The Lost Words: Rediscover our natural world with this spellbinding book

Product Information

For while a few of the author's selection might indeed perhaps not be as commonly used anymore as they were in the past (such as newt, adder and bramble, for example), the entire list (and at least from where I stand) most definitely does NOT contain ANY nouns that are truly disappearing out of common English usage. And indeed, in my opinion, most of us, and yes even children, would or at least should be cognizant of what words like dandelion, starling and magpie are and mean and the author calling these words "lost" and insinuating that they are even totally disappearing from English language, well I for one do claim that this is simply not correct, not the truth and also majorly do fault Robert Macfarlane for even suggesting this (and without either adequate proof or cited sources at that).

It's really the fate of most of us...we vanish into nothingness as soon as we assume room temperature. Ephemeral as life is, what I found wanting in those perfectly lovely passages was the solidity of Life beating Esme with her own responsibility to and for the older but more vulnerable on a practical life-level woman. In 1901, a concerned member of the public wrote to the men compiling the first Oxford English Dictionary to let them know that there was a word missing. In 1857 the Unregistered Words Committee of the Philological Society of London had decided that Britain needed a successor to Samuel Johnson’s 1755 dictionary. It had taken 40 years for the first volume – the letters A and B – to be published, and now they had only gone and left out a word. Another fundraising campaign led to the book being placed in every one of the 220 hospices in Britain to supported the health and wellbeing of adults.Where, I wondered, are the women in this story, and does it matter that they are absent? —It took me a while to find the women, and when I did, they were cast in minor and supporting roles."

Williams wins 2021 MUD Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 23 February 2021 . Retrieved 23 March 2021. The message of the book is clear , children are losing the "wild streak" and nature and it's beauty are being forgotten. My children sat enthralled in it as we talked about what the message was and why it's important to run in the grass and notice & care for our natural surroundings and the creatures that live within it before they are lost completely.

This is a beautiful book which I was put on the trail off after someone was telling me about the lost words project. The basic idea is to counter the fact that slowly there are words which are leaving the English vocabulary due to the younger generations either not knowing or using them. The book has taken on a 'wild life' of its own with the sparks of inspiration taking it in numerous creative directions. Australians comprise majority of Walter Scott Prize shortlist". Books+Publishing. 24 March 2021 . Retrieved 25 March 2021. I still remember when I saw my first kingfisher, that heart stopping, breath taking moment of magic. Listening to Robert MacFarlane read his spell of a kingfisher in the offices of Hamish Hamilton gave me that same sense of wonder. What an utter delight it has been to work with his words. A stage adaption of the book, scripted by South Australian playwright Verity Laughton in consultation with Williams, [7] has been produced by the State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company. [8] [9] The play is directed by Jessica Arthur. [10] After premiering at the Dunstan Playhouse in Adelaide on 22 September 2023, the play has a season at the Sydney Opera House. South Australian actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Esme. [7] [11]

It being a children's book also accounts for its massiveness (another thing I hadn't expected *lol*). Seriously, this book is HUGE. The Lost Words begins like this... Once upon a time words began to vanish from the language of children. They disappeared so quietly that at first no one noticed--fading away like water on stone. The words were those that children used to name the natural world around them: acorn, adder bluebell, bramble, conker--gone! The words were becoming lost; no longer vivid in children's verses, no longer alive int heir stories.If the reader takes this commentary quite literally, they may miss the point of the book itself. Rather, the authors are merely providing a caution to the changing manner in which we (children included) visualize the real or natural world in the face of encroaching, even pervasive technology.

Beautiful and full of life, 'The Lost Words' is an incredible collection of illustrations and poetry that will ignite curiosity towards nature within every reader. To me, the poetry feels like it is written in an all knowing voice, as if it has been waiting to speak for years. The attention to small complex details woven throughout the book made me question how much I really notice about nature- despite having lived in the countryside for the majority of my life.