Noah Webster: Weaver of Words

Awards for Noah Webster: Weaver of Words,

Now available in audio!

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, 2010

Connecticut Book Award, 2010

Junior Library Guild Selection, Fall 2009

CCBC Choice

Skipping Stones Honor Book

SSLI Honor Book

NOAH WEBSTER: WEAVER OF WORDS REVIEWS

Booklist: This highly illustrated, large-format book presents the life of Noah Webster (1758–1843) from his early years, when he neglected work on the family farm in favor of reading, to his later accomplishments, including an Americanized spelling book. Though his influence on political thought and education was notable in his day, he is best remembered for his dictionary of the American language. Shea’s succinct text, longer than that of a picture book and with a reading level suitable for junior-high students, offers a well-organized and clearly written account of Webster’s life, studded with memorable facts and supported by informative sidebars. Rich in color and detail, the oil paintings represent the period well…. Back matter includes an afterword, a chronology, and lists of primary and secondary sources.  — Carolyn Phelan

Kirkus:  "An intriguing introduction."

Library Media Connection: "This biography shares many interesting facts about Webster and his many achievements. Included is a chronology of his major accomplishments from birth to death. There is an extensive bibliography to compensate for the many direct quotes the author uses within the text. Also included are additional reading and websites to visit and a list of the dictionaries Webster published."

More than champion of English language

By Richard Tambling
Journal Inquirer

Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 1:15 AM EST

If someone says the name “Noah Webster,” you probably think of one thing.

That’s a mistake, says Pegi Deitz Shea, who’s just added a biography of Webster to the impressive list of titles the author, who lives in the Rockville section of Vernon, has racked up.

“Noah Webster: Weaver of Words” (illustrated by Monica Vachula, Boyds Mills Press/Calkins Creek, 40 pages, ages: 8 and older) certainly pays tribute to Webster’s lexicography — after all, his American dictionary now published as the Merriam-Webster dictionary is what he’s best known for.

But it also details Webster’s contributions to post-Revolutionary War society in the United States as an educator, linguist, social activist, lawyer, patriot, and even scientist.  “The man had the energy of a thousand bees and knowledge was his nectar,” Shea writes in her new picture book.