The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

 

Bryant, Jen. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014. ISBN 978-0-8028-5385-1

Plot

The Right Word is a picture book biography of Peter Mark Roget, the developer of one of the most prolific reference works: Roget’s Thesaurus. Peter Mark Roget was born in 1779 in England. He began keeping notebooks of words and things that he learned—things that interested—when he was about eight years old. He was a very bright and very reserved boy, and he graduated from medical school at the young age of nineteen. He worked as a tutor before beginning his job as a physician, all the while keeping his notebooks of words. Roget finished his first book of words when he was about twenty-six years old and kept it handy so that he could find the right word when he needed it. He also shared it with his family and continued improving upon it over the years. His first Thesaurus (Greek for “treasure house”) was finally published in 1852, and remains in print today.   

Analysis

This illustrated biography was written as a narrative and cleverly illustrated in the style of a collage, reminiscent of a scrapbook filled with pictures, notebook papers, and other memorabilia. Roget’s lists of words, in English and Latin, are used in the artwork and endpapers. The almost lyrical text tells a charming, true story, briefly addressing but not dwelling on some of the difficulties in Roget’s life (such as the death of his father). The clear focus is Roget as a person, presented as a shy, brilliant man, and the development of his thesaurus. The passage of time throughout the book is marked by major events in his life. The back matter includes a timeline of these major events and more, including some major world events, and a selected bibliography, recommendations for further reading, and additional sources. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this introduction to both the creator and the concept of a treasure house of words.

Awards and Recognitions

The Right Word is a 2015 Caldecott Honor book and a 2015 Sibert Medal Winner. It has appeared on many “best book” lists and has received numerous positive and starred reviews.

“Apt language and ingenious imagery combine to tell the life story of Peter Mark Roget, creator of the thesaurus […] Clever book design and visionary illustration add layers of meaning, as images come together in careful sequence.”—Thom Barthelmess, Starred Horn Book Review

“Bryant’s prose is bright and well-tuned for young readers. […]Injecting her watercolor palette with shots of teal, scarlet and fuchsia, Sweet embeds vintage bits (ledger paper, type drawers, botanical illustrations and more), creating a teeming, contemplative, playfully celebratory opus.”—Starred Kirkus Review

“Lists in wildly expressive handwritten fonts along with cut-paper assemblages stuff the dynamic pages […] with arresting detail. Pivotal moments in Roget’s life get a similar treatment: terms related to plants bloom in tendrils around a watercolor illustration of Roget on one of his many walks. In brilliant pages teeming with enthusiasm for language and learning, Bryant and Sweet joyfully celebrate curiosity, the love of knowledge, and the power of words.”—Sarah Hunter, Starred Booklist Review

Connections

The concepts and illustrations in this book lend themselves well to several crafts and activities. Practice looking words up in a thesaurus and then have children try one of these out:

• Create a bookmark out of old recycled book pages and record a list of favorite words down the middle.
• Learn about and try writing a few word association poems, either individually or in a group.
• Create a collage representing your own life or the life of someone you admire. Make sure to find and use key words!

 Also consider checking out some other illustrated biographies, such as:

• Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries, written and illustrated by Don Brown
• Noah Webster and His Words, written by Jeri Chase Ferris and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
• Digging For Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built, written by Angela Burke Kunkel and illustrated by Paola Escobar
• Beatrix Potter, Scientist, written by Lindsay H. Metcalf and illustrated by Junyi Wu
• On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson, written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander

*This review was written for a youth literature class through Texas Woman’s University.