the artwork emphasized the natural elements. From the petals on the poppies to the starlings in the sky, Madeline Kloepper's illustrations could definitely inspire some fabulous art lessons for all ages. 

Brook loved her day in nature and was excited to share her stories on the first day of school. We should all be inspired to venture outside to accept our own roles as Keepers of Wild Words and use our creativity to put something inspirational back into the world, as did Brooke Smith, thereby teaching our students how to counteract negativity with something positive.

Which wild words will you find today?

~ Elizabeth Cook is a teacher in the Halton District School Board. She is an avid reader and fan of Canadian literature.

The Missing Donut and The Traveling Dustball

The Missing Donut

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by T. L. McBeth

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-788-0

56 pp.

Ages 5-8

September 2018

The Traveling Dustball

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by T. L. McBeth

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-789-7

56 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2019

In the Big Words Small Stories series, Montreal author Judith Henderson introduces young readers to some very, very big words via some very, very silly stories. It's an entertaining way to learn new vocabulary in context.

From The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

In the first book, The Missing Donut, readers are introduced to Cris and his cat Crat, along with the Sprinkle Fairy who has a word factory in Sicily and uses her helpers, the Sprinklers, to add "Big Words"–highlighted in their own font–to the story. In the first tale, The Missing Donut, Cris learns his jelly donut has been "purloined." Readers are introduced to "discombobulated" after Crat rides Cris's new bicycle into an accident in It's All Downhill and to "bamboozled" when the two get into The Trouble with Chipmunks. The final two stories, Museum of Fabulous Art and Mr. Footz's Fine Footwear, will acquaint readers with "smithereens" and "galoshes."

From The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

In the second book, The Traveling Dustball, the main characters have changed to Davey and his dog Abigail, though the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers are still hard at work adding rich vocabulary to the stories. Abigail finds Davey's sweeping  of the troublesome dust bunnies "irksome" in the titular story though that dustball becomes a vehicle for incredible journeys throughout the book. In Spaghetti and Meatballs, that dustball ferries them to Italy and causes quite a "brouhaha" while in The Big Wave, Abigail does some "lollygagging" before they head to the beach for some more relaxing. While young readers will love learning about a Swiss "phenomenon" of a Stinky Cheese that smells terrible but tastes great, I learned the new word "collywobbles" when the Davey travels to China for Cloud Tea to remedy Abigail's stomach ache.

From The Traveling Dustball by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

And just as a friendly reminder of all the new words highlighted, and that includes a pronunciation guide too, each book ends with a section called A Small Play on Big Words, in which the Sprinklers bring all the words into play (pun intended).

This is a great new series for early and early middle grade readers to learn new vocabulary, complete with pronunciation and definitions. Moreover, with the books topping out at 56 pages each and published in a smaller format (17.5 cm x 22.5 cm), kids will not feel like they're reading picture books, though the illustrations by American T. L. McBeth make the stories the hit they are. The art may be deceptively simple but it emulates the flow of a graphic novel's illustrations without the intensity of frames and speech bubbles and it works so well with Judith Henderson's dialogue and characters. 

I don't want to burden The Missing Donut and The Traveling Dustball with the label of educational so I'll just encourage parents and school libraries to get these quirky stories into young readers' hands so that they can enhance their vocabularies, chuckle at the antics of personality-rich characters like Crat and Abigail and visit some worlds that might be familiar but also fantastic. (But I have to warn you: learning is going to happen.😊) 

From The Traveling Dustball by Judith Henderson, illus. T. L. McBeth

•••••••••••••••••••••

Book 3 in the Big Words Small Stories series, Smell the Daisies, comes out October, 2019.

Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning Spectacular School Fair

Written by Alice Kuipers

Illustrated by Diana Toledano

Chronicle Books

978-1-4521-5233-2

112 pp.

Ages 6-9

May 2019

Reviewed from advance reader's copy

Little Polly Diamond continues to find the magic in words and the writing she does in her turquoise notebook which she affectionately calls Spell. That's because each time she writes in this book, her magic book, it writes back to her–displayed as bold text in the book–and makes amazing things happen.

From Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning Spectacular School Fair by Alice Kuipers, illus. by Diana Toledano

Polly's school is having a book-themed fair to support family literacy and she has lots of ideas. Pop-Open-A-Book-Corn popcorn, Cotton-Cloud-Candy, Book Carousel, Book-Face-Painting, and more. And as she comes up with ideas, she plays with similes, alliteration and synonyms and even creates her own words.

From Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning Spectacular School Fair by Alice Kuipers, illus. by Diana Toledano

But Polly wants to make it even more special so it truly becomes the "stunning" and "spectacular" event she's looking for it to be. Popcorn popping out of books is one thing but requesting, of Spell, that the character face painting be realistic results in fairies zinging from the face of her toddler sister and Anna's own transformation into a fairy. Moreover, classmate Dawson becomes a dragon, a teacher becomes Merlin, and their babysitter Shaylene becomes a squirrel! Still Polly and her friends continue to enjoy the fair with its indoor roller coaster, carousel of book characters like the Cheshire Cat, and a magic carpet ride to London. However, mayhem abounds and Polly can't write it away because she can't find Spell.

     I love novels and poems and true stories and dictionaries.
     But in Spell, I can write anything. With my book, I can go anywhere. I can be anyone. Now Spell is lost. Disaster. (pg. 89)

It will take some detective work and a confrontation with a Puddle Monster before Polly can locate Spell and write a story about the end of the school fair to give it the happy ending it needs.

Alice Kuipers introduced readers to this young writer and lover of words in Polly Diamond and the Magic Book (2018), the first book in this early reader series. However, I believe that Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning Spectacular School Fair is even more irresistible, like Polly herself, charming us with the magic of reading and books and words. This child knows the value of books and the power of words to enrich life and vanquish monsters. She's imaginative and creative and a wordsmith. She is certainly the darling that Spanish illustrator Diana Toledano has envisioned her to be. But in all that fun and festivity, Polly doesn't lose sight of the capacity for writing to make things happen and make things better. This is something older readers will know but it's a message that younger ones will be delighted to get after Polly casts her own spell upon them.

Team Steve

Written and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-932-7

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2018

Let's face it: Steve the Horse, introduced in Kelly Collier's A Horse Named Steve (Kids Can Press, 2017), is a bit of a narcissist. It's all about him. In his first book, he wanted to be seen as exceptional among the animals, oblivious to the strengths of others, seeing them as ordinary. Now, in Team Steve, Steve is looking forward to winning yet another race-a-thon, knowing how extraordinary he is as a runner.

From Team Steve by Kelly Collier

But the rules of the race have changed and Steve is put on a relay team with Duck, Turtle and Snail. Steve is perplexed as to how they are to win when "A duck waddles, a turtle walks and a snail ... is a snail!"  Even as each of his teammates suggests that he could coach them, sharing his expertise, he ignores their suggestions until he comes up with the same idea they've been proposing. Problem is that Steve is all about Steve, so his coaching is not about his teammates but about himself. Among his pearls of coaching wisdom, he advises Turtle to lift his hooves (?), Snail to eat three bowls of oats a day and Duck to stretch its neck.

From Team Steve by Kelly Collier

On the day of the race-a-thon, it's Turtle, Snail and Duck who surpass all expectations and pass their race competitors, while it is Steve who loses the race for them. Too busy congratulating himself on coaching his team to a victory, he delays in running his stretch of the race and the other teams tie to win.  Still it's his teammates that help him overcome his embarrassment before Steve is back applauding himself for helping the other teams win.

From Team Steve by Kelly Collier

Oh, Steve. He is such a self-centred horse, always focusing on his own needs and wants and how he is perceived by others. He is totally unconcerned with others except as they relate to him.  Kids will laugh themselves silly at the foolishness of Steve's need for attention and glory knowing that he is the centre of his own distress.  If Team Steve teaches anything it's that teamwork requires cooperation and listening to others, but it's a lesson Steve still needs to learn. Fortunately, Kelly Collier has created some great characters, including Bob the raccoon who organizes the race and the teams, to help Steve see beyond himself. Her characters, so suggestive in their expressions and body language, demonstrate their own frustration with the equine, as well as their curiosity and pleasure. Moreover, Kelly Collier does this with a very limited palette of beiges with black and white.

Steve may not be the most collaborative but his intent, like his emotional support for his teammates, is honest. Perhaps that's why, even when he messes up, like we all do, they forgive him and help him find acceptance of the situation. And with friends to help, everyone, even Steve, is a winner.

The Word Collector

Written and illustrated by Peter Hamilton Reynolds

Orchard Books (Scholastic)

978-0-545-86502-9

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

January 2018

Kids love collecting things: shells, stones, coins, marbles, stuffies. Like most, collecting starts quite naturally, one here, another there, and soon the collection grows.  What they do with that collection is as variable as the items collected.  The lovely Jerome of The Word Collector takes a unique perspective on his collecting and one to which all collectors should aspire.

Jerome loves picking up words wherever he finds them: those he hears, words he sees and some he reads.  Why he is drawn to a word ranges from those that grab his attention because of their sounds or their meaning.  Regardless he amasses quite a collection of words which he needs to organize.  But while transporting a colossal stack of books and boxes of his organized words, he slips and they tumble into a chaotic mess.  But Jerome sees beauty in the unusual combinations of words which he translates into poetry and music and by expressing to others.

From The Word Collector 

by Peter Hamilton Reynolds

By recognizing the profound impact his words can have on how others think, feel and dream, Jerome expands on sharing his growing collection.

Jerome 

had no words 

to describe how happy 

that made him.

Squirrelling away a collection of treasures brings a certain joy but Peter H. Reynolds recognizes that a shared collection is a better collection.  No longer is the collection the realm of the individual but instead it becomes part of a community of aesthetes who appreciate the collection's elements in the myriad of ways.  The illustration of countless and diverse children grabbing words like "honor", "resilience", "hope" and "promise" supports Peter H. Reynolds' message of appreciation and creativity and empathy. Words are powerful and all the more for being shared in thoughtful texts like The Word Collector and illustrated with cheerful artwork of Jerome and others amongst the fluttering murmurations of words.

I'll leave the final words to author-illustrator Peter H. Reynolds whose own words inspire readers to more.

From endpapers for The Word Collector 

by Peter Hamilton Reynolds

Nimoshom and His Bus

Written by Penny M. Thomas

Illustrated by Karen Hibbard

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-708-1

24 pp.

Ages 4-8

October 2017

I think that it's important that every child be able to see themselves and the components of their lives in literature.  Nimoshom and His Bus will speak volumes to many children, whether Cree or bused students, in its simple story of a Cree grandfather, Nimoshom, who drives a school bus.

From Nimoshom and His Bus 

by Penny M. Thomas 

illus. by Karen Hibbard

Nimoshom's day begins outside of his bus with his dog and the narrator explaining that Nimoshom means my grandfather in Cree.

From Nimoshom and His Bus 

by Penny M. Thomas

 illus. by Karen Hibbard

As children get on the bus and they travel to school, Nimoshom greets them and comments on the day, occasionally having to remind the students to sit down, Api, or to hurry up, Kinapi.  We also learn the Cree words for thank you–as he tells the children who share gifts with him– and yes, no, wait, and the all-purpose Ekosi that means okay, that's it or amen.  The book concludes with a brief Cree word list of the thirteen terms emphasized in this book.

From Nimoshom and His Bus 

by Penny M. Thomas 

illus. by Karen Hibbard

While Penny M. Thomas' story is not a plot-driven allegory or a message-based lesson, Nimoshom and His Bus is a sweet introduction to some simple Cree words in the context of a common-place activity for many children.  This could have been an illustrated dictionary of Cree words but Penny M. Thomas, who is of Cree-Ojibway heritage, was able to give a familiar frame of reference which will help all children connect with the story.  Karen Hibbard who uses watercolours and pastels to create a gentle background for Nimoshom's day on his bus gives the story a grassroots mood, highly appropriate for a routine day of activity and interaction for this bus driver and his charges.  It's very relatable.

There is much to learn from Nimoshom, whether as a bus student or a reader of the book, and it's all done gracefully, not unlike Nimoshom himself.

From Nimoshom and His Bus 

by Penny M. Thomas 

illus. by Karen Hibbard

🚌 🚌 🚌 🚌 🚌

For those learning or teaching the Cree language, the publisher has provided a Cree pronunciation guide in pdf format as well as a downloadable lesson plan at http://www.portageandmainpress.com/product/nimoshom-and-his-bus/ to further the educational value of this picture book.

Dingus

Written by Andrew Larsen
Kids Can Press
978-1-77138-661-6
208 pp.
Ages 9-12
May 2017

Dork. Doofus. Dingus.  Variations on a theme.  But Andrew Larsen’s narrator, eleven-year-old Henry will have no problems accepting that final moniker after the conclusion of his fifth grade and the beginning of a summer holiday that seems to hold no promise.

Though Henry likes his Gr. 5 teacher Mr. Buntrock–with his stories, laughter yoga and word-of–the-day–the school year has been one of multiple changes, not the least of which is his growing estrangement from his best friend Max.  Though the two boys have always relished their differences–Max is smarter, taller and wealthier–Max has become so immersed in his winning chess team that he has little time for Henry.  Worse still, Max seems to take pleasure is teasing Henry about wearing Max’s cast-off clothes and more, making Henry the butt of his chess team’s jokes.

At home, things are similarly in flux.  Mom who’d had baby Sam a year ago is returning to work which will require more travel, starting with a trip to Las Vegas the last day of school.  Dad, who’d lost his job just before Sam’s birth, has stayed at home to care for Sam and, by default, Henry. And, of course, there is less money for everything and anything, including a pair of much-admired Chad Baker sneakers.

I was mad at Max. I was mad at his new friends. I was mad at my dad for getting me Chad Fakers instead of Chad Bakers. I was mad at myself for being so mad.
   My life officially sucked.
   I was mad at that, too. (pg. 45)

Adding insult to injury, Max gets to go away to his much-loved chess camp while Henry  sees a summer of nothingness ahead of him.  What Henry doesn’t realize is that Dad’s idea of a staycation will bring him a new set of experiences like outdoors movie night, Elvis sandwiches, and bottle rockets, suggesting that change really is as good as a holiday.

It must be rough being a kid for whom everything feels like it’s going sideways.  What’s worse is when it’s things you can’t control like money, baby brothers, and friends as well as  things you can but don’t because you’re a dingus.  But Andrew Larsen realizes that change, like that of the puberty lessons Henry has to endure at the end of Grade 5, is inevitable and rolling with it rather than fighting it is probably a lot easier.

I know there’s a million middle-graders out there right not who are wondering about their summers, the changes their bodies and minds are going through, and the direction that friendships are heading.  It’s a lot on their plates, especially since things don’t always work out at planned.  But, take solace in that, even if you’re a Dingus–and we are all such goofs some time in our lives–that it’s rarely fatal and often educational, just like mistakes and school.