The Boy Who Loved Words

Schotter, R. (2006). The boy who loved words.  New York:  Scwartz & Wade Books.

The Boy Who Loved Words is a very challenging picture book that won the 2006 Parent's Choice Award.  Schotter tells the story of Selig, a boy who has a very large vocabulary and is often an outcast due to his love of words.  However, Selig meets a poet and later the love of his life, who is a collector of music, to serve his purpose in life.


Since the book is about a boy who collects words, the author has to use words that would be considered difficult for even older readers.  Luckily, a glossary is supplied in the back cover of the book.  The difficult text throughout the book is italicized.  This feature would definitely help struggling readers.

Schotter uses a lot of conflict throughout his story:  Selig's internal conflict between his love of words and desired to be liked; the external conflict between Selig and society, Selig and his parents, etc.  Schotter also uses second person at the end of the book to insert the reader into the story.

The illustrations are very vibrant throughout the book.  Each pages also includes words scattered on the page to describe the illustrations and the story.

Questions readers may ask:  What makes me different from others?  What would happen to Selig if he hadn't met the poet?  How can I contribute to the world around me like Selig does?