Saturday, September 26, 2015

Book Week - A Compendium of Collective Nouns

Wordy wordsmiths prepare to be ear tickled,

A Compendium of Collective Nouns by Jennifer Skelly is one of those books I picked up on 20 different occasions in the store, went to buy it but discovered it was out of stock and eagerly snatched up the next time we were both in store at the same time.


This a self published title and there is a book 2 as well. I adore this book, it is a kids title but, as with many kids titles, I purchased it for me. (I do share these books with my children and other people's children too, obviously!).

What is really cool is that Skelly crowd-funded this book which is a win for every wannabe author and illustrator who has felt like publishing will never happen for them. And, given that she is ready to publish her fourth title, I think it would like a successful journey too.


Each page contains a gorgeous illustration of a group of animals and their collective noun underneath. Some favourites are 'a flamboyance of flamingos' with 'a charm of finches' and 'a bouquet of hummingbirds'... but really every page is a treat for this word loving lady.

This is one of those books that makes me happy every time I look at it. If you love words and meanings and pictures this is a book to make you smile too. You can purchase her book directly from her website. It is a really nice sized book (between A5 and A4) with a hard cover and I think well worth the money, plus you get all the joy of the indie experience.


It is for sale on her website for $24.95 (plus postage). In Adelaide you can also purchase a copy from E for Ethel's cafe on Melbourne St.

love you more than wisdom of wombats xxx