With a toss and tumble or a shuffle of letters, the words are recycled into new ones. There are lots of challenges for the brain along the way with answers found in discreet (tiny) letters along the page.
This book is a celebration of sound, whether it is onomatopoeia or phonaesthesia, anagrams or homophones, they are ‘words about words’ although it was all Greek to me.
The entire book is totally entertaining, so reader beware, for this book will take up permanent residence at home once you look into it. Every page kept me laughing as I tried the names of volcanoes, tongue-twisters, and read words that have triple homophones in sentences that sounded the same, but carried a different meaning. Then there are the tongue-twisters in sign language called finger-fumblers. Try the ones in other languages if you manage to pronounce them. Learn about the origins of words, and gasp at the word stories.
This book is priceless! With 252 pages (including answers) of information on language, it’s a feast of words in every sense. You may even find several words you haven’t come across before, or even things that don’t have a word to describe them, which is called a language gap.
Lots of trivia will intrigue, and word switches and double meanings will confuse and delight. There is a collection of crossword puzzles - cryptic and other, with all the answers listed at the back.
David Astle has produced an impressive collection of entries that will educate and fill the house with laughter whether it is claimed by a child or an adult.
Title: Wordburger
Author: David Astle
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: November 2015
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760113575
For ages: 9+
Type: Non-fiction