Although this is a children’s book, adults can also learn much from Sage and her response to an embarrassing mistake. Mistakes are often signposts to original and creative ideas and children aren’t the only ones in need of a reminder. However, this is hardly a sober message-drenched book. This book explodes with an exuberant celebration of words and the creative spirit.
The Vocabulary Bee
It all begins when Sage catches a cold from Forest. “Forest is not a thicket of trees. Forest is a boy.” She misses Vocabulary Day and a friend quickly dictates the vocabulary list over the phone to Sage. Her friend doesn’t have time to spell out the last word. Being sick, Sage doesn’t consult a dictionary for the meanings and makes up her “own dictionary language.” The misunderstandings compound until upon Sage’s return to school, the monumental mistake is made. Sage, dubbed by her father “wise-girl-with-words,” misspells the word, “miscellaneous” and gives a very creative, but very wrong, definition of the word. That’s where the title of the book comes in - Miss Alaineus.
This book is ripe with words, wordplay, delight, and excellent activities for children to develop vocabulary skills. This is a must-read book for word-lovers as well as for those who love a story well told. Sage is a terrific character and perhaps there is hope for a sequel, featuring “Miss Sterious.” The illustrations are vivid and unique.
The author’s daughter planted the seed for this story. One evening she told her mother that during the day she had figured out that miscellaneous was not a person. In an interview for “Words, Words, and More Words,” Debra Frasier related how she took this idea and grew it into a story with the help of her journal. “I keep a small journal with me at all times. I think of it as a butterfly net, catching the ephemeral idea,” she said. “Once captured, the journal becomes rich black dirt for growing possibilities. Eventually, the voice of Sage came to me and there is a page in the tiny journal that is identical to the first paragraph of Miss Alaineus.”
