The Remarkable David Wordsworth

The pairing of author Richard Kopley and illustrator/artist Michael Fazio is one of the finest examples of how two artistic minds can join to produce books for children that are both imaginative and educational - and quite zany! Yes, there are lessons to be learned here - from English skills to behavioral skills in a classroom - but the pleasure is the enormously creativity displayed not only in the art of Michael Fazio but also in the imaginative powers of Richard Kopley.

David Wordsworth (cleverly named) is a quiet lad who when his teacher and classmates discuss compound words such as blackboard, backpack, and thumbtack, David just sits quietly. The teacher inquires if he knows any compound words: David furrows his brow and comes up with words like `airdog', `shrugbug', `sumofish', `inchpig', `mudpuffin' `melancholy roofdropper' and more - and as each compound word leaves David's lips the creature matching the invented word appears, crowding the classroom to capacity. David keeps speaking new compound words like `jumblebungler' and `salad whacker' and `tubadunker' and much to the delight of the class each new word is joined by the physical descriptor. But the disorder is more than the teacher can tolerate and she pleads with David to dismiss his menagerie of bizarre creatures. David furrows his brow then relaxes, smiles and simply says `disasterblaster' and the room's order is restored. Yet instead of punishment for David, the teacher has all the students draw pictures of the various creatures they have met through David's creative compound words and displays them for Parents' Night.

Many lessons on many levels and every time this book is read, more jump out. This beautifully designed and executed book is a complete success and obviously headed toward book awards! Highly recommended. 

David Wordsworth was the new kid in Miss Gordon's second grade class. The lesson that day was compound words, and the kids were spitting them out, words like "blackboard," "bookmark," and "lunchbox." David, however, was strangely silent until Miss Gordon prompted him for his own compound words, an action that she would soon regret, as the room filled to overflowing with David's menagerie of fanciful compound animals. There were airdog, mudpuffin, wide-eyed floorclutcher, pogotoast, and other creatures too impossible to exist, yet there they were in the flesh.

I've reviewed a lot of excellent children's books, but The Remarkable David Wordsworth is one of the most imaginative and enjoyable stories that I've read in quite a while. It's a fun story for kids to read or have read to them, and the large illustrations complement the text perfectly. There's even a serious learning element, with the lesson on compound words. The book should spark kids' imaginations to come up with their own whimsical compound animals.