Well Defined

by Michael Salinger, Sam Henderson

An irreverent poke at vocabulary definitions. Words such as "capricious, equivocal, mitigate," and "instigate" can be baffling and nerve-racking to young adults, especially when they need to demonstrate their knowledge in the classroom or on an exam. Poet Michael Salinger defuses the tension by offering his own tongue-in-cheek definitions that students will surely commit to memory. Giving each word a personality all its own, Salinger creates mini story lines and amusing images, full of wit and irony, that will keep readers chuckling. Cartoonist Sam Henderson's hilarious drawings add to the fun in this "Voice of Youth Advocates" Nonfiction Honor List book.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Poet and teaching artist living in northeast Ohio

Reviews

[Miss Leinbach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poetry (poems about vocabulary, of all things)
5-6

I was excited when I saw a book full of poems that are definitions of words such as fiasco & erratic. However, after reading the roughly 25 poems, I was disappointed. I was not impressed by the poems themselves, and found a few of them to contain words or phrases/connotations that I would not put in a 5th or 6th grade classroom.

There were 3 or 4 poems that I did like and would use, but not enough to keep the book in my library. Perhaps I'll cannibalize the book for the pages I like and use them as a mentor text idea during poetry.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Did you dread studying vocabulary words for that weekly test? Are you struggling to improve your vocabulary for the ACT or just for personal satisfaction?

WELL DEFINED: VOCABULARY IN RHYME by Michael Salinger might be just the book for you.

It takes 64 ACT-type vocabulary words and uses each in a clever poem. Each poem begins with the word in question, and the actual definition is sited at the bottom of the page. The verses themselves provide excellent mental images to help in understanding and remembering each word, and illustrator Sam Henderson adds simple, humor-filled sketches to almost every page.

Here is one of my favorites -

"Brevity gets right to the point
doesn't dawdle, dicker, or delay
always short and sweet whenever
there is something to do
or say
brevity comes in handy when you
are subject to a chewing out
a bout of the flu
a pain in the neck
or waiting in line for the loo
in fact, this poem has gone on so long
that its recital
would no longer qualify
as an example of its title"

This book is just plain fun, but it could easily be used in the classroom. Whether helping develop a better vocabulary or an appreciation of some creative examples of poetry, it is a unique approach to a usually boring subject.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever look at unfamiliar words in context, students are sure to understand the meanings of unchartered vocabulary word territory after reading this skinny read. The illustrations are whimsical and help drive home the definition.

[AlegnaB † · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 -- I don't usually like poetry, but I thought this was amusing.