Donavan's Word Jar

May 30, 1994
This meager, sluggish story centers on Donavan, a boy who collects words. Every time he sees a new word--on a billboard, a cereal box, a store sign, etc.--he writes it down on a slip of paper and puts it into a jar. When the jar becomes filled to capacity, Donavan has a big dilemma. His mother recommends he find a larger container and his teacher suggests he compile his own dictionary, but Donavan rejects both ideas. Visiting his grandmother to ask her advice, Donavan forgets his word jar in the lounge of her apartment building. When he returns to the lounge, he finds a group of senior citizens removing bits of paper from the jar and reading aloud the words, which, rather incredibly, make everyone instantly happy. Deciding he'll start a new collection right away, Donavan concludes, ``It would be fun finding new ways to give his words away.'' Though clearly well-intentioned, DeGross's story makes much ado about very little. Illustrations not seen by PW . Ages 7-10.