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13 Words
13 Words:
1. Bird2. Despondent3. Cake4. Dog5. Busy6. Convertible7. Goat8. Hat9. Haberdashery10. Scarlet11. Baby12. Panache13. Mezzo-Soprano
1. Bird2. Despondent3. Cake4. Dog5. Busy6. Convertible7. Goat8. Hat9. Haberdashery10. Scarlet11. Baby12. Panache13. Mezzo-Soprano
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 5th 2010
by HarperCollins Canada / Other
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Fix the illustrations!
I am so sad to give a bad rating to a book by two people whose work I love, Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, but did you guys interact when working on this? Here are some examples of text/picture mismatches:
-TEXT: "The bird sits on the table."
-PICTURE: (a bird is STANDING on a table)
-TEXT: (refers to a strawberry shortcake)
-PICTURE: (shows a CHOCOLATE cake with vanilla icing)
Get it together! Coordinate! Am I supposed to use this book to teach things to my child? "Cakes don'...more
I am so sad to give a bad rating to a book by two people whose work I love, Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, but did you guys interact when working on this? Here are some examples of text/picture mismatches:
-TEXT: "The bird sits on the table."
-PICTURE: (a bird is STANDING on a table)
-TEXT: (refers to a strawberry shortcake)
-PICTURE: (shows a CHOCOLATE cake with vanilla icing)
Get it together! Coordinate! Am I supposed to use this book to teach things to my child? "Cakes don'...more
Contains exactly the strangeness, sadness, and delight you'd expect from the combination of Lemony Snicket and Maira Kalman (her book The principles of uncertainty is one of my all-time favorites). I especially liked the inclusion of "panache" (defined by Snicket as "not just feathers...a sense of style and excitement, a kind of verve or swagger"). I've remembered this word since seeing a movie adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac in French class...Cyrano's last words: "... yet there is something st...more
1 like · like · see review
view 1 comment
Lemony Snicket’s 13 Words is a fun, quirky, strange little read. Bright colors, unusual characters, and words that just bounce around your mouth! I have a thing for words though. The way some words sound or get stuck on my tongue make me smile and mutter to myself all the time. Haha…
For some reason, I did not connect with Mr. Snicket here though. The tone came off a bit snotty for my taste. Still had fun with the words, but something prevented me from going all in. Loved the ending though! The m...more
7 likes · like · see review
Maira Kalman has an illustration style unlike any other. Her art is immediately recognizable. She has illustrated several books, for adults as well as children, and has been featured on the cover of The New Yorker multiple times. She paints odd-looking people and animals that look somewhat human which, in 13 Words, are set against surreal landscapes. Her palette is best described as edible (with the hues of ribbon candy) and her art is playful.
Lemony Snicket, author of the highly popular A Serie...more
Lemony Snicket, author of the highly popular A Serie...more
The ever clever Lemony Snicket, author of The Series of Unfortunate Events, has created a surreal and humorous story out of 13 seemingly unrelated words. The story begins with a bird (word #1) who is despondent (word #2) so he eats some cake (word #3) with his friend, a dog (word #4). The dog decides to cheer the bird up by getting him a hat (word #8) from the haberdashery (word #9). The bird likes her hat very much and then a mezzo-soprano (word #13) walks in with more cake and sings about the...more
Here'a a droll picture book for parents who yearn for less accessible, less banal story time fare. Why bore your children (and yourselves) with simple words when you can instead introduce zesty vocabulary like "panache," and take a drive through a landscape of culture, art and ideas? In this picture book, the main character, Bird, isn't challenged to clean her room, or mind mama, or go to school--she is not even a child. She is a working artist, and in a funk.
Illustrator Maira Kalman's signature...more
Illustrator Maira Kalman's signature...more
I read a lot of books with my daughter, but haven't really felt compelled to review any of them hear before. Partially that's because I read a lot of them myself as a small boy, and partially because many of them aren't that good. So, when I came across a new book that I actually enjoyed quite a bit, I figured I'd go ahead and mention it here.
First off, this is a deeply weird book. The title, 13 Words, references the 13 words that this story is built around. But, both the words themselves and t...more
First off, this is a deeply weird book. The title, 13 Words, references the 13 words that this story is built around. But, both the words themselves and t...more
On the inside flap of the dust jacket 13 words are listed. There are words you might expect in a picturebook, like bird, dog, hat, and baby, and some absolutely splendiferous words like despondent, haberdashery, panache, and mezzo-soprano. And here's the thing, children love large interesting words, especially when they sound a little funny. Snicket's humor is, as always, spot on. As I read this at my desk I was giggling so much a coworker decided to come investigate. I ended up reading the book...more
13 Words takes its reader on a journey through many different things, teaching the reader a new word with each page. The book starts with a bird, word number 1, that is despondent, word number two and concludes with a panache, word 12, and Mezzo-Soprano, word 13. Each word connects to the next making a story about a dog who tries to cheer up the despondent bird before their Mezzo-Soprano human comes home. It ends in a lyrical recap of all the events to help remind the reader of each new word lea...more
Let's be clear right now, because I don't want you confused by the charming blue bird on the cover into thinking that this is a beginning vocabulary book. No, this is a Lemony Snicket book. That means that after "teaching" us the word bird, we are confronted with the second word: Despondent. The bird is despondent. Too much, too soon? Okay, Snicket backs off and gives us cake and dog. However, the reader would be wise to listen to the little voice telling them that words like haberdashery and pa...more
I feel bad giving this one star so I'm giving it two. That's my reason. Because this is not a three star, four star, or five star book. The book makes no sense and it's not even good.
Listen, use uncommon words or common words. Don't try to mix them and have it seem 'extraordinary". It's not working.
Some words, (as if I need to put it out there):
'busy'
'dog'
'bird'
Okay, all good.
'haberdashery'. Right. Because kids use that word all the time. And quite frankly, I don't want my kid to walk around...more
Listen, use uncommon words or common words. Don't try to mix them and have it seem 'extraordinary". It's not working.
Some words, (as if I need to put it out there):
'busy'
'dog'
'bird'
Okay, all good.
'haberdashery'. Right. Because kids use that word all the time. And quite frankly, I don't want my kid to walk around...more
1 like · like · see review
Dear Mr. Snicket,
Well. It would appear that during the time elapsed between my having finished The Dark and my having finished 13 Words--a generous, languorous period of at least 15 minutes--you did not have time to email me with an offer of employment. I find this galling in especial due to the fact that I would have *particularly* well enjoyed sitting in your studio eating a jam biscuit while you read this story to Maira Kalman, a genius.
The only thing a sane person could deduce from this over...more
Well. It would appear that during the time elapsed between my having finished The Dark and my having finished 13 Words--a generous, languorous period of at least 15 minutes--you did not have time to email me with an offer of employment. I find this galling in especial due to the fact that I would have *particularly* well enjoyed sitting in your studio eating a jam biscuit while you read this story to Maira Kalman, a genius.
The only thing a sane person could deduce from this over...more
This book is very odd! It tells a story by using thirteen random words. These select words are not often spoken, quirky, and extremely unusual. The words are not the only unusual part of this book,so is the story line. There is a bird painting ladders, a goat driving a convertible, and a baby selling hats; not your average children's book. The main plot of the story rests on this blue despondent(sad)bird and his friend the dog trying to cheer him up. But after all the crazy occurrences in the bo...more
There was this bird, and it was feeling despondent, even though it had cake, so its friend Dog decided to go to a haberdashery to buy it a hat, since everyone knows that a hat will cheer anyone up. Along the way they encounter a goat and a mezzo-soprano, and by now you have already heard about half of the 13 words featured in this book.
I didn't know anything about this book until I looked up Lemony Snicket's ancillary writings after A Series of Unfortunate Events, so I picked it up with a bunch...more
I didn't know anything about this book until I looked up Lemony Snicket's ancillary writings after A Series of Unfortunate Events, so I picked it up with a bunch...more
I'm not sure how I absolutely feel about this one. It is very quirky and has Snicket's trademark dry humor and love of interesting vocabulary. The art is well done, colorful and eyecatching. For me, however, the story was too random and mismatched, even for a fictional world meant to be bizarre. As a picture book to be read aloud and shown, however, it works very well.
As a vocabulary lesson, I would recommend it to younger readers, I suppose in the six to nine age range. And if you think your ki...more
As a vocabulary lesson, I would recommend it to younger readers, I suppose in the six to nine age range. And if you think your ki...more
Pre Kindergarten and older kids might enjoy the absurdity of the story. The surreal story has an unpredictable storyline which is centered around 13 words which range from very simple (bird, dog) to more complex (haberdashery, despondent, mezzo soprano). The more complex vocabulary words are reinforced by repetition, picture clues and context clues helping children master skills of learning new fun vocabulary. If introduced by an adult reader who loves the absurdity of the book, it is likely to...more
Feb 08, 2012
Terry
added it
Little Kid Reaction: This book targets a very young audience from about new born children to first grade. Overall I enjoyed the oddness of the story and how it includes a baby as a store owner and strange, random words such as, Mezzo-Soprano, Haberdashery and Panache even though it was a bit too strange. I also liked how the author was not trying to be so simple and included a few complex words and made the story a bit more detailed and involved. Overall it was a good story and I do recommend th...more
This is a rather abstract book that I wouldn't deem appropriate for elementary-age children. It connects 13 random words in a story about a despondent bird whose dog-friend tries to cheer her up by buying her a hat. It seems like the abstractness of it is makes it strange and incomprehensible for young children.
Math: Students can count the new words in the book and make a chart listing the word and what they think it means, based on context clues (which is also a literary skill). It could also...more
Math: Students can count the new words in the book and make a chart listing the word and what they think it means, based on context clues (which is also a literary skill). It could also...more
To me this book is a hilarious parody of a standard "vocabulary building" picture book: 13 words for you to know. But then the list of words includes bird, despondent, goat, convertible... I mean, what reader is the target audience? Which is part of what makes it so funny to me.
After I read it aloud (it's a great book for reading aloud if you use that slightly sugared up "let's all learn together" tone), I realized it could, actually, but used as a book to read with a reluctant reader, or one wh...more
After I read it aloud (it's a great book for reading aloud if you use that slightly sugared up "let's all learn together" tone), I realized it could, actually, but used as a book to read with a reluctant reader, or one wh...more
This is a book about 13 vocabulary words which are included in this plot summary:
There once was a BIRD and there once was a DOG.
And the bird was DESPONDENT, or sad,
A Pensive frown on her BUSY beak,
No matter how much CAKE could be had.
The GOAT suggested a CONVERTIBLE drive,
To purchase a cheering-up HAT,
At a HABERDASHERY with a SCARLET door,
And a BABY to sell them just that.
The hats have PANACHE, of course, or course,
A sense of excitement and style,
The MEZZA-SOPRANO is done with her song...more
There once was a BIRD and there once was a DOG.
And the bird was DESPONDENT, or sad,
A Pensive frown on her BUSY beak,
No matter how much CAKE could be had.
The GOAT suggested a CONVERTIBLE drive,
To purchase a cheering-up HAT,
At a HABERDASHERY with a SCARLET door,
And a BABY to sell them just that.
The hats have PANACHE, of course, or course,
A sense of excitement and style,
The MEZZA-SOPRANO is done with her song...more
This book uses different vocabulary words incorporated into a silly story, that summarizes all the words in a short story at the end of the book.
By just reading the title, I first thought this book would be for kindergarteners, but after reading it, I realized that it might be for 2nd or 3rd graders since some of the vocabulary in the story seems to be upper-level. This book would be good for them to learn new words at their reading level.
I think this book could be used during a spelling lesso...more
By just reading the title, I first thought this book would be for kindergarteners, but after reading it, I realized that it might be for 2nd or 3rd graders since some of the vocabulary in the story seems to be upper-level. This book would be good for them to learn new words at their reading level.
I think this book could be used during a spelling lesso...more
This book is quirky, to be sure. First, is it any wonder that Snicket writes a picture book that employs rare, though interesting words? (haberdashery, despondent, etc.)
The whole plot is actually riding ON the strength and interest of these words b/c it can be summed up with: two friends buy a sad bird a new hat and eat cake afterward. The illustrations are all a bit of a non sequituer. They lack context and accessibility. This book is good for developing vocabulary in the older (3rd-5th grade)...more
The whole plot is actually riding ON the strength and interest of these words b/c it can be summed up with: two friends buy a sad bird a new hat and eat cake afterward. The illustrations are all a bit of a non sequituer. They lack context and accessibility. This book is good for developing vocabulary in the older (3rd-5th grade)...more
quirky tale introducing words - some sight words and some longer words... like "despondent". the difficult words are described, and the tale should be enjoyable for children as well as adults, though adults will find it more quirky and amusing. Near the end, a Mezzo-soprano comes to bird's house after a long day singing and sings a song about bird's day.
This is a picture book for adults masquerading as a picture book for children, but is truly something enjoyable. It's up there in terms of quirk...more
This is a picture book for adults masquerading as a picture book for children, but is truly something enjoyable. It's up there in terms of quirk...more
Mar 20, 2012
Jordan
added it
This was a very strange book and I did not really enjoy it. It was about a bird that is sad and a dog that spends the whole book trying to cheer him up. The story kind of jumps all over the place and the whole idea is pretty confusing. A few of the 13 words that are pointed out in the book are pretty big words that children probably wouldn't know such as panache. The book tries to explain what these words mean but I'm not sure that children would understand. The pictures in the book are very col...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this wacky picture book, which I read with my 14-year old son. I don't think this is a picture book for small children--this is definitely aimed at the usual Lemony Snicket audience, older elementary school or even middle school children. I don't know if he picked 13 words at random from the dictionary and wrote a story from them--that's the impression you get when reading git. Maira Kalman's illustrations are delightful and filled with details--aimed at the adult reader. Fo...more
13 Words by Lemony Snicket and Maira Kalman 9/15/2010, $16.99 Some years back I read an article that proposed that children didn't like to read because contemporary publishing trends had dumbed-down the language making books boring. Certainly a child should learn and could understand words like dog and frog, but where... were the words that enlivened the story and stretched the imagination? Leave it to Lemony Snicket to create a children's picture book that celebrates not only dog and cake and...more
Feb 29, 2012
Katie Ellis
added it
This book is very random and silly, but in a good way. It goes through 13 completely random words and makes them into a story. The words are: bird, dog, despondent, busy, cake, goat, convertible, hat, haberdashery, scarlet, baby, panache, and mezzo-soprano. I think kids would really like this book because it jumps all over the place, however some of the vocabulary might be slightly over their head. Although, this would allow for a quick vocab lesson! The illustrations are also very silly and mak...more
Oh, how I misjudged our beloved Lemony Snicket. Given 13 words, I thought I knew what was going to happen. As usual, there is no predicting a Snicket story. From cake to haberdashery to panache, the reader is taken on colourful journey as dog attempts to cheer up despondent bird.
This is all accompanied by illustrations that hint at Chagall in colour and dream-like quality. They are charming and very interesting to look at - and you’ll have fun playing continuity finder from page to page.
Certai...more
This is all accompanied by illustrations that hint at Chagall in colour and dream-like quality. They are charming and very interesting to look at - and you’ll have fun playing continuity finder from page to page.
Certai...more
Dec 30, 2010
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
adults & (older?) kids who like silly books & counting/new words books & cake & animals &&&
Oh, I loved this admittedly weird book. The last page is priceless, as is much of the book. I turned the book at times to see everything and 2 of the titles/text of the books shown are very cute.
The story is a silly cumulative tale that can work as a counting book, a vocabulary building book, a sort of philosophy book, and mostly just a for a good laugh book. It has both silliness and seriousness. I laughed (or at least grinned) a couple of times, but there was much sadness in it too.
And I don’t...more
The story is a silly cumulative tale that can work as a counting book, a vocabulary building book, a sort of philosophy book, and mostly just a for a good laugh book. It has both silliness and seriousness. I laughed (or at least grinned) a couple of times, but there was much sadness in it too.
And I don’t...more
Irreverant and oddly amazing, but then again I have a quirky sense of humor.
Not sure how to use it, or who exactly to give it to, but it seems like the right teacher could do wonders with it in a classroom setting.
I wish there were an appropriate way to put books like this in the bathroom stalls at schools (or convince parents to put them in their bathrooms at homes without toatally sounding crazy) because I feel like older kids would toatally read books like this in that, ahem, setting.
Not sure how to use it, or who exactly to give it to, but it seems like the right teacher could do wonders with it in a classroom setting.
I wish there were an appropriate way to put books like this in the bathroom stalls at schools (or convince parents to put them in their bathrooms at homes without toatally sounding crazy) because I feel like older kids would toatally read books like this in that, ahem, setting.
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Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler. Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (his best-known work) and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional character and a real person. This article deals primarily with the character.
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