Away With Words! Wise and Witty Poems for Language Lovers

In 50-plus short rhyming poems, former children’s poet laureate Mary Ann Hoberman and debut illustrator James Perry Hoberman take readers on a playful journey through English linguistics. The verses celebrate words mono- and multisyllabic, homographs and homonyms, and how to use lay vs. lie, among other topics; the appropriately titled “U/AU/O/UH/OO/AW” marvels at varying pronunciations for ou sounds. Digitally finished pen and pencil spot art with a hand-markered vibe features illustrated alphabets, arrayed creatures, and people of varying skin tones; the standout is a double-page, starry night homage to the word vast (“A tiny word/ That encompasses/ The universe”). Even readers who grouse at the thought of a language arts assignment may appreciate the enthusiastic lines: “The origins/ Of language sing,/ Alive, ambiguous, absurd—/ In the beginning was the word.” Ages 6–up. (Mar.)