LSSL 5360: Module 4 -- Nonfiction & Biography

The Right Word:  Roget and His Thesaurus

By Jen Bryant

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bryant, J., & Sweet, M. (2014). The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

The Right Word:  Roget and His Thesaurus is a picture book biography of Peter Mark Roget.  When Peter first started making is lists as a young boy, his father’s death always came first.  This was a tough even for Peter to deal with he, and he was always a shy child which made it hard for him to make friends.  His family moved often and Peter soon discovered that books were great friends and an escape that he could take with him no matter where they ended up.  When he was eight he started to compile his lists into his first book.  Peter included words he learned from his tutor with their Latin meaning, and some of his favorite lists were the four elements, of the weather, and in the garden.  As Peter got older, he would add lists to his books based on his personal interests.  He was always on the search for the right word though.  When he was nineteen, he graduated from medical school but was told he was too young to be taken seriously as a doctor.  Peter tutored two boys and traveled to Paris until he became old enough to be doctor.  With his book in hand, he began to give lectures and spoke with concisely and with clarity and conviction, and was able to branch out from the shy young boy he once was.  At the age of forty five, he married Mary Hobson and had two children, Kate and John.  At the time, there had been a few books published similar to Peter’s book of lists and his daughter thought his was far superior.  In 1852, he published the first edition of his Thesaurus and he sold a thousand copies quickly.  Peter was suddenly a famous author, but the spotlight didn’t alter his personality one bit.  He continued to make new lists, and oversaw an additional twenty eight printings of his book. 

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Right Word:  Roget and His Thesaurus is a picture book biography of Peter Mark Roget, the creator of the Roget’s Thesaurus.  The book gives details of the life of Peter Mark Roget, and his view of words and their power is beautifully written by Bryant.  Peter had a deep love of books, and enjoyed creating lists based on his personal interests.  He was forever on the hunt for the right word and intrigued in learning new things.  Bryant does an amazing job of writing a detailed account of how his Thesaurus came to be, and hooking the reader with the tales of Peter’s life.  The book is easy to understand for children of all ages, and should leave them interested in the vast possibilities that words can offer.  Sweet’s illustrations compliment the book very well, and felt to me like a scrapbook of Roger’s life.  She included Peter’s lists throughout the book, and words are all over the page much like I imagine they were within Peter’s mind.  The illustrations give the reader a peek into what his life was like, and make the book overall engaging and inviting to read.  At the back of the book, Bryant included a list of principal events, both in Roget’s life and world events during his lifetime.  This allows the reader to the numerous ways he contributed to the world we live in.  A note from both Bryan and Sweet gives the reader insight into why the wrote the book and illustrated it, and why the fell in love with Roget’s story and felt it must be shared.   It is a phenomenal book to introduce students to the immense power of words and great for introducing the concept of synonyms using a thesaurus. 

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist’s Review:  “Bryant’s and Sweet’s talents combine to make the lowly thesaurus fascinating in this beautifully illustrated picture-book biography of Peter Mark Roget.”  (Reviewed 9/2014)

Horn Book’s Review: “Bryant’s linear telling follows Peter closely, expressing his curiosity, sensitivity, and populist spirit in language that is both decorous and warm. Clever book design and visionary illustration add layers of meaning, as images come together in careful sequence.”  (Reviewed 10/17/2016)

Publisher Weekly’s Review:  “Sweet envisions Roget’s work as a shadow box crammed with the wonders of the natural world, adorned with exuberant hand-lettered typography. Together with Bryant’s sympathetic account, Sweet’s gentle riot of images and words humanizes the man behind this ubiquitous reference work and demystifies the thesaurus itself.”  (Reviewed 7/7/2014)

5)    CONNECTIONS

v This is a great book for teaching synonyms and how to properly use a thesaurus.  Have different versions of thesauruses in the classroom and have students compare them to Roget’s Thesaurus. 

v This is a great book for introducing students to biographies, and how they can be written in novel format as well as in a picture book.  Challenge students to write a biography of their own.

v Other similar stories:

Brown, Don.  RARE TREASURE:  MARY ANNING AND HER REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES  ISBN 9780618310814

Ferris, Jerry Chase.  NOAH WEBSTER AND HIS WORDS  ISBN 9780547390550

McGinty, Alice B.  DARWIN:  WITH GLIMPSES INTO HIS PRIVATE JOURNAL AND LETTERS  ISBN 9780618995318

Bryant, Jen.  SIX DOTS:  A STORY OF YOUNG LOUIS BRAILLE  ISBN 9780449813379

Bryant, Jen.  A RIVER OF WORDS:  THE STORY OF WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS  ISBN 9780802853028