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Narrated by Edith Bowman, Guy Garvey
Robert MacfarlaneUnabridged — 47 minutes
Narrated by Edith Bowman, Guy Garvey
Robert MacfarlaneUnabridged — 47 minutes
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From bestselling Landmarks author Robert Macfarlane and acclaimed artist and author Jackie Morris, a beautiful collection of poems and illustrations to help readers rediscover the magic of the natural world.
In 2007, when a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary - widely used in schools around the world - was published, a sharp-eyed reader soon noticed that around forty common words concerning nature had been dropped. Apparently they were no longer being used enough by children to merit their place in the dictionary. The list of these “lost words” included acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, fern, heron, kingfisher, newt, otter, and willow. Among the words taking their place were attachment, blog, broadband, bullet-point, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. The news of these substitutions - the outdoor and natural being displaced by the indoor and virtual - became seen by many as a powerful sign of the growing gulf between childhood and the natural world.
Ten years later, Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris set out to make a “spell book” that will conjure back twenty of these lost words, and the beings they name, from acorn to wren. By the magic of word and paint, they sought to summon these words again into the voices, stories, and dreams of children and adults alike, and to celebrate the wonder and importance of everyday nature. The Lost Words is that book - a work that has already cast its extraordinary spell on hundreds of thousands of people and begun a grass-roots movement to re-wild childhood across Britain, Europe, and North America.
…[Macfarlane and Morris] conjure the crackly gorgeousness of "heather," the rooty charm of "dandelion," the dignity of "newt"—though minute, "we're kings of the pond, lions of the duckweed, dragons of the water." Every page is enthralling.
★ 10/08/2018
A deeply reflective and gorgeously illustrated oversize volume lists natural words that were excluded from the most recent edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary, among them dandelion, heron, willow, and wren (replacement words in that text include broadband and blog). Nature and travel writer Macfarlane offers “a spellbook for conjuring back these lost words” and transforms each inclusion into a marvelous lyrical acrostic; Morris’s paintings of wildlife echo the complexity and vibrancy of Macfarlane’s poetry. For the word starling, the named bird, painted in detail, perches on a branch against a gold background, while the acrostic begins: “Should green-as-moss be mixed with/ blue-of-steel be mixed with gleam-of-gold/ you’d still fall short by far of the – / Tar-bright oil-slick sheen and/ gloss of starling wing.” The duo captures mystery and magic throughout, offering up “spells of many kinds that might just, by the old, strong magic of being spoken aloud... summon lost words back.” All ages. (Oct.)
Every page is enthralling.
Utterly enchanting, it’s celebration of nature — but also language itself. If I ran the world, it’d be in every school library and classroom possible.
Art, verse, and nature are combined with entertaining elegance in The Lost Words . . . This large, quality hardcover allows words and watercolour to shine and results in a work that can be left open at any page to stunning effect.
This union of natural history, poetry, art, and whimsy is, indeed, a truly enchanting all-ages book of life to contemplate, read aloud, and share.
Stylish and melancholy, The Lost Words is a book to savour.
The Lost Words is neither a read-on-the-commute book nor a recline-in-bed-and-prop-on-your-belly book. Its weight and unapologetic size demand it be explored on a flat surface; even better, on the floor with you kneeling over it; even better, read aloud; even better, with a child or friend.
PRAISE FOR ROBERT MACFARLANE, JACKIE MORRIS, AND THE LOST WORDS
FINALIST, WAINWRIGHT PRIZE
“Stylish and melancholy, The Lost Words is a book to savour.” — Wall Street Journal
“A sumptuous, nostalgic ode to a disappearing landscape.” — Kirkus Reviews
“This union of natural history, poetry, art, and whimsy is, indeed, a truly enchanting all-ages book of life to contemplate, read aloud, and share.” — Booklist
“My top book of the year.” — Spectator “Gorgeous to look at and to read. Give it to a child to bring back the magic of language - and its scope.” — Jeanette Winterson“The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I've read this year.” — Frank Cottrell-Boyce“A breathtaking book.” — New Statesman “Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris have made a thing of astonishing beauty.” — Alex Preston
2018-09-23
An oversized album compiled in response to the recent omission by the Oxford Junior Dictionary of many natural-science words, including several common European bird, plant, and animal species, in favor of more current technological terms.
In his introduction, Macfarlane laments this loss, announcing his intention to create "a spellbook for conjuring back these lost words." Each lost word is afforded three double-page spreads. First, the letters of each lost word are sprinkled randomly among other letters and an impressionistic sketch in a visual puzzle. This is followed by an acrostic poem or riddle describing essential qualities of the object, accompanied by a close-up view. A two-page spread depicting the object in context follows. Morris' strong, dynamic watercolors are a pleasure to look at, accurate in every detail, vibrant and full of life. The book is beautifully produced and executed, but anyone looking for definitions of the "lost words" will be disappointed. The acrostic poems are subjective, sophisticated impressions of the birds and animals depicted, redolent with alliteration and wordplay, perhaps more appropriate for creative writing prompts than for science exploration. This book is firmly rooted in the English countryside, celebrating such words as "conker," "bramble," and "starling" (invasive in North America), but many will cross over for North American readers. A free "Explorer's Guide" is available online.
A sumptuous, nostalgic ode to a disappearing landscape. (Picture book/poetry. 10-adult)
| BN ID: | 2940175128407 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | House of Anansi Press Inc |
| Publication date: | 11/14/2018 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
