The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

Jen Bryant, Author

Melissa Sweet, Illustrator

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bryant, Jen. 2014. THE RIGHT WORD: Roget and His Thesaurus. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. Boston: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780544108570.

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus is the biography of Peter Mark Roget, the creator of the thesaurus. It follows Roget’s life from childhood through his adulthood and shows how his love for words cultivated his path to organizing language into categories. It addresses how his personal experiences and curiosity for words and language resulted in the publication of a thesaurus. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A nonfiction biography on the story of Peter Mark Roget as a scientist and a writer who was shaped by curiosity and life experiences. The narration of his story is structured chronologically, which allows the reader to see how his thoughts and ideas have developed over time. It shows his desire to help people communicate more effectively through the organization of words. It is clear and accessible for the young reader to understand.

The illustrations are essential to the book’s impact, which includes collages, handwriting, diagrams, and visual representations of the structure of language. It does a great job of being a visual thesaurus that allows the reader to understand the historical context of his work. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Forward:  “Approachable and packed with information, this mini biography introduces children to the history of the thesaurus and its author, inspiring interest in nature, categorization, intellectualism, and the myriad ideas and uses of language.”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Students can be challenged to create their own mini-thesaurus pages by grouping their own set of words into categories. 
• Related books:

Sweet, Melissa. BALLROOM BOY
Jenkins, Steve. ACTUAL SIZE