Customer Reviews

Wally the Wordworm

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My mom found a used copy of this gem and gave it to me when my firstborn (now 7) was a baby. He discovered it about a year ago and it's become a favorite. Lots of big, interesting words, cute illustrations and dazzling wordplay -- lots to satisfy a kid newly enamored of words (and as a writer/editor, I'm happy about that). For emerging readers who have likely grown tired of Dr. Seuss and simple "Dick and Jane"-type books, this is a gem waiting to be uncovered.

This was, is and always will be my favorite children's book ever. Seriously, it explores palindromes, extinct birds, and the idea that words are a new world of possible ideas and possible fun. It truly is something that over 25 years later I still like and wish to get a copy for all the children I know. It is a book about exploring words and word play. And it is most certainly something to show, read, and share. SYZYGY is a word that I know because of that book.

My father gave me a copy of Wally the Wordworm when it was first published (1964), and I was immediately hooked. Chock full of wordplay, puns, obscure words, definitions and facts, I always picked up something new every time I read it. When I mislaid my old copy, I was delighted to find a used copy of the 1983 edition, illustrated by Lisa Atherton. My own children have enjoyed reading it every bit as much as I did.