Colossal Words for Kids

75 Tremendous Words: Neatly Defined to Stick in the Mind

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Pub Date 7 May 2024 | Archive Date 26 Sep 2024

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Description

Boost your child’s growing vocabulary with 75 hilariously illustrated poems from Colette Hiller, author of the critically acclaimed kids’ poetry book The B on Your Thumb.

Each poem in this funny, funky book teaches a specific important word, as well as its meaning and spelling, in an innovative and accessible format that kids will love. Using rhythm and wordplay, the poems help build a colossal vocabulary, thinking skills and literacy – without kids even noticing! But most of all, this book delights young readers with the joy and silliness of the English language.
 
Building a colossal vocabulary has never felt so natural, or so much fun! Each word in this collection is defined in a simple rhyme. Using rhythm, humor and logic, each word’s meaning is made clear and accessible. Kids will want to try them out straight away: it’s a ready-to-use collection! You and your kids will love:

  • Rolling rhymes that will be chanted again and again
  • Fun and quirky drawings that bring these educational poems to life
  • Holistic learning premise from Colette Hiller, skilled in writing educational poetry for children

From Ambiguous to Zealous, the words in this book are for 7-to-12-year-olds. It may seem inconceivable for one book to encompass such a wide age span! But in fact, inconceivable – and all the other words in this book – were selected from vocabulary lists intended for older children, so that younger children can challenge themselves and discover a wealth of great new words!

Boost your child’s growing vocabulary with 75 hilariously illustrated poems from Colette Hiller, author of the critically acclaimed kids’ poetry book The B on Your Thumb.

Each poem in this funny...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780711278752
PRICE US$19.99 (USD)
PAGES 80

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Average rating from 35 members


Featured Reviews

How about a book that is fun and builds vocabulary at the same time. This book is amazing and I have used it all week with my speech language kids. The poems are well thought out and scintillating and the illustrations are equally inventive. This little treasure has words beginning at A and ending at Z. Some of the words are used in a visually descriptive way to emphasis the meaning. I also enjoyed the little blocks at the bottom of the page using the same words with excerpts from a well known poet to Harry Potter. There is nothing soporific about this quaint little gem. It’s so much fun my students and I practiced chortling throughout the book

Thank you #netgalley and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to review this great book. It will be an addition to my curriculum

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I love it! So fun and playful with cute whimsical art. The poems are perfect representations of the words they are illustrating.

A joyous learning experience.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a great book. As a child, I did have a big vocabulary for someone my age. This book would be great for a child with a big vocabulary or for a child that doesn't have a big vocabulary but their parents want them to learn more words. Words can be very fascinating!


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I went a little wild with the hashtag thingy on the previous page but I seriously love this one. It is not your run-of-the-mill word bank kind of books. Every new word is introduced with a poem. It is literally a masterpiece.

I have added it onto my shopping list on Amazon and will be ordering at least 10 copies when it is out, 9 of them of course will be presents for my students.

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A book of poems that teaches kids (and adults) new words! I loved the format of this book, and found it super approachable and fun. I think my high school students could benefit from this too because they definitely do not know a lot of these words!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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What's your "idiosyncrasy"? It may be "nondescript" or "scintillating" or maybe you're "oblivious" to it. Whatever it is, you'll probably find a word for it in this fun, fun book. I had a great deal of fun reading the rhythmic wordplay within, chuckling at the colorful, humorous illustrations. At times the words and letters seemed to have a life of their own, too, meandering (you'll find that word defined within) about the page, creating shapes that help convey the meanings. Make sure you check out that "Z" for "zest" and the "Y" in "unruly".

I highly recommend this one for my teacher friends and, for that fact, anyone with children (or even adult friends) fascinated by wordplay. Not only do you get humorous definitions that are far more fun than anything you'll find in a dictionary, but there are added bits here and there about authors and, well, words. Even better, some of the nuances are tackled. So, don't be "doleful" like Eeyore. Order a copy now. If not, it'll be a "colossal" (yes, that word is in there, too) shame and deprive you of fun moments. Thanks #QuartoPublishingGroup and #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks for sharing this sneak peek via #NetGalley. As an avid reader, not to mention writer and former English teacher, I loved it.

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What a fantastic book! I loved the word choices, how varied they were and how there were so many. Instead of treating the entries in a dictionary format, there are so many other ways you learn the words, such as through poetry. I'd recommend this for homes, classrooms, and library storytimes. Participation not only generates energy but helps readers to remember these fancy words. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

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‘Your word is your wand’. Packed full of wonderful words, Colossal Words for Kids introduces children to the power of vocabulary and the delight of the English language.

So much more fun than a dictionary, the quick rhymes provide helpful and witty context to the words, which are further reinforced by facts and fun quotes from other literature. The combination of punchy rhymes and bright and lively animations make these fun words just jump off the page.

An excellent book for upper primary school kids to enjoy with their parents. There’s so much to explore in the rhymes, pictures and snippets that I think it will be enjoyed over again. An accompanying audiobook could also be a great addition- the authors are right in that this book is most fun when read aloud. My favourite words were exhilarated, testy, and chortle.

Thank you Francis Lincoln Children’s Books, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

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Colossal Words for Kids by Colette Hiller, illustrated by Tor Freeman: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: ARC from Francis Lincoln Children's Books

Since starting Kindergarten this year, my son's interest in reading and language has taken off. This book was perfect for him. Colossal Words for Kids features 75 words that aren't used frequently in everyday language, with silly poems and accompanying illustrations for each word to better explain the meaning and appropriate use of each word. As an adult reading this to a child, I found the book delightful and amusing for us both! This book is best suited for children ages four and up, though many children would likely read this with an adult to assist with pronunciation of the colossal words. Thank you to Francis Lincoln Children's Books for the ARC!

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Any book that provides a fun way to teach vocabulary is going to rank high in my world. This book uses poems that are fun, along with wonderful illustrations to provide meaning to words.

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A fantastic book that I can't wait to purchase so I can have a physical copy to share with children and staff at school.
A set of poems describing 'colossal' words to help develop vocabulary in a fun and well presented way.

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This is super and should be a must-have for anyone who loves and is curious about words. Being told through the form of short rhymes, this is an easy read which could be read in one or dipped in and out of. I can already think of some children (and adults) who will devour this and then try out their new vocabulary. I love the fantastic illustrations which perfectly compliment the chosen words.
I can't wait to buy my own copy of this.

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We don’t want to be ‘Ambiguous’ so this review is written with ‘Brevity’ and we will try not to ‘Deviate’ from our point. If you ever feel ‘Discombobulated’ when searching for the meaning of a tricky word then this book is for you. It’s not ‘Ostentatious’ to be ‘Replete’ with ‘Scintillating’ vocabulary and we can guarantee that you will love to expand yours using this fabulous text.

Each of these wonderful words are accompanied by a catchy, clever rhyme to clarify their meaning, put them into context and ensure that they stick in the minds of our little book worms, who can put them to great use in their creative writing. The humorous poems are perfectly paired with fantastic cartoon style illustrations designed to further engage our memories and entertain us.

Perfect for children age 7+

Thank you to NetGalley and FLC/Quarto for sending this eBook for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

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I want Colossal Words for Kids for every English Language Arts (ELA) lesson I've taught in the past and every Orton-Gillingham tutorial I'll facilitate in the future.

This book is phenomenal. The inclusion of several ELA-specific words—including adjective, onomatopoeia, and synonymous—make this an instant classroom-ready resource, but the best thing about this book is that it's just plain fun! The poems used to define each term are short (see: brevity) and well-metered, perfect for reading aloud, which the author rightly recommends in the introductory pages.

What's more, each poem/definition is enhanced with an illustration—a perfect aid for dyslexic learners and struggling readers—and many include a fun quote from literature or history.

This book belongs in libraries, classrooms, homeschools, and tutoring kits everywhere. And while the target ages are 7-to-12-year-olds, it would also make a prefect resource and vocabulary journal template for older learners.

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What an absolutely fantastic and clever book! This would make a great gift for any child and I’ll be looking to buy it for my daughter when she is a little older. The illustrations and colours are great, I love that it is a resource to help expand vocabulary and make children interested in it. The rhythm is catchy and it’s great how rhyme is used to define the words in a memorable way, even giving clear examples (for example using alliterative words to define alliteration.

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Amazing book for kids to dip in and out of, contains some fabulous words, some a bit more mundane but presented in a fun way with each word being a useful poem in its own right. Brilliant resource for expanding kids vocabulary in a fun way.

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We LOVE this book. Me and my 5 year old learned so much and really annoyed all of the funny poems! Each day we try to remember another word and go and find something related to it. I would recommend it to anyone young and old, who want to expand their vocabulary and have a giggle at the same time.

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This is a very nice book for teaching big words to kids. As an EFL educator I will use this with teenagers, but still think that the illustrations and the way the words are presented will appeal to them. I love how they use rhymes to make the explanations more memorable. Furthermore, the beatifully drawn images help the more visually inclined learners. Some words have little boxes that give either more explanations or additional information, which is also nice. A great book that I will definitely use in class.

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A great read! Either you are a parent or an English teacher/educator, with English as a first or second language, this book is a good source of practice. It helps children - primary to middle-grad level - to improve their vocabulary while learning the words in their direct context. I loved the happy match between illustrations and text, which may encourage children to study by themselves as well.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the ARC of this!

This was a very fun collection of new vocabulary for my kids (8 and 11). It used poems to help build understanding of definition and usage of each word, with interesting illustrations to go along.

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Not sure why this says I didn't download this book- I did and was able to read it with my son! We had a blast especially when he tried to pronounce everything first before I read the words. I love kid's poetry books, and this is a great addition to the genre!

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COLOSSAL WORDS FOR KIDS is a fantastic book that both children and adults can enjoy. My 5th grader loves learning new words and has been working on learning about adjectives, onomatopoeia, etc. this school year and this was such a great guide for him. The illustrations along with the catchy poems are absolutely wonderful. While expanding his vocabulary, my son was drawn to the colors in the illustration and it the combination of poetry and the colors made him eager to read - and learn - more. This is a book that is a must have for ELA teachers and librarians to have on hand. I also highly recommend it to all my homeschool mom friends :)

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As educators or parents we have to consistently try and find new words to use when explaining or writing. This book takes the reader through an alphabetical collection of words that the readers have probably not come across yet. There are 75 new words to learn, each with a rhyming poem explanation. The poems themselves are hilarious, and the illustrations are equally as brilliant.
Huge amount of teaching points in this book such as creative writing. Great for classrooms and libraries, perfect for a read aloud story.
Perfect for children age 7+

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COLOSSAL WORDS FOR KIDS (written by Collete Hiller, illustrated by Tor Freeman, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) is a riveting collection of scintillating words that will surely turn the most nondescript conversation or written composition into an indisputably effervescent one! 😅 (Yes, those adjectives are all in this book. I tried my best!) 7 to 12 year-olds (and even older!) will have so much fun learning about the 75 words in this book as each word is explained in short, rhyming and hilarious poems, accompanied by equally hilarious illustrations. There were definitely a few I have never heard before myself (do you know what “histure”, “querulous”, “fettle” or “soporific” mean??)! Teaching opportunities with this book are plentiful, and will fit wonderfully into structured literacy lessons: phonological awareness (rhyming and multi-syllabic words), phonemic awareness, fluency, and of course, vocabulary.

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