"I love words!" says Ava. "Words can be tiny, prickly, big, and bright!"  In this delightful romp through one little girl's discovery of words, readers meet Ava—who asks: What was it like before I had words?   Using a bright cheery palette, visual humor (and yes, even a big pile of words climbed by Ava), Grant Snider deftly follows the baby babbles, toddler questions, and little kid discoveries that are the hallmarks of how kids learn to "use their words." An adventurous spirit and a cheerful disposition make Ava feel like a friend children will want to spend time with. Her curiosity is nurtured by family, friends, and the world she discovers around her.   For fans of books like  Dear Girl,  and I Am Peace,  My Words  will appeal to curious children who want to know more about how they grew from babies, as well as children who are excited by language. Perfect for reading together at home or for the pre-K or K classroom,  My Words  is a book that will make readers want to talk about the things they say and excite them about the giant world of words. PreS-Gr 1—A child explores her love of words in this very simple ode to language development. In short rhyming stanzas, a child with paper white skin and brown curly hair declares, "I love words" and that "Words are ideas that break free and take flight." She shows her linguistic progress from a baby babbling in onomatopoeia, to a child of four or five writing a story for a read-aloud to her stuffed animals. The rhymes are short and neat, enhanced perfectly by the illustrations, with a great deal of humor. One spread shows the child calling four very different objects/animals "guck," and on another she offers a bone to both a dog and a baby, saying "woof." While the cartoonlike illustrations, similar to those of Judy Horacek's, float mostly in white space, Snider varies the composition and uses the words themselves to add colorful dynamics. The shade of sky blue is a motif throughout, and though the child grows, her red outfit and hair bow remain a constant. While the illustrative and writing styles are best suited to enjoy with toddlers and preschoolers, the idea of exploring language development may be lost on them. VERDICT A celebration of a child's love of words, this should have a place on the shelves of many collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA "The prose rhymes loosely, bouncing ahead in a rhythm that is a pleasure to read aloud." - Kirkus Reviews “As Ava progresses from baby talk to short words and onomatopoeia, Snider dives into the language-acquisition process...[and] employs a lively rhyme scheme throughout." - Publishers Weekly Grant Snider began drawing and writing before he knew what he was doing. Soon it was too late to stop. He has many favorite words, like zephyr , tapir , and skyscraper . He is the author of the picture books What Color Is Night? and What Sound Is Morning? and is the creator of Incidental Comics , which were collected and published in two books, The Shape of Ideas and I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf . His comics about creativity and the human condition have appeared in the New York Times , the New Yorker , and The Best American Comics 2013 . Grant lives in Wichita, Kansas, with his wife, daughter, and three sons, where he also practices orthodontics. You can often find him carrying a sketchbook, lost in his own thoughts, and you can also visit him at grantsnider.com.