Noah Webster & His Words (review)

Children may not initially warm to the man largely responsible for filling their plate with the spelling and grammar lessons they have to finish before they can have their fun in art, music, and gym. However, the focus in this engaging picture-book biography is not on dry pedantry but Webster's belief that a unified system of spelling and grammar, with an emphasis on American vocabulary, would strengthen the newborn states into a cohesive nation. His story begins before the Revolutionary War, when young Noah led his own personal rebellion against the family business of farming and chose a scholarly path. War and politics shaped his view of what children should learn, and soon he was producing a series of schoolbooks, notably a trio launched by the famous "blue-backed speller." His magnum opus, the dictionary with which most readers will associate him, occupied him for nearly two decades, and the finished product emerged as a sort of second declaration of independence—this time from the chokehold of British speech. Ferris cleverly incorporates a sophisticated vocabulary into the text, pausing to insert a definition straight from—what else?—Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 9th edition, wherever a word may prove challenging. Kirsch's jolly cartoons, reminiscent of G. Brian Karas in their loose, energetic lines and wry expressions, are quirky enough to secure the respect of students who consider themselves past picture book age. A timeline, biographical note, and bibliography divided into primary, secondary, and websites (including sites featuring the "blue-backed speller") are included.