by Sam Juliano
Note: The following is a transcript of a chat this writer conducted last week at the upper eastside apartment of Agnes Wordsworth, the 88 year-old great-granddaughter of literary icon and famed inventor Peter Mark Roget, the father of the thesaurus- and herself a retired librarian in the New York City public school system. Ms. Wordsworth worked for years in the children’s section, and sprite and aware as ever, graciously agreed to a 90 minute discussion. The most notable highlights are printed here.
SJ: (shaking hands warmly) Hello Ms. Wordsworth! I am so honored to meet you my friend. Thanks so much for putting aside some of your valued time!
AW: The honor is mine, Sir. Since Jennifer Bryant and Melissa Sweet’s The Right Word was released earlier this year, I’ve gotten more than a few calls about my famous great-grandfather, whom I will refer to from here on as Peter. As you may know my grandmother Kate -one of the loveliest of people- was Peter Roget’s daughter. My own mother, Constance does remember him, as he lived to the ripe old age of 90. I guess we have longevity in the genes. (laughs heartily). Anyway, can I offer you some tea and lemon cake? The local bakery up here is mighty fine.
SJ: Thanks very much my friend. Maybe tea later, but I have to watch my sugar. I have that problem, also genetic.
AW: I understand. In any case, I think it is so wonderful you want to talk about Peter and that magnificent picture book The Right Word. I understand those Caldecott people are really looking at it closely. Can’t say I blame them either. My friend Margie, who I worked with for over 30 years at the 42nd Street branch read the other day that some writer thought that the book might be honored by the same ALA’s Sibert committee for non-fiction. While it is always nice to win that award -didn’t The Right Word’s marvelous illustrator Melissa Sweet win it for that book about the Macy’s parade? – I do think the book should also win the Caldecott or one of their honor book citations. Of course, you do understand I have, shall we say a vested interest in this process?! (laughs).
SJ: Aye, Ms. Wordsworth. Balloons Over Broadway did win the Sibert several years back. What an exquisite book! But any book illustrated by Melissa Sweet is a treasure of sorts. I adore her Caldecott Honor winning A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams and last year’s equally sublime A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin. Her Brave Girl, in collaboration with Michelle Markel is another example of watercolor and gouache splendor. Ms. Wordsworth, I am assuming you are are familiar with the other Melissa Sweet collaboration with Jennifer Bryant, released this very year?
AW: Oh yes, you mean that lyrical collection of poetry, (pausing to reflect) Firefly July, that’s it. Boy, that lady is so prolific, and her art is rapturous. Count me in as a big fan of it. Margie e mailed me a few weeks back to tell me that she read at the Horn Book that both books from this year are in the running.
SJ: I know the Horn Book well, and often visit to add my two cents. Great community site to share ideas on children’s books and the awards. Yes, the perception is that Ms. Sweet has quite a bit of support for both books. I’m not sure if that will “split votes”, and prevent either book from being honored, but I’m inclined to think that The Right Word is the one of these that has been getting most of the buzz in the past weeks. Everyone seems to be uniting behind it at this point. The book reviews have all been glowing, and so many have named it as among their favorite books of the year.
AW: Well, I must say I am glad to hear it. My dear mum would be so thrilled to know that a book about her beloved grand pop won a shiny medal, that brought his work even wider circulation and esteem. Now wouldn’t that be the dog’s bollocks?!
SJ: That term you used -dog’s bollocks- that’s English, right?
AW: That’s right, as you know I’m English through and through myself -got a little Irish blood too- I lived and worked in London for 12 years, before setting up camp here in New York City. The dog’s bollocks means truly outstanding, the real deal! Anyway, I am hopeful the committee will honor it straight away!
SJ: Ms. Wordsworth, I know you have worked for many years in the NYPL system. I have an extra copy of The Right Word with me. Could you tell me what you found in this book by way of specific observations that would make it an ideal Caldecott winner? Anything at all about the prose, or of course the art that makes it stand apart from the field, and makes it so award worthy?
AW: Well, ya know, I recently read on Facebook from the author Sharon Lovejoy that Ms. Sweet engraved every last one of those one thousand words on the back end papers. That two panel showcase alone should have her squarely in the race. Look at this here. (Pointing to several spots) This is incredible. The ‘plan of classification,’ the insects, hardware and gadgetry and measuring devices all interspersed throughout. What a grand and exquisite design in miniature! Her mixed media collages on the front end papers are just breathtaking! I just can’t get excited enough about her work. Even her intricate block and letter pattern on the copyright page has me in a happy tither! Imagine how useful this is for kids trying to associate letters and words with various images?! Just a novel approach I say! And could there possibly be a more vital subject for schoolchildren than the ultimate tool to enhance their literacy?
SJ: Your excitement is infectious Ms. Wordsworth. I’m thrilled to behold it.
AW: Then there is the book’s cover. I guess you’ve seen the major way it is different from most picture books, no?
SJ: I have indeed Ms. Wordsworth, and to be honest, I was initially taken aback. I tend to love all my pictures books to the hilt when they sport a dust jacket replication. Divine too for collecting purposes. I try and cover the dust jackets too with the plastic covers. Anyway, this book was obviously planned to exclude that from the start, so as to duplicate the design of the old parchment covers, much like the one seen on page 20. I have now grown to really loving that decision, and can’t see it any other way. Love that melting pot of objects and designs, and the use of the unifying vibrant red flower, and the muted shade for the cover of the thesaurus.
AW: You know Peter had a very tragic life. His father died of tuberculosis when he was young and he lost his wife to cancer after their two children were born.
SJ: Indeed Ms. Wordsworth. It is of course documented in Jennifer Bryant’s intimate and captivating narrative. There are aspects to Roget’s life that I honestly didn’t know until I read through this book. Like so many great children’s picture books it equally appeals to the older set.
AW: What would you cite specifically?
SJ: Well, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know he developed the slide rule device that preceded the calculator in negotiating division and multiplication. And shame on me as a lifelong movie fanatic and enthusiastic chess player that I neither knew he published a scientific paper on optical illusion that served as a founding principal for cinematography, nor that he invented the first pocket chess set. Geez, he was another Benjamin Franklin or maybe even Leonardo da Vinci. A jack of all-trades and a master of all!
AW: Well I thank you for that. Our family has always been mighty proud of what he accomplished. My uncle Samuel, who became editor upon his father’s death told me that people don’t know even half of the things he invented. I must say I thought Ms. Bryant did a fabulous job on the final timeline, which not only framed my great-grandfather’s accomplishments alongside of world events, but documented one of the fullest and most eventful lives known to mankind. I think Ms. Bryant’s engaging encapsulation of his life seen through the prism of a time portal brings a great deal of emotional heft to the proceedings. Ya know love, the author gave us the full monty within the restrictions of the picture book format.
SJ: Oh Ms. Wordsworth, no doubt. I fully concur. And I am certainly of the conviction that The Right Word’s achievement is one to be shared equally by author and illustrator. Still, the Caldecott bid is for Melissa Sweet’s art, and what a heavenly bid it is. Can I ask, did you have any specific tapestries you were particularly ravished by?
AW: Oh, I loved every one, that’s just it. When I first looked at the book, I was smitten straight away. I loved seeing Peter as a young child at his desk, and then here (pointing to a page) this creative etching of Latin words to their English counterparts. I really appreciate the way she integrates the different animals. There is something about her style in drawing letters that really impresses me greatly. For kids I notice a festive quality, one we might equate with the idea that learning can be so much fun!
SJ: I know what you mean. It is that dazzling diagonal slant that is unlike anything from anyone else. It is quintessential Melissa Sweet, and it is not only dynamic and a terrific counterpoint to her integrated mixed media collages, but it is as aesthetically beautiful as anything you’ll see in picture books. I also have long noticed it is an additional way for her to inject color into her paintings, and her sense of balance and proportion, not to mention her many ornate flourishes, really serves up some sublime art for people of all ages. Her striking fonts, in all sizes are alone worth celebrating.
AW: Right love. You know of course I teared up when I saw that lovely remembrance of my grandmother, seen with my great uncle under the sketch drawings of the Rogets. Such beautiful and heartrending words about their family, commitment, marriage and honor. I found an underlying humanism through this book, one that sends children the right message, and keeps them aboard for the familial changes in one’s life. Children are the heart and soul of Peter’s work, and the thesaurus in an invaluable tool during their academic coming of age. Look here (pointing to opposite page) at that blackbird or raven above the fireplace and that vase of flowers. I could go on and on. Did you have some favorites? I’m sure you did.
SJ: You bet Ms. Wordsworth. As I lover of illustrations with period flavor I just can’t get enough of that bookstore spread near the end of the The Right Word. The various steeples, chimneys, old-fashioned shutters and window panels of Victorian England and those delightful voice bubbles coming from pleased customers who are just bursting at the seams, sharing their newly discovered modes of locution are marvelous. I can’t say enough about the way Sweet etches words and their meanings on the thatched roofs. A veritable bazaar of word lovers at the very time Dickens was plying his craft!
AW: Oh I relish that one so much too!
SJ: And the very last two-panel spread is a labyrinth of mixed media, whose theme is to celebrate the very special and diverse achievements of this key figure of western civilization. Truly remarkable how many creative images are conjured up to provide visual definition for the words and phrases that evoke Roget’s singular accomplishment. This unique convergence of set pieces, each a mini masterpiece of visual design and expression bring together science, technology, astronomy, spirituality, mathematics and art in complete Roget immersion, a spirited homage to the man who constructed the building blocks to access and expansion for the English language. I want to mention that I have always fallen for Sweet’s incorporation of flower patterns in her drawings. We saw that of course in Firefly July in a very big way, but even in this book they glow. I just adore that red flower with the gold pollen bristols in the “Systema Naturae” cover, and as well as Roget’s observational tour through a London park. The orange breasted hummingbird and the characteristic borders that bring in all the scene-specific words are just extraordinary. The universe collage, three dimensional, is wholly dazzling.
AW: Well, you haven’t saved any crumbs for me! (laughs allowed). Wasn’t that Napoleon march through the city in orderly rows a magnificent one, and as Ms. Bryant said, the line resembles my great-grandfather’s lists. (smiles). I would have to add this (pointing to the page featuring ‘The Four Elements’). Peter in red garb scribbling in the garden with those society ladies looked on in dresses and umbrellas.
SJ: Right out of Merchant and Ivory, but even more beautiful.
AW: And how about (Peter) holding the globe in front of all those colleagues and scholars? (points to pages) I love the globe and space imagery that encircle the central illustration.
SJ: But Ms. Wordsworth, that is probably the most amazing aspect of this book, though as we have discussed, there is always something going on. What a challenge and intellectually enriching exercise for kids to put all the puzzle pieces together. It is like taking geography, history, astronomy, English, and theology all at once. There is also a very contemplative aspect to the narrative.
AW: Well love, I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed this discussion. My fingers are crossed for the book’s creators, and I’ll be celebrating if I hear some good news in early February. This book is a work of art, and I know Peter is looking down approvingly. Ms. Bryant and Ms. Sweet have not only captured the essence of his work on earth but its spirit. I hope schoolchildren across America will discover this book, and that their teachers will sponsor it. I’m sure they will and have already. Thanks for reaching out to me.
SJ: This was my pleasure Ms. Wordsworth. I will always remember our meeting.
AW: Goodbye, love. (hands over a wrapped package) Thought I’d make you smile – Here is a small token and early gift for the holidays: a first edition of a 1960’s printing of the thesaurus. As you can see it is in mint condition.
S:: Oh my, thanks so much!!! You are so generous, and I will treasure it!! Good day my friend, and thank you so much!
Note: This is the nineteenth entry in the 2014 Caldecott Medal Contender series. The series does not purport to predict what the committee will choose, rather it attempts to gauge what the writer feels should be in the running. In most instances the books that are featured in the series have been touted as contenders in various online round-ups, but for the ones that are not, the inclusions are a humble plea to the committee for consideration. It is anticipated the series will include at least 30 titles; the order which they are being presented in is arbitrary, as every book in this series is a contender. Some of my top favorites of the lot will be done near the end. The awards will be announced on February 2nd, hence the reviews will continue to the end of January.
Agnes Wordsworth
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