Every Word Tells a Story: An extraordinary A to Z of etymological exploration Hardcover – Import, 4 October 2022

👉 What’s common to a ‘chameleon’ and a ‘dandelion’, at least etymologically?👉 Why is ‘canapé’ derived from the French word for ‘sofa’?👉 What’s the link between ‘karaoke’ and ‘karate’ other than the fact that they are both Japanese in origin?👉 Which is the only fantastical creature that has its origins in architecture?If any of these questions piques your curiosity, this book is the right fit for you.As the author declares in his introductory note, words have personalities. Some are friendly, some scary, some awe-inducing. This amazing book takes us on a journey through some of the mind-blowing words in the English language. Rather than making it a boring dictionary-style exposition, the content focusses on the etymological origins of these words, adding details about the root and its meaning in the original language. It also contains some fascinating facts and funny tales about some word origins.Before the book sets off on its alphabetical journey, there is a guide on how to use the book. There is also a glossary of special terms uses by logophiles such as onomatopoeia (one of my favourite words), portmanteau and eponym.There are four words taken from each letter of the English alphabet. One of these words is highlighted in detail with a poem that specifies its meaning and etymological source, with additional informative titbits in text boxes. The remaining three words get a briefer page space but are still explained well.Even if I weren’t a word aficionado, I am sure I would have loved this book. I admire how the content didn’t let the factual details pull the momentum down but kept the proceedings informative as well as entertaining. There are plenty of humorous remarks to keep kids interested, and there are even pop culture references to make the meanings simpler.The illustrations are okay, not great. To be honest, the textual content engrossed me so much that I forgot to look at the sketches most of the times. But when I did see them, they were not eye-popping. Moreover, some of them were awkward. Like the illustration for ‘ventriloquist’ has a boy sitting on the lap of a dummy instead of the other way around – was that deliberate. The worst was the illustration accompanying ‘guillotine’ – why was it so graphic!??!Overall, I am absolutely thrilled with the content. This will be a great resource for any word lover, whether at home or school. The book is meant for readers aged 8-12 years, but it will offer loads of fun even to older linguaphiles.4.5 stars. (Would have been a five-star read if it had had better illustrations.)Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

Kiddo loves the illustrations and honestly this book is just brilliantly written. Could not recommend purchasing this more.

Bought this book for my 13 year old granddaughter but must confess I’ve read it before giving it to her. Only meant to have a quick look but couldn’t put it down.

Lovely book, well written, and fun. My grandson enjoys it immensely.

It’s a great book for an adult!

One word not defined in this book is "Philology." Philology is defined as "the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages." The word "philology is derived from "philologia," the Greek word for "love of learning." In college, I took a course in Romance Philology, or the study of Romance languages and the derivation of their words. Some people use the word "philology to mean "the love of words," and while not technically correct, it is probably correct when discussing why people study philology and etymology.This book is a bit over 100 pages and filled with so many factoids that a youngster, or adult, can spend hours just flipping through the pages and learning new and interesting information.Did you know that neon was one of the last gasses to be discovered? The name comes from the stem "neo" or 'new"? That "magnolia" is eponymous and named after Pierre Magnol? On that page, you'll also learn a factoid; the word "clementine" was named after Brother Clement Rodier. "Pajama" is derived from the Persian "pae" meaning leg, and "Jamah" meaning clothes. On that page, you'll also learn definitions of "the cat's pajamas," "bee's knees," and "the elephant's ears."I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining book and the type that my parents would keep in my library so that I could pick it up whenever I got bored. It's not meant to be read page by page; just open it up and randomly find a fun fact.This book includes fun and airy graphics, which makes it very different than the books I read as a kid, which just listed facts and appeared more as a dictionary or textbook. I still found them interesting, but this book would have been even more fun and interesting.Highly recommended; this book is how kids get educated while enjoying themselves and thinking that they are just having fun.Review of: Every Word Tells a Story: An extraordinary A to Z of etymological exploration.