Book Exploration: Roget and His Thesaurus, Just the Right Word
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Today is Peter Mark Roget’s birthday! He loved words, and he loved lists, so much so that his love changed the English language! The history of the first thesaurus and its author is quite fascinating! It took a man with a love for precision and with a desire to use just the right word for the thesaurus to be born. Peter Mark Roget was born on January 18th, 1779 in England and changed the way of the English language forever.
Come with me to explore the life and work of this wonderful man and his creation!
The picture book
For this month’s Book Exploration I have chosen: The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This book was written and illustrated in such a fascinating manner! It makes it so intriguing, almost like deciphering a secret code! Sprinkled throughout the book are thesaurus-style lists, both within the illustrations and as a part of the text of the story. This creates an almost magical atmosphere to the book. The text is brilliant and only uses the right words, and if not will give you a list for you to choose the right word (so fun!). The illustrations are delightful in their mixed media style. Lists are everywhere, the blend of watercolor, ink and paper are just so scrumptious. It is very junk journal-esque making it a treasure map where something new pops every time you read the book. All in all this one is a whimsical winner.

The man
Peter Mark Roget was a fascinating young man, having discovered early on that books are friends and words can be “just right”, it helped him overcome the sorrows of his life. As a young boy he started lists and lists of words so that he could find “just the right word” in all circumstances. Peter Roget carried around with him his notebooks of lists and added new words and new lists. He became a physician, but kept writing his lists and in 1805 published his first book of word lists. Roget did not marry until later in life and had two children. He remained a physician but kept working on his lists and improving his first book. In 1852, almost fifty years after his first book came out, he published his Thesaurus. And was immortalized as the man who helps us find just the right word.
His book
Peter Mark Roget published the first ever thesaurus for the English language.What use is a Thesaurus and why should you love it, you ask? Well, because it helps you find just the right word to describe a feeling, or a color, an animal or a texture or even the weather. Daily we use thousands of words and sometimes, just to be clear and concise we need just the right word! As a non-native English speaker I love the sound of new English words, I love to discover their meaning and their spelling. There are so many delightful words out there! Not using the right word has led me into trouble before. It was actually the occasion of my husband and I’s first fight as newlyweds! I used a word with the exact same spelling in French as in English and assumed that it had the same meaning in English as it did in French… But it did not! And I insulted my poor groom! So I learned to love a Thesaurus, if for nothing else, to keep the peace, lol!

Book Exploration
It’s always hard for me to pick which picture book to use for the Book Exploration as I love them all but this one was an easy choice! The whole book is like a present that keeps on giving and I have spent hours exploring it. It truly warrants an exploration! This is not your traditional picture book, it’s one to take your time with, to explore, to enjoy and revisit again and again.
Illustrations
Melissa Sweet has excelled herself on this one, and I keep thinking of how much fun she must have had working on it! She has her own, very distinctive style and I love it! It is a blend of everything, it is messy, whimsical and delightful! Spend some time looking at the illustrations, soak them in and find out which ones bring you the most pleasure. Then inspiring yourself from her illustrations create a journaling page using different mediums and techniques, just like she did. But make it your own. Play with it, spend time exploring different layouts and color schemes, until it is just right. Print, cut, glue, draw, color, delight in the process! You can then use what you have discovered in your Notebooking and your personal journals. I always wish I had more time to dwell in my journaling and to embellish it…

Writing
Have you been writing lists? Where do you keep them? Do you decorate them? Start creating your own lists! Any kind of list. Go back through the book for inspiration, create your own lists about what intrigues you, what fascinates you, about what you hate. Just list away! You can illustrate your new lists, cut words out of old magazines, type your lists, watercolor them, use different pens of different colors. These are your lists, you can do whatever you want with them, they are your fun writing outlet. You can even just keep them neat and clean and orderly, just write lists and enjoy the process.
Thesaurus
Go on a Thesaurus exploration! Choose 5 words that you use regularly, look them up in the Thesaurus, maybe make a list, and start using their synonyms accurately both in writing and speaking. (synonym /sĭn′ə-nĭm″/ Noun – A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language.)
Once you have acquired these five words and their synonyms and it has become second nature for you to use just the right word in the right circumstances, choose 5 more to practice with. This could become a life long exploration of the English language.

The recipe
Peter Mark Roget was from England and there is this one English treat which satisfies both my love of language and my love of food. And that is the crumpet! Doesn’t it sound so wonderful? Just saying it enchants me. But what are crumpets? They are the British cousin of our pancakes, small round fluffy little cakes cooked on a griddle, and then toasted and lathered with butter and jam, or honey. They are the perfect companion to a steaming cup of tea and a book on a cold winter afternoon. So light a few candles, maybe restock the fire in the hearth, toast some crumpets, lather with butter and jam and play some fun music. Have yourself a wonderful afternoon tea exploring, creating and delighting in this Book Exploration.
Love,
Mattie