The Lost Words

By Robert Macfarlane, illustrations by Jackie Morris
House of Anansi Press, October, 2018

When a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary was published in 2007, a sharp-eyed reader noticed that a number of nature-related words were missing. Apparently the editors decided that words like dandelion, bramble, acorn, otter, and lark were not as relevant to young people as words like attachment, blog, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. Many saw this replacement of words that represent the natural world with words that represent virtual reality as a sign of the increasing detachment between children and the world of nature, as young people spend more and more time indoors on screens and less time exploring the outdoor world.

Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris were inspired by this incident to create a book that would help readers rediscover these "lost" words and celebrate the wonders of nature. The writer created a “spell poem” (readers may know this format as acrostic poetry) for each word, and the illustrator designed gorgeous watercolor paintings to accompany the poems. The plants and animals named in the poems are native to Great Britain, but readers on this side of the Atlantic will find them familiar. This book is not aimed at a specific age group; rather, it is for the reader of any age who enjoys spending time outdoors observing nature. It’s a thought-provoking book to be savored, treasured, and shared.

Reviewed by Sally Meitz, a retired educator who worked over 20 years in Michigan public schools. She currently works as a part time library assistant. She looks forward to sharing her love of the outdoors with her new granddaughter.