Wildspeak

by Sangma Francis, Lexi Vangsnes (Illustrator)

In the wide, wide world with its wide, wide skies,

There are wild, wild words waiting to be spoken.




Where the stream twists and sparkles? That's SUNGLITTER.

Where the sunset touches the sky? That's CLOUDBLOOM.




Come take a walk full of the joy of real nature words—mayflies, sea snails, blackbirds, brambles—and full of the joy of new words just waiting to be discovered.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Childrens, Storytime, Adventure, Fiction, Language

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 14, 2026

Reviews

[Melissa]

Such a beautiful book!

[Kate Willis]

Such a gorgeous book! Would be perfect to read right before a nature walk. 💚

[Peacegal]

A delightful picture book that celebrates observing and making discoveries in the natural world. I love books that encourage kindness in watching and learning about wild creatures and wild places.

[Chelsea Wallace]

Wildspeak, written by Sangma Francis and illustrated by Lexi Vangsnes, is a beautifully imaginative picture book that invites children to see the natural world through both scientific observation and creative wonder. One of the most delightful elements of the book is the way notable terms are highlighted in bold, paired with newly invented descriptive words presented in a handwritten style. These imaginative terms encourage readers to think more deeply about how nature looks, feels, and moves, offering language that feels playful while still grounded in real environmental observation.

I especially loved how the book encourages children to notice the small details of the world around them and to recognize that language itself can be a creative tool for understanding what we see. Words like “Petalglow,” “Bramblespat,” and “Poolfizz” feel both intuitive and magical, helping young readers see that curiosity and imagination can work together rather than separately. The book gently suggests that there are always new words waiting to be discovered, reinforcing the idea that observation and creativity are deeply connected.

This is a wonderful choice for families who enjoy nature-based stories, poetic language, and books that encourage both scientific thinking and imaginative exploration. It feels especially well suited for young readers who love the outdoors or for parents looking for books that inspire curiosity about the natural world in a way that feels both thoughtful and playful.

Thank you to the publisher Sourcebooks Kids for entrusting me with an ARC of this title. It is truly appreciated and always such a treat to be able to read new books and share my opinions with fellow literature lovers. Wildspeak is set to be published on April 14, 2026.

[Kira's NetGalley Book Blog]

Wildspeak is a wildly creative and joyful book that follows two little girls as they navigate the world, inventing their own unique language for everything they encounter. It’s a beautiful celebration of linguistic play and child-like wonder.

The Standouts
• Masterful Illustrations: The artwork is a stunning highlight, featuring a rich mixture of mediums and textures. From realistic imagery to fluid watercolors, the flow between styles is seamless. The attention to detail, using everything from deliberate brush strokes to energetic paint splatters, makes every page a visual feast.
• Imaginative Storytelling: The journey takes readers through diverse landscapes, from the tide pools to the peaks of mountains and the heart of the forest. It perfectly captures the "wonderment" of a child seeing the world for the first time.
• Creative Language: The book strikes a perfect balance between introducing real vocabulary and encouraging the creation of "wild words." It’s an inspiring way to show children how they can claim the world through their own imagination.

Final Verdict
This book is a joy to read and a triumph of creativity. The marriage of creative art and an explorative story makes it a standout choice for imaginative children. I would definitely recommend this book!

[YSBR]

Wildspeak follows an adult and two children on a wild romp through an unidentified landscape. As the children investigate new areas of the land (hills, water, grassland, etc.) they talk about what they see using “wild words” that they call “wildspeak”. Naming dragonflies and mayflies for the bugs they see and eddies to talk about the shore between land and water allows the children to notice that there are special words to describe the wild life and nature that they see. Naming the wild life allows them to notice that in some instances there are not words to describe everything that they are discovering so they have to make up their own. “Stonelight” and “Bottomgiltter” are their new words for the rocks underneath the water that shine in the sun. In the forest they feel the “Green Magic” and “Forestwhisper” and they are delighted to notice the “Ice Cream Sky”. Each new place allows the children, and their silent adult, to observe and collect new language for what they see. Ending pages show the children back at home recording their new words in a journal with animals outside answering back in their own “wildspeak”. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Mrs Heidrich]

4.75 rounded up to 5

Thanks for Edelweiss for the digital review copy.

Wildspeak is a joyful celebration of getting children outdoors, exploring the natural world, and playing with language. Francis blends wonder, observation, and creativity in a way that encourages young readers not only to notice what’s around them, but also to experiment with words as they make sense of what they see.

I especially love how the book highlights selected nature words in bold and includes a helpful glossary at the end—an excellent tool for building vocabulary. Equally valuable, though, are the imaginative, playful words woven throughout the book. These invented terms invite children to stretch their thinking, describe their experiences in original ways, and enjoy a sense of linguistic freedom.

My only small critique relates to the font size, which felt a bit small in the digital review copy I received; however, this may differ in the final printed edition.

Overall, Wildspeak is a wonderful adventure—both in environment and in language. It’s a book that will inspire curiosity, creativity, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

[Erin Joyce]

The language and nature exploration possibilities with this story are expansive and are likely to inspire children.
Two children are on a walk with their mom and dog, and during their walk they look for "wild, wild words waiting to be spoken. It's called wildspeak."
The scenes are set with a variety of unusual characters - a spread of a stream features dragonflies, mayflies, and waterweeds; a hillside spread features screen, ridge, and saddle. (These words are defined in a glossary at the back.) The wildspeak the girls discover and later record are likewise rich and varied, yet very similar to what you might hear children in your own life naming things if asked. (Examples: goblingems, fairygold, rooty spies, websparkle)
The illustrations feature persons of color and are evocative, but it's the language that really pulls this book ahead of the pack.

ARC received by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Ryan]

This book is exceptionally well done. The illustrator deserves a ton of credit. They bolded all the words that can be found in the glossary. Those are real words that kids may or may not have heard before. For the wildspeak or the made-up fun words They use an even Boulder semi crazy font. I will say the everyday reading font is a little hard to see on some of the illustrations. This book is a family out exploring nature. What are things really called? What do you call them? What does it make you feel, etc? Things like the rocky bottom of a river being a rock glitter. One of my favorites are goblin sneezes, which just happens to be dandelion seeds floating in the sky. This book was imaginative. It was fun and it was endearing. This could be fun either at a storytime or even as a classroom activity. With kids telling us what their wildspeak for some of their favorite things in nature. I think this book could go far if you get it in the right hands.

[a_page_of_our_days]

We absolutely loved Wildspeak. The illustrations were stunning and truly carried the story in the most beautiful way. While the book was a bit on the longer side for my child, the artwork consistently drew their attention back in and kept them engaged the entire time.

Reading this during winter felt especially meaningful. As we’re surrounded by cold, gray days, it was such a gift to explore the natural world through these pages noticing the small details of nature and learning the names for the things we can look forward to spotting this spring.

This book feels like seeing the world through a child’s lens, full of wonder, curiosity, and quiet magic. It gently reminds you to slow down and pay attention to the beauty all around you.

A lovely read for families who enjoy nature, mindfulness, and meaningful illustrations.


I received an advance copy through NetGalley and am sharing my honest thoughts.

[Jessica Yeager]

WildSpeak immediately feels whimsical and inviting, the kind of book that makes you want to head outside and notice the world a little more closely! It beautifully captures the essence of childhood spent outdoors, blending imaginative language with gentle moments of wonder in nature. The vocabulary is especially engaging. Kids will love the playful, silly words, and the story weaves in just enough factual information to satisfy young readers who love nonfiction details without ever feeling heavy-handed. The illustrations are stunning and perfectly complement the tone of the text, making this a truly immersive read-aloud. I also loved the glossary in the back, which adds an extra layer of learning and makes this a book families and educators will return to again and again. A perfect story as we head into spring.

[Roben]

Really, the title explains it all -- Wildspeak is a book about a family exploring nature. As they explore, they use their imagination to create words that express what they are seeing. Sun on the water of a creek, for example. They walk through a meadow, visit the ocean, climb up a mountain side, venture into a forest, and even walk by a dump (which they call a wasteland). Their creative language has a magical effect on all that they do.

It's a fun book and certainly one that could be used as a primer of sorts for your own explorations. You could just go into your own back yard and see what creative terms you could create for flitting butterflies, chirping birds, and rainbow sprinklers. Or wait until the next thunderstorm to describe rain and thunder and lightning. Maybe their will be a second book that explores the desert and the snow.

[Kylie Main]

We had the pleasure of reading this delightful children's book as a family, and it captivated us until the end. The illustrations complement the narrative wonderfully, and the art style itself is stunning, with a whimsy that really brings this story to life. This has the perfect blend of entertainment and education, we are always searching for stories that foster learning and creativity. The story is rich with nature and animals - two of our 5 year old's favourite topics, and things he is always eager to learn about. We tend to pick books that engage us in discussions as we read along and this one did just that.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this, our whole family enjoyed reading this thoroughly. Definitely looking forward to its release.

[Panda Incognito]

This beautifully illustrated picture book shows a family enjoying the outdoors together. The children play and admire nature, and the story introduces little-known words that describe what they see. For example, "sun glitter" describes the sparkling light created when sunlight hits moving water.

The children also create their own descriptive words as they encounter the beautiful things around them. The real words are printed in bold and appear in a glossary at the end of the book. This picture book is a great way to encourage nature exploration and language appreciation, and the beautiful illustrations serve the story perfectly.

I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Heather]

The pictures quickly drew my kid in, and as soon as we got to the kid’s word creation, they were hooked! We had to pause halfway through reading so they could draw all the ideas they had for ice cream clouds (weather is one of their special interests). This is such a great book for Earth Day, helps spark their creativity when outdoors.

This was also a really good brain exercise for my little literal thinker - talking about using words as imagery and art.

My kid's review:
⭐️100million+ stars
I liked seeing the pictures of the place they live- it looks so different to where I live. Every single page had something so beautiful to see. I wish I could explore with them and create fun words.

[Rachel]

I love this book! The artwork is beautiful, and the premise is lovely and simple: a family takes a walk together, making up words to describe the beauty they encounter along the way.

Kids will have so much fun with the wordplay, and the writing is clever and beautifully done. There’s also a wonderful nature glossary at the end that adds an informational element without turning the book into nonfiction.

There are plenty of classroom connections, from nature and science to ELA lessons on language, creative writing, and wordplay. Beautiful, inventive, and fun, I think this one will be a hit with the kids!

[Nichole]

I love how this book encourages both the learning of everyday scientific language, but also the creation of new, descriptive words for phenomenon. It encourages drawing and writing about scientific observations. It shows you how to be a scientist, no matter what you see! The "wasteland" still has scientific and natural lessons to teach us and observations to make.

The illustrations are lovely and blend the kid sketches with the typical illustrations. It shows the beauty of blending styles and values both the professional and the amateur, reinforcing the lessons of the book.

[Bekka]

Thanks to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Edelweiss for early access to this title.

What a beautiful, sweet book! It tells the tale of a family going on a walk in nature, and all the magical things they find. They invent wonderful words to describe what they see. This would be a really fun read-aloud book. Children will enjoy the crazy word inventions, and parents will enjoy the lovely illustrations and simple story. The back contains information pages with a short glossary of the meanings of some of the nature words used in the book. Highly Recommended!

[One Enchanted Life]

This one is quite hard for me to review. I loved the illustrations and the concept behind this book. The execution however book was somewhat confusing. I read this with multiple children of different ages, and I found myself explaining more than the book itself. There were times that the illustrations and the words did not harmonize.

I received this book as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you to the Author and Publisher to review this book.

[Katie Brummell]

Wild Speak is a five-star book. It is full of delicious descriptive language and is a true love letter to nature. It has words like “cloud bloom,” “sun glitter,” “stone light,” “air dancers,” and “fairy gold,” and even describes the sky as an “ice cream sky.”

This would be a wonderful book for nature lovers and/or teachers or parents who are trying to teach their children how to use descriptive language to enhance their writing and reading experience. It is such a beautiful example of how the right words can completely change the way we see and describe the world around us.

[Laura]

Wildspeak is a delightful reminder of the wild wonder we naturally carry as children. It celebrates the whimsical language kids invent to describe the world around them, and it immediately brought to mind the playful terms my own son has created. The book is fun and imaginative, inviting young readers into creativity while gently nudging adults to hold onto delight, curiosity, and a sense of enchantment.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

[Colleen]

I read the digital ARC on NetGalley. This book is perfect for nature lovers as well as those who love words. It would make a great outdoor storytime, or an outdoor display. The illustrations are lush. The cover depiction had me hoping the girls remembered to check for ticks, and the image of the "rock fizz" beckoned me to touch the water. Children and parents alike will find it engaging and interactive and hopefully it will encourage some nature exploration and creative naming.

[Alicia]

Adventure awaits for kids as they move around nature and make up words and identify others for the amazing awe-inspiring pieces of nature whether it's the sparkle of the sun off of water or scree (a collection of stones or rocks on a mountaintop). They adventure until they're exhausted and head in for the day filled with the beauty of all that being out in the wild has to offer.

For the adventurers out there.

[Nitoy Gonzales]

Remember as a kid that we create words for things that don't have a specific name? Well this totally awesome book explores that as two kids and their mother meets nature . From the sea to the forest, the kids gave words to describe the movements of animals and plants. The text is absolutely well written and the illustration is superb. What else can I say? This book deserves an award and to be reader by your little ones.

[Julie Ditton]

This lovely story celebrates nature, language and imagination all at the same time. As two little girls explore nature with their mother, they make up their own descriptive words for all the things that they see in the wild. the author has written a story full of plants and animals. The true words are all mentioned in the story and printed in bold font. The imaginative descriptive words that the girls make up are in very large font in the illustration near the item that the girls are renaming. The gentle watercolor illustrations reflect the wonder that the girls feel. the story itself is appropriate for preschoolers as well as older kids. The author has included a glossary of all the real nature terms for older readers to peruse. Kids can learn a lot about nature from this story, but most of all they can learn to appreciate imagination and playing with language. It might spur some language play of their own.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin]

Two sisters enjoy a walkabout with their dog and an adult chaperone, learning new vocabulary for flora and fauna and coining new words to describe the magic and wonder of the natural world. Colorful illustrations depict the beauty of different landscapes, from a meadow to a seashore, a mountaintop to a forest to their own backyard. The inside covers feature field notes and drawings from their nature walk and a glossary of plants, animals, and items the girls found along the way.

[Cara Byrne]

"The meadow is a fizzing place, full of tiny things tickling the air. Bees hum above the wildflowers and meadowlarks hunt for worms. Crested dog's-tail grows in blooms, and the tall purple love grass shakes and shimmers." This is an incredible picture book resource for poetic language that celebrates the beauty of the natural world - while also recognizing that we don't have language for all of the wild and wonderful things we might encounter.

[createitlibrarian (Amanda)]

***Read DRC through Edelweiss***

The kind of childhood every child should have, being able to explore and play in nature. A very thoughtful kind of adventure. I love how the children recorded in their nature journals. This book could very much be the start of a kindergarten-second grade activity where the kids keep nature journals.

Pub date: April 14th 2026

[Pam]

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
Francis takes us along as the characters explore natural environments. The two make up words to capture what they see and experience. I appreciate the beautiful illustrations that wrap around the story and bring the newly created names to life. This will be a fun read together or read aloud for families and classes.

[Chrissy]

With soft and yet intricate illustrations, Wildspeak is a fun glace at nature and language. I enjoyed the creative words, and I think children will as well. Older children might be encouraged to create their own vocabulary. I appreciate the illustrations which feel welcoming and pretty, but are sure to include the bugs and birds you would see in fields and forests.