Kirkus Reviews

A charming introduction to Noah Webster, creator of "the second most popular book ever printed in English, after the Bible." Noah Webster loved words and wanted to be a scholar, so at age 15 he entered Yale University and became a teacher. When the Revolutionary War was over, he wanted to write a "second Declaration of Independence," an American spelling book that would systematize American spelling. At a time when Americans spelled words any which way--"mosquito, moskito, miscitoe, misqutor, muskeetor"--this was a way to further unite Americans. He followed his speller with a grammar text, and eventually, at age 70, published his American Dictionary of the English Language. What could have been as dry as a, well, dictionary is here made lively and enjoyable, with appealing cartoonish illustrations and a clear and lively text. Webster is drawn with a balloon-ish head since he "always knew he was right, and he never got tired of saying so." Ferris defines big words in brackets, dictionary-style, throughout the story, a playful device that becomes distracting, since most words can be figured out by context, even by very young readers and listeners. Nevertheless, the volume is a wonderful success in introducing Webster in such a charming manner. Future wordsmiths may be IN-SPIRED [verb: stimulated] by Webster's devotion to the English language. (timeline, more about Noah Webster, bibliography, websites) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

K-Gr 3 Best known today for his dictionary, Webster was an important figure in early American education. As the new nation was forming, he championed the idea of standardized spellings and usage. He simplified British words, such as "plough" to "plow," and published the first American schoolbooks. This picture-book biography bursts with charm in telling Webster's story. The author puts some words into dictionary form as a reminder of Webster's claim to fame. For example, instead of a farmer, "Noah wanted to be SCHOL-AR [noun: one who goes to school; a person who knows a lot]." The watercolor-and-pencil cartoon illustrations are a perfect complement to the text. A page describing Webster's high self-confidence depicts him with a huge head. An image of young Noah nose to nose with his irritated father is both funny and telling. Primary and secondary sources are listed, as are websites for more information and activities. This informative book would be a great addition to dictionary lessons or to studies of the formation of the United States.— Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

ALA Booklist (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

While the first thing most readers will associate with Noah Webster is his famous dictionary, it turns out old Webster was something of an overlooked Founding Father. This picture-book biography details his life, from a childhood sloughing off farm work in order to read and an early career as a teacher to the publication of his influential speller and the massive project of his dictionary. Ferris emphasizes that Webster was motivated to codify American English because "now that America was free from England, why should Americans spell the way they did in England?" Webster's "blue-backed speller" helped unite the fledgling nation, but that was nothing compared to his dictionary, which took almost 20 years to complete and was the first American book of its kind. Ferris' decision to define upper-level words right in the narrative is clever enough and isn't very intrusive. Meanwhile, Kirsch's fine-lined, bubbly illustrations give Webster a cartoony, swollen head, and he deepens shadows with cursive scribbles. In all, it's a good deal more fun than the subject might suggest.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

In this unique biography of the patriot and dictionary writer, Ferris seamlessly incorporates words with their definitions--"He wanted to write a DIC-TION-AR-Y (noun: a book listing words in ABC order, telling what they mean and how to spell them)"--creating opportunities for vocabulary development, but also showing what Webster's work was all about. Kirsch's humorous illustrations highlight important moments. Timeline, websites. Bib.