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Weighty Words, Too

By Paul M. Levitt, professor of English;
 Douglas A. Burger, associate professor of English; and Elissa S. Guralnick, professor of English

University of New Mexico Press
Burdensome, Katzenjammer, Mystify, Wondrous, Zany

These are five of the twenty-six words, one for each letter of the alphabet, that appear in “Weighty Words, Too.” As with the earlier “Weighty Word Book,” the stories, often fanciful, help young readers build their vocabularies. 

"Hibernate" tells the tale of Nathaniel, a very energetic Canadian bear, who plays in the snow with the other bears.

Soon all the bears tire and want to sleep, with the exception of Nate. "He's hyper," one grizzly bear observes. "If it's winter sleep you want," advises Nathaniel, "then I suggest you do the opposite from me, hyper Nate." So, whenever animals sleep through the winter, think of "hyper Nate," and you will remember the word hibernate.

The Weighty Word Book

By Paul M. Levitt, professor of English;
 Douglas A. Burger, associate professor of English; and Elissa S. Guralnick, professor of English

University of New Mexico Press

“The Weighty Word Book will appeal to kids who want to sound as smart as they are. It offers a clever, funny way to introduce new words into the vocabulary. . . . There's one word for every letter of the alphabet--wait until you see what they do with dogmatic, juxtapose and zealot."

—The Gazette (Colorado Springs)

"Each of these twenty-six short stories takes an elaborate, circuitous path that leads to a 'weighty' one-word punch line. ... It's a creative and humorous approach to vocabulary building, and a natural lead in to having students create their own tall tales with multisyllabic conclusions."

School Library Journal

“The Weighty Word Book” is being reissued this year.