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8 of our favourite words from Roots of Happiness by Susie Dent

100 Words for Joy and Hope from Britain’s Most-Loved Word Expert

Roots of Happiness

"I enjoyed this so much. As a pessimistic lover of words, this was both comforting and heart-warming. I always think that learning about etymology is a way to appreciate the secret code of the world, and Susie is the perfect guide and companion and lexical cheerleader." - Stig Abel 
 
"Susie Dent's way with words always makes me happy. This is my kind of book. There's positivity on every page." - Gyles Brandreth 
 
Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, is on a mission to find light in the deepest, darkest corners of our language. 
 
It takes just a short browse through the dictionary to spot how it is filled with negative words. But Susie has searched far and wide to unearth happy and uplifting words and phrases that, in some cases, are long forgotten, while others have only just been discovered. 
 
Paired with beautiful illustrations, this is the perfect book to lift you out of your mubble fubbles (a slightly sad mood), make you grin like a gigglemug (someone who never stops smiling), and have you feeling forblissed (extremely happy) in no time. 
 
This joyous collection of 100 positive words and their origins will show readers young and old just how wonderful language can be - and how you can use your words to make the world a happier place.

I enjoyed this so much.  As a pessimistic lover of words, this was both comforting and heart-warming.  I always think that learning about etymology is a way to appreciate the secret code of the world, and Susie is the perfect guide and companion and lexical cheerleader.

Susie Dent's way with words always makes me happy.  This is my kind of book.  There's positivity on every page.

Susie Dent (Author) Susie Dent is a writer and broadcaster on language. She recently celebrated 25 years as the resident word expert on C4's Countdown, and also appears on the show's comedy sister 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown. Susie comments regularly on TV and radio on words in the news. Susie answers notes and queries about words and phrases in weekly columns in the Radio Times and The Week Junior. She has written for the Independent on Sunday, the Telegraph, and the Times, and is the author of several books, including her latest, Dent's Modern Tribes. She is a spokesperson for Oxford University Press, and has been a judge on the Costa Book Awards and on the Academy Excellence Awards. Susie regularly delivers key-note speeches to both small companies and major corporations on language and communication. 
 
@susie_dent Harriet Hobday (Illustrator) Harriet Hobday is an extraordinary new talent, a recent graduate of the MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Currently based in Edinburgh, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2015 and runner-up for The Batsford Prize 2018.

Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, is on a mission to find light in the deepest, darkest corners of our language. 
 
It takes just a short browse through the dictionary to spot how it is filled with negative words. But Susie has searched far and wide to unearth happy and uplifting words and phrases that, in some cases, are long forgotten, while others have only just been discovered. 
 
Paired with beautiful illustrations, this is the perfect book to lift you out of your mubble fubbles (a slightly sad mood), make you grin like a gigglemug (someone who never stops smiling), and have you feeling forblissed (extremely happy) in no time. 
 
This joyous collection of 100 positive words will show readers young and old just how wonderful language can be - and how you can use your words to make the world a happier place.

Wild Family

Families come in all shapes and sizes, from spiders who can carry hundreds of their babies, to elephants who babysit each other's calves. Perfect for every animal and wildlife fan, discover the incredible true stories of our wilder family members . . . 
 
Did you know that clownfish can have hundreds of babies? 
Or that some families like to be on the move, like monarch butterflies who will travel together for their entire lives! 
Did you know that lions are ruled by a king, but in a bee family the queen is the boss . . . 
 
Meet families of all shapes and sizes, in these incredible true stories about wild families. These fascinating stories for curious young minds are fully illustrated with imaginative, colourful artwork, perfect for dipping into and to treasure all year round.

Ben Lerwill (Author) 
Ben Lerwill is a multiple award-winning writer. His work has appeared in a host of publications including National Geographic Traveller, Time Out, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Over the past decade he's won four British Guild of Travel Writers' Awards, and often focuses on wildlife, rail journeys and the outdoors. Best of all, he writes fascinating, magical non-fiction stories that will amaze and inspire - just like the ones in this book. 
 
Harriet Hobday (Illustrator) 
Harriet Hobday is an extraordinary new talent, a recent graduate of the MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Currently based in Edinburgh, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2015 and runner-up for The Batsford Prize 2018.

Families come in all shapes and sizes, from spiders who can carry hundreds of their babies, to elephants who babysit each other's calves. Perfect for every animal and wildlife fan, discover the incredible true stories of our wilder family members . . . 
 
Did you know that clownfish can have hundreds of babies? 
Or that some families like to be on the move, like monarch butterflies who will travel together for their entire lives! 
Did you know that lions are ruled by a king, but in a bee family the queen is the boss . . . 
 
Meet families of all shapes and sizes, in these incredible true stories about wild families. These fascinating stories for curious young minds are fully illustrated with imaginative, colourful artwork, perfect for dipping into and to treasure all year round.

Wild Cities

Ben Lerwill (Author) Ben Lerwill is a multiple award-winning writer. His work has appeared in a host of publications including National Geographic Traveller, Time Out, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Over the past decade he's won four British Guild of Travel Writers' Awards, and often focuses on wildlife, rail journeys and the outdoors. Best of all, he writes fascinating, magical non-fiction stories that will amaze and inspire - just like the ones in this book. Harriet Hobday (Illustrator) Harriet Hobday is an extraordinary new talent, a recent graduate of the MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Currently based in Edinburgh, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2015 and runner-up for The Batsford Prize 2018.

Picture a city. What do you see? Traffic and towering buildings? Or maybe you imagine something a little . . . wilder? 
 
These are the astonishing stories of the animals who are adapting to live in our urban world - and how you can help them to thrive. 
 
From the pitter-patter of penguins in Cape Town, to the prowl of a leopard in Mumbai, the splash of a seal in Sydney, cities are home to all sorts of unexpected residents. 
 
Keep your eyes wide open as as we travel the globe discovering wild cities. With magical illustration and beautiful storytelling, these incredible stories will fascinate every reader who has the travel bug, or is an animal fan, or has ever wondered what else exists in our big cities. 
 
Featuring: London, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, Calgary, New York City, Chicago, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Cape Town and Seoul.

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 2: Wild Cities (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series written for learners of English as a foreign language, each title includes carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
Wild Cities, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. 
 
There are cities everywhere on Earth. More and more people live in cities around the world. But more and more animals make their homes in cities, too. In this book you will visit 13 cities. What animals can you see?

Ben Lerwill (Author) 
 Ben Lerwill is a multiple award-winning writer. His work has appeared in a host of publications including National Geographic Traveller, Time Out, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Over the past decade he's won four British Guild of Travel Writers' Awards, and often focuses on wildlife, rail journeys and the outdoors. Best of all, he writes fascinating, magical non-fiction stories that will amaze and inspire - just like the ones in this book. 
 
Harriet Hobday (Illustrator) 
 Harriet Hobday is an extraordinary new talent, a recent graduate of the MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Currently based in Edinburgh, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2015 and runner-up for The Batsford Prize 2018.

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language practise activities, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
 
Wild Cities, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
 
There are cities everywhere on Earth. More and more people live in cities around the world. But more and more animals make their homes in cities, too. In this book you will visit 13 cities. What animals can you see?

Susie Dent

Harriet Hobday

100 Words That Bring Us Together

Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, is on a mission to find 100 words and phrases to bring people together. 
 
There are times when the world feels more divided than ever. But it is important to remember the things that unite rather than divide us. Susie has searched far and wide to unearth words and phrases - old, new, and long-forgotten - that celebrate harmony, unity, and the universal languages that connect people across the world. 
 
Whether you want to conjobble (chat with a friend over some food), to be goodwilly (kind, generous, and cheerful), to atone for a mistake (become 'at' 'one' with someone again) or simply head off on a coddiwomple (a journey with no destination), this joyous collection of words celebrates the things in life that bind us together, from friendship, love and peace, to community, music and even the stars. These are the roots we share.

Harriet Hobday

Books by Harriet Hobday

Articles featuring Harriet Hobday

8 of our favourite words from Roots of Happiness by Susie Dent

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