Phenomenal! The Small Book of Big Words

Jonathan Meres

ISBN 9780230751934

Publisher: Macmillan

This is a truly joyful celebration of language, introducing children to a wealth of wonderful words with enthusiasm and a wicked sense of humour. The presentation is clear and accessible; the jokes genuinely funny; and the illustrations gloriously naughty. Best of all, perhaps, every entry has been carefully chosen to slip comfortably into playground conversation – these aren’t just fancy tongue twisters selected on the grounds of length and obscurity, they are words that are as useful as they are interesting (think asinine, plethora, hapless and verve). Why not use the book to inspire a ‘Big Word of the Week’ challenge, where pupils can clock up points by correctly using a particular lexeme in context?