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13 Words

by Lemony Snicket
40p. 978-0-06166-465-6.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—The 13 words that are the basis for this sophisticated picture book are "bird," "despondent," "cake," "dog," "busy," "convertible," "goat," "hat," "haberdashery," "scarlet," "baby," "panache," and "mezzo-soprano." Each word is listed at the top of the page spread where it is featured, and the story continues on. The despondent bird lives with the dog and the mezzo-soprano. The dog, in an effort to cheer up his friend, goes for a ride with the goat to the haberdashery to pick up a hat for the bird. Upon returning home with the gift, the dog tells the mezzo-soprano about their day, and she commences to sing out the plot of the book. While not standard picture-book fare, there are moments of silliness (the owner of the haberdashery is a baby) and joy (all kinds of cake). The artwork is trademark Kalman: playful, colorful, and filled with surprises. Best for one-on-one reading, 13 Words could also be used as a model for primary-grade children to write their own stories featuring a list of seemingly unrelated words.—Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City
Snicket spins out a story from thirteen main words, starting with "1: Bird" and ending with "13: Mezzo-Soprano." A bird is despondent ("Word Number 2"). His friend Dog tries to cheer him up with cake and a new hat from the "9: Haberdashery." Kalman's artistry adds panache ("Word Number 12") to the lighthearted yet layered story of friendship and vocabulary-boosting.
Reviewed by Stacy Dillon , Dec 01, 2010

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