Dictionary

The Lost Words

In 2007, when a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary ― widely used in schools around the world ― was published, a sharp-eyed reader soon noticed that around forty common words concerning nature had been dropped. Apparently they were no longer being used enough by children to merit their place in the dictionary. The list of these “lost words” included acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, fern, heron, kingfisher, newt, otter, and willow. Among the words taking their place were attachment, blog, broadband, bullet-point, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. The news of these substitutions ― the outdoor and natural being displaced by the indoor and virtual ― became seen by many as a powerful sign of the growing gulf between childhood and the natural world.

Turtle Island Alphabet

Gerald Hausman has spent more than 20 years studying, collecting, and narrating Native American stories. In a collection of symbols and images central to Native American culture, he offers a lyrical, poetic work which reaffirms the view that Native Americans once held of the land. Illustrations.

Table, Chair, Bear: A Book in Many Languages

Twenty-one objects from a child’s bedroom that are identified here in English, Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Navajo, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Every word is spelled out phonetically as well as in the thirteen languages.