________________ CM . . . . Volume XXI Number 36. . . .May 22, 2015

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The Word Wizard’s Book of Pronouns. (Word Wizard).

Robin Johnson.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015.
24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.).
ISBN 978-0-7787-1926-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1922-9 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7793-3 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7789-6 (html).

Subject Heading:
English language-Pronouns-Juvenile literature.

Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9.

Review by Kristen Ferguson.

**1/2 /4

   
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The Word Wizard’s Book of Homonyms. (Word Wizard).

Robin Johnson.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015.
24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.).
ISBN 978-0-7787-1924-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1920-5 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7792-6 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7788-9 (html).

Subject Heading:
English language-Homonyms-Juvenile literature.

Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9.

Review by Kristen Ferguson.

**1/2 /4

   
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The Word Wizard’s Book of Synonyms and Antonyms. (Word Wizard).

Robin Johnson.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015.
24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.).
ISBN 978-0-7787-1927-4 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1923-6 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7795-7 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7791-9 (html).

Subject Heading:
English language-Synonyms and Antonyms-Juvenile literature.

Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9.

Review by Kristen Ferguson.

**1/2 /4

   
cover

The Word Wizard’s Book of Prefixes and Suffixes. (Word Wizard).

Robin Johnson.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015.
24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.).
ISBN 978-0-7787-1925-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1921-2 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7794-0 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7790-2 (html).

Subject Heading:
English language-Suffixes and Prefixes-Juvenile literature.

Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9.

Review by Kristen Ferguson.

**1/2 /4

   

excerpt:

Spell some spells

Magic words let you hear stories here. They help you tell stories there. We use words called homonyms to tell our tales. Homonyms look or sound like other words. The Word Wizard can cast magic spells. But they need your help to read and spell homonyms! (From
The Word Wizard’s Book of Homonyms.)

 

Robin Johnson’s “Word Wizard” series walks readers through the rules of the parts of speech and exploring words and vocabulary through homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, and prefixes, and suffixes. Each book is in full colour with eye-catching photographs and illustrations. Throughout each book are activities and practice for readers to hone their word wizardry skills by practicing the concepts explored in the book. Each book concludes with lists of books and websites for further reading, a glossary, and an index.

      The Word Wizard’s Book of Pronouns explains and gives examples of pronouns and specific types of pronouns, such as personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns. The book also explains that pronouns must agree with the noun they replace and that there are singular and plural pronouns. Perhaps for simplicity’s sake, demonstrative, relative, and interrogative pronouns are not included.

      Homonyms, including homophones and homographs, are presented in The Word Wizard’s Book of Homonyms. Compared to the parts of speech books in the series, The Word Wizard’s Book of Homonyms is less dense in regards to information. Instead, there are more “how-to” suggestions for how young writers can use homonyms in their writing and how they can better understand homonyms while they read.

      The Word Wizard’s Book of Synonyms and Antonyms explains that synonyms can be nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Other topics related to synonyms include a word web of synonyms, shades of meaning (a list of weaker to stronger synonyms), and how to use a thesaurus. The section on antonyms is significantly shorter than the synonym section, but the author does link synonyms and antonyms by explaining how we choose words to communicate.

      Prefixes and suffixes are the focus of The Word Wizard’s Book of Prefixes and Suffixes. Readers learn about root words, using suffixes to change verb tense, and a number of common prefixes (ex. pre) and suffixes (ex. ful). The book does a good job explaining how words can be broken down to explore their meaning.

      In a previous review, I commented on another four books in “The Word Wizard” series. While these additional four books are again vibrantly illustrated and full of information, my initial critique of the book series remains. I am still not sure who the intended audience is or the purpose of this book series. I cannot see the “Word Wizard” series being suitable books for shared reading between most parents/guardians and their children. In the classroom, the books would need to be enlarged or projected using a document camera so teachers and students could read the passages and do the activities together. Homeschoolers might find the series useful and could work through the concepts, examples, and activities together. While I really want to like the “Word Wizard” books, I can still only recommend the series with reservations.

Recommended with Reservations.

Dr. Kristen Ferguson teaches literacy education at the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University in North Bay.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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