Today Marshmallow reviews a beautiful large-format book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris: The Lost Words: A Spell Book, published in 2017. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.
Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, let us begin. I thought this was a beautiful book, so I am very happy we get to talk about it today.
Marshmallow: Yes, it is a really beautiful book. Majestic, I could say. Each page is almost like a work of art.
S: I heard about this book a while back. I read the following and it stuck with me:
The book began as a response to the removal of everyday nature words – among them “acorn”, “bluebell”, “kingfisher” and “wren” – from a widely used children’s dictionary, because those words were not being used enough by children to merit inclusion. But The Lost Words then grew to become a much broader protest at the loss of the natural world around us, as well as a celebration of the creatures and plants with which we share our lives, in all their wonderful, characterful glory. –https://www.thelostwords.org/lostwordsbook/
M: Well, I did not know about this when I began reading the book. But it totally makes sense. The book is kind of like a children’s alphabet book. Approximately one word for each letter of the alphabet. For “A” for example there is an entry for “acorn” and another for “adder”. And for “B”, there is “bluebell” and “bramble”. but there is nothing for “E” for example. But anyways, each word chosen is a word for an animal or plant, some object of nature that used to be more familiar to young bunnies many years ago, but now that most of us live in much more urbanized environments, we do not always see or hear about them. So I really like that the authors decided to bring back these words to us.
S: Yes, me too! Okay, so then there should be about twenty-five words, then.
M: Not quite. There were apparently forty words that were dropped from that children’s dictionary, and the people who created this book picked twenty of those words and focused on those.
S: The book is not only twenty pages though.
M: Of course not, Sprinkles! That would be kind of too short. There are six pages for each word.
S: I see. So what happens on each of those pages?
M: What they do with each word is actually really amazing. For each word, there is first a two-page spread showing the letters making up the word in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. The letters making up the word are kind of hiding among many other letters, kind of reminding us that the word is lost somehow, but if we look carefully, we will find it again.
S: That is beautiful, Marshmallow.
M: Yes, the book is really beautifully designed. Anyways, after the first two-page spread, then there is a second two-page spread for the word. The left hand side there is an acrostic poem describing the word, and on the right hand side there is a water color painting of the animal or plant that the word depicts.
S: Remind our readers what an acrostic poem is maybe?
M: Sure. Basically when you take the letters of the first word on each line and put them in a vertical line, they make up a word. So for example here is the poem for IVY:
ivy
I am ivy, a real high-flyer.
Via bark and stone I scale tree and spire.
You call me ground-cover; I say sky-wire.
S; That is lovely!
M: It really is! I love the paintings! They are kind of like portraits! And then there is a final two-page spread, which is a large picture showing the animal or plant in its natural environment. Again the paintings are beautiful.
S: I agree with you completely Marshmallow. I have been looking through the pages for the last hour or so and I am amazed. The poems are quite neat too.
M: Yes, agreed. Each poem has a deeper meaning; they do not just provide a physical description, but also what it might represent, what makes it unique and special, and how it is a part of nature. I really liked the book!
S: I can see that. So if you were to rate it–
M: -I’d rate it 100% for sure!
S: That is wonderful Marshmallow. I am glad we were able to read this book.
M: Yes.
S: So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?
M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!
BookBunnies 
RG’s Comments:
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I guess I was thrown by part of the book’s title. “A Spell Book “, I thought it was a Potterian endeavor (I think I just invented a word there).
Sadly, many words leave the language, never to return. Many “fun” words, common when I was a kid, are no more. Today’s young people will probably have to find an elderly person over 65 to explain some of these forgotten terms. Remember “continental kits?” They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool and as long as a Lincoln Continental.
And when did we quit calling them “emergency brakes?” At some point “parking brake” became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with “emergency brake.”
Here’s a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but don’t hear anymore – “store-bought.” Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. However, there was a time when you had bragging rights if you had a “store-bought” dress instead of someone’s “hand-me-downs.”
Ah, such is life.
KG’s Comments:
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I am glad to see efforts in making sure kids don’t forget how it once was.
Another highly rated review by Marshmallow.
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