A Cache of Jewels (World of Language) [Paperback]

Ruth Heller (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: World of Language

Highly informative and lushlyillustrated. An unbeatable combination for pleasure and learning. --Children's Book Review Service The illustrations and the vocabulary will delight small eyes and ears. --School Library Journal Q&A - Ruth Heller - A Paperstar Profile Ruth Heller - Profile How did you become interested in writing books for children? I loved reading to my own children, and when they started school, I became the P.T.A. library chairman. I was the one who got to pick and choose and spend a nice fat budget for the elementary school library. I feel as though I've been surrounded by children's books for years. I suppose this and my strong art background are what prompted my trying to write. What is the biggest influence in your style of writing, and how has it changed since you first began? Hillaire Belloc, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear--I grew up reading all of them. I love their - Ruth Heller - A Paperstar Profile How did you become interested in writing books for children? I loved reading to my own children, and when they started school, I became the P.T.A. library chairman. I was the one who got to pick and choose and spend a nice fat budget for the elementary school library. I feel as though I've been surrounded by children's books for years. I suppose this and my strong art background are what prompted my trying to write. What is the biggest influence in your style of writing, and how has it changed since you first began? Hillaire Belloc, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear--I grew up reading all of them. I love their rhythm, and I loved reading Dr. Seuss to my children. No question, these were my influences. I think I've become wordier, not quite as minimal and succinct as I used to be. What made you decide to write a series on the parts of speech? Take a peek at the back end paper of the hardcover edition of A Cache of Jewels. You'll see that I committed myself, in print, to writing a book for each part of speech. Here I am, ten years later, thankfully completing the very last book in this series. It will be published in 1998. Do you begin with the words or pictures when you are developing a book? How does the second part come together? The first step is to decide what I am going to say on each page. Then I can begin to visualize my illustrations. The words dictate what the illustration will be, but that still gives me many options. Sometimes the two come together easily, sometimes not. If not, I pursue new research material until something clicks. Did you learn anything new about the parts of speech while writing these books? I learned many things I had forgotten, and some new information and rules that I had never known. I also learned that the textbooks that I used for research were difficult to understand and somewhat boring, and that I am guilty of frequent misuse of the English language. How do you choose the images in your book? An art teacher once told me to fall in love with whatever I was drawing. So I choose images that I love: candy, ice cream, butterflies, sea creatures, carousels, jewels, etc.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In light verse and brightly colored pictures, Heller provides an introduction to a specialized part of speech, the collective noun. She lists and depicts more than 25, including such familiar terms as "batch of bread" and "bunch of bananas," as well as more unusual phrases: "gam of whales," "muster of peacocks" and "parcel of penguins." The concept will stimulate the curiosity and imaginations of children with an ear for language. The illustrations, containing large, bold objects in simple yet striking compositions, ensure a visually inspiring exploration as well. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1 ``A muster of peacocks,'' ``a kindle of kittens,'' and other familiar and unusual collective nouns form the text of Heller's book. Bright, richly-colored oil pencil and line drawings enliven each set of objects, and some are exceptionally life-likeone can practically hear the crunch of the crusty loaves of bread and smell the bananas. Each group of items is presented in rhyme, which is remarkably smooth and unforced until the last page, when an explanation of the concept of col lective nouns, more suited to simple prose, intrudes. While ``. . .Jewels'' can be used to help children learn about parts of speech, its principal charm lies in the illustrations and the vocabulary itself, which will delight small eyes and ears. Kathleen Brachmann, Highland Park Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (February 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698113543
• ISBN-13: 978-0698113541
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Words & Language > Alphabet
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Words & Language > General
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > Language Arts > Grammar

More About the Author

"Writing and illustrating my own books have given me the opportunity to choose subjects of interest to me."--Ruth HellerAfter receiving a fine arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley and completing two years of graduate work in design at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Ruth Heller began her career designing wrapping paper, cocktail napkins, greeting cards, and coloring books. After five years of rejection and one complete revision, Heller's first book, Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, about egg-laying animals, was published in 1981. It was so successful that the sequel, and second book to be published, Animals Born Alive And Well (1982), about mammals, quickly followed. In 1983 and 1984, her third and fourth titles, The Reason For A Flower (about plants that have seeds and flowers) and Plants That Never Ever Bloom (about plants that do not) were published.She then began work on a collection of six books, the How To Hide series on camouflage and the magic of this phenomenon in nature, which covered the entire animal kingdom -- insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and sea creatures. The next collection of books became a five-volume series on parts of speech: A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns; Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs; Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives; Merry-Go- Round: A Book About Nouns; and Up, Up and Away: A Book About Adverbs. She also wrote and illustrated the unique and fascinating book Color, a charming and instructive guide to how art goes through the four color printing process.Among the notable people who have had an influence on Heller's writing have been: Ogden Nash, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc, and Dr. Seuss. Heller says of her work, "All my books are nonfiction picture books in rhyme. I find writing in rhyme enjoyable and challenging, and I think it is an easy way for children to learn new facts and acquire a sophisticated vocabulary. Children are not intimidated by big words. I try to make my writing succinct and allow the illustrations to convey as much information as possible."On October 31, 1995, Grosset & Dunlap continues Heller's parts-of-speech books with the publication of Behind the Mask: A Book About Prepositions, a clever, thoughtful, eye-pleasing explanation of just how prepositions tell us about the "when" and "where" of things.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Grouping Terms, For Kids To Learn, September 18, 2000

By 

Paul Martin (Waukesha, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cache of Jewels (Hardcover)

Good fun for 3-8 yrs. Everybody knows that a group of fish is a school, or a bunch of ships is a fleet. But what do you call several peacocks, or a group of kittens, or a gathering of witches? Puzzeled?

This is the first childrens book I have come across that could answer those questions for children, with many more collective nouns to spare. Good illustrations, relatively quick read, and interesting and easy for children to follow. Mega points for originality!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous illustrations!, July 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cache of Jewels (World of Language) (Paperback)

In addition to being a great way to learn about what groups of objects are called (I even learned a few new ones) the vibrant colors of the illustrations are incredible. I even got a used copy to take apart so I could put some of the pictures up in my son's playroom - they are that nice.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A literate and fun exploration of collective nouns, January 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cache of Jewels (Hardcover)

This is a great way to teach about collective nouns. It also makes a great starting point for students' own writing pieces and word collections.