I'm pretty sure I saw this book when it came out, and it made an impression then. Looking at it again, I really do like it. Max's attention to his brothers' collections (stamps and coins) is just like a younger brother. His choice for his own collection is awesome; it reminds me of the magnetic poetry words. Even better, he and his brothers don't stop at building sentences, but work on creating a story - together, because they are too involved in the process to worry about doing it themselves. The story probably develops better, because they are doing it together. Watching the word collection grow is fun, since it is very much how a child's vocabulary grows as well.

The illustrations are completely complementary and enhancing to the story. The graphic depictions of both words and sentences. The collections spread out for all to admire. The piles of words when Max is getting ready to use them. Max with words almost up to his hips. The brothers hugging their words to them after learning the value of them.

It's a great story and makes me want to start my own tactile word collection. A more recent book with such a collection is The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sis.

related-language and words, collections and collecting, storytelling
RL=K-2nd, read aloud to toddlers-preK