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April 2011
The Boy Who Loved Words
by Roni Schotter
Dear Heathcote Family,
Are you a collector? Do you have a passion for bottle tops, dinosaur bones, silly bands, juicy words? Well, the April Book of the Month, The Boy Who Loved Words, by Ronnie Schotter, may be just the book for you. When I read it, it made me think of all the things I collected when I was young and it reminded me of a story as well.
Growing up in the country, I was forever foraging through fields and streams, collecting all types of things. Baby animals, insects, reptiles, polliwogs. You name it. I collected it. Sticks and stones, shells and pine cones. Once home, I carefully displayed my precious collections on tabletops and windowsills.
When I was in elementary school, there was a girl who rode to school on the same bus that I did. And while my pockets were filled with slimy creatures, her arms were filled with books. Not one book or two, but lots of books. I remember watching her on that big, noisy bus and wondering, What is it about those books? Week after week, I watched her juggle those books. I was really intrigued. So one day I spoke to her, "You sure read a lot of books," I said. "I'm collecting stories," she replied, "Lots of stories." Well, that’s how it was. And time passed, and the girl’s books got bigger (she did too by the way though her book pile got smaller), and one book was always on top, a dictionary. I remember wondering about that too. "I'm collecting words," she said, "Lots of words."
I hadn’t thought about the girl on the bus for a long time until I read, The Boy Who Loved Words. I loved Selig, with his pockets stuffed with all kinds of words. I loved that he had a special passion. And I loved that he discovered what he could do with his passion. I wonder what you will think when you read this book.
Are you a collector? Do you hunt for bottle tops, dinosaur bones, silly bands, juicy words? Do you fill your pockets with all types of things? I bet you do and I bet you’ll really enjoy this book. I did.
Happy reading and happy collecting!
Ms Hicks
Learning Resource Center Teacher
