Jess Zafarris

This was a fun read, and while it's full of interesting facts, doesn't read like a textbook. The chapters are separated into themes, and while some of the origins are theories and not factual, Zafarris is careful to denote the differences. I found the history of the words listed fascinating, especially because a lot of the words are everyday ones. The fact that the book focuses on "dirty" words just made it more fun and interesting in my opinion. It's easy for even non-linguists to enjoy, as long as you have some curiosity about language.… (altro)

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

We. Love. This. Book! Once Upon a Word has made my son curious about words and their origins, and I love how kid-friendly the content is. He's a little bummed when certain words aren't listed, but it's a minor quibble. For example, he wanted to know where the word violin came from, but it goes from villain to virtuous. We just read about vampire and venom instead! Edit 03/04/20: A kind person pointed out that violin is located on page 250! It's in a separate section for music.

Once Upon a Word started a game we've dubbed Name That Word. One of us will read a definition, and everyone else will guess what the word is. It makes the monsters think and come up with words they might not normally use, or they learn something new (always a good thing). Jacob and I will make silly guesses, or say something to get them going in the right direction, if they're having trouble. We have a lot of fun with it! The definitions usually contain the word, or some variation of it and its origins, so we say "blank" to make it a little more challenging (at least during the first round).

The illustrations in this book are also fantastic! There aren't a lot of them, but I really like what's there! The book is pleasing to look at and enjoyable to flip through. It snags your attention and makes you want to stop on certain pages (there's one for each letter). I'm really happy I had an opportunity to read and review Once Upon A Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids--Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories, and recommend it for families that have children interested in words and language (or just people that like knowing where things come from).

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Once Upon A Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary For Kids - by Jess Zafarris is interesting for adults too. It is a very interesting dictionary, not just stating origins and meanings in a dry, matter of fact way, but making it more like someone is right there speaking to you.

It's interesting how much one realizes one doesn't know about certain words, for instance, the word "shiver", "The word 'shiver' originally referred to a small piece or splinter of something, or the act of breaking something into many small pieces. When pirates say 'shiver me timbers,' they're talking about the splintering of their wooden ships during battles on rough seas…." I just thought it was some weird expression pirates used, probably referring to a shiver being sent down their body because of surprise, this was an interesting correction to my long held idea.

The word origin of "Alarm" I found quite amusing, it apparently comes from an Italian military cry, meaning "to arms!!" It struck me funny that therefore, when we're waking up to an 'alarm' we've set, it's sort of like startling us awake with "TO ARMS! Get your weapons, get ready for battle!" Which, from a Christian perspective that definition is actually pretty fitting considering the spiritual warfare we wake up to every day.

Some of the origins could have used a little more explanation, for instance, the section on IDENTITY just says, "Your identity is, very basically, what and who you are. It can also describe the way you understand yourself and the way the word sees you. The word comes from the Latin idem, meaning 'the same.'" Why does it come from that Latin word? I'd like to see a little more connection there. But that's more of a fluke. A lot of the definitions give you good explanations - for instance, the word ILLUSION: "…The word 'illusion' originally meant 'mockery' or scorning,' from the Latin illudere, meaning 'to mock' or 'to play with.' This is because an illusionist plays with what you think you see." I see the connection there.

Some give you some insight to the different thinking of people before our time, like the word "Muscle": "'Muscle' comes from the Latin word for muscle, musculus, which is also translated as 'little mouse.' it comes from the Latin base word mus, meaning 'mouse.' Muscles are named after mice because it was thought that flexing your muscles made it look like mice were crawling under your skin!" I don't think I would have ever thought of it that way! It's interesting and amusing to think of the way we think now vs the seemingly strange lines of thinking they had back in time…though I suppose many of our lines are thinking are strange, we just don't think that because we're used to them.

The book also includes several charts giving you many Greek and Latin root words, and many prefixes and suffixes to help you learn how to start figuring out words just from knowing the meaning of different parts.

Overall, this is a very interesting, amusing and informative book…for kids and adults!

I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. My review did not have to be favorable.… (altro)