The Art of Words by Robert Vescio & Joanna Bartel is a unique picture book about the magic of language.
With the help of their dog, two little children demonstrate all the endless possibilities of words. Some are big, some are little. Some are colourful and some are ugly.
I love the typography in this book and the interplay between the verbal and visual aspects of the words. Each word has been thoughtfully depicted to showcase its meaning. It was particularly effective for “shortened” and “extended” words.
My daughter is not reading independently yet, but she does know how to write letters and she really enjoyed learning about punctuation (the friends of words). We talked about why we use question marks and exclamation marks and she had a go at writing them herself afterwards.
Joanna’s inclusive illustrations really bring this 100 word picture book to life. The Art of Words is a lovely, quirky picture book. I think it would be great to share with emerging readers and be a good addition to a school library.
Published by EK Books, 13 April 2021
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
Picture Book Perfect 
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