Other-Wordly

October 3, 2016
In a project born out of a blog of the same name, Mak introduces 64 words from more than a dozen languages that describe emotions, situations, and aspects of being that aren’t always easily translated. Garrity-Riley’s dainty mixed-media illustrations, dominated by muted browns and blues, echo the moody tone of several words, as well as the cross-cultural juxtapositions that arise. The elegance of soigné, the mixed messages described by the Turkish word nazlanmak, and the Scots word tartle (for stumbling over someone’s name) are neatly reflected in a semi-awkward cocktail party scene. The Swedish word smultronställe (a “personal idyll free from stress or sadness”) translates literally to a “place of wild strawberries,” which is where Garrity-Riley shows a blonde girl reclining in wavy grasses, eyes closed in delight. Brief definitions, parts of speech, and language of origin accompany each word; the lack of phonetic pronunciations might disappoint readers looking to add these words to their lexicons immediately, but it’s nothing a little Googling can’t fix. Author’s agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. Illustrator’s agency: Christina A. Tugeau Artist Agency.

Words and definitions beloved by the author and representing 18 languages are arranged from one to three per page, accompanied by watercolor illustrations in subdued tones of russets, grays, greens, and browns.Smack-dab in the middle, "smultronstalle" has a solo gig: "lit. 'place of wild strawberries'; a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness." A blonde, white girl rests among grasses and strawberries, and a bouquet of strawberry fruits and blossoms decorates the opposing page. The book's first words evoke dawn, and near the end are nocturnal and love-related words. In between are words and phrases with other themes, ranging from practical to philosophical and from nouns to adjectives. The many people populating the pages have pleasant, if generic, features; skin and hair types are reasonably diverse, though white figures predominate. Many of the words evoke humorous art, as in the pairing of the Japanese words "tatemae" and "honne," or pretended versus true beliefs; one shows people in an elevator presenting a careful face to the world, while the other depicts the same people on a balcony, demonstrating "what a person truly believes." Two small criticisms: the key to abbreviations is, oddly, in the back of the book, and there is no pronunciation guide. Accessible text and appealing artwork prime readers for such relatively more verbose larks as Ursula Dubosarsky and Tohby Riddle's The Word Snoop (2009). Great fun for anyone "wordly-wise." (list of words by language, index) (Informational picture book. 8-12) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.