Book Thoughts: The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (Bryant)

• the story of Peter Roget’s life and what led to the creation of the modern thesaurus
• as a child, he discovers the power of words and never loses his passion for them
• captivating illustrations

Type: biographical picture book
Ages: 5-10
Author: Jen Bryant
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

The timeline at the back of the book is neat–well-known world events are woven in (in a different color) to better place Roget’s personal events in history. There are also other notes and resources for further study into his life.

I never knew many of the details I learned in this book! (So it’s not just for kids!) Roget kept to himself a lot as a child, but grew to have a family of his own and to be an esteemed colleague and friend to many.

The artwork was a bit busy for my general taste, so I was surprised that I found I liked it. It was quite creative and enjoyable to study.

Overall, this is a great place to start if you’re wanting to find out about the origins of the infamous thesaurus. I might even look up some of the recommended resources myself!