Wordplay abounds in the delightfully madcap and meta The Dictionary Story by the first-rate duo behind A Child of Books, Sam Winston and Oliver Jeffers. The picture book, illustrated by Jeffers, is inspired by one with the same title "originally created" by Winston in 2001. The story opens with a cerulean dictionary that stands apart from the other books. The books, all grouped together lined up with spines out, "knew what they were about," but Dictionary "was never quite sure of herself." She was filled with words, after all, but she didn't have a story to tell.
One day, Dictionary decides to take matters into her own hands and set some words free. A hungry alligator breaks through a list of words on an "A" page. The alligator makes a beeline for the donut in the "D" pages (a donut who, entertainingly, exclaims things like "Oh sprinkles" while being chased). Along the way, chaos ensues as they collide with an unassuming ghost, a cloud, a puddle, the moon, Queen, a tornado who throws a tantrum, and more. Finally Dictionary, who is dismayed that "nothing was in the right place or even making sense," calls on her friend Alphabet to help tidy things up.
The authors' imaginative humor shines in text-heavy dictionary pages punctuated by the appearance of the alphabet-inspired creatures, illustrated in Jeffers's distinctive naïve style. His saturated colors stand out on the dictionary's sepia-toned pages as the characters begin to dominate the spreads and eventually walk on columns of text, as if performing on a stage of words. The joy is in the details in this story meant for misfits (like Ms. Dictionary herself): readers who take their time turning the pages will find gifts in the tiny print. The spread in which the alligator first disrupts the story, for instance, partly defines "arithmetic" with the following: "Numbers are really useful for knowing how many things there are of something. Once you run out of fingers, numbers can give you a hand." The definition for "alas" includes, "For example, when Mr. Serious turns up at the party and all the fun has to stop." There's plenty more of that for observant readers throughout this lively tale. Even the names of the book in the opening pages entertain: My Cat and Other Animals; Famous Mistakes; Forgotten Jokes; and more. This playful celebration of language is sure to delight word lovers of all ages. --Julie Danielson, reviewer
Shelf Talker: This madcap and meta celebration of words depicts a dictionary setting out to tell her own story.