A dazzle of books..?

by | posted in: PatrickGeorge | 31

A plague of locusts…
A pride of lions…
A flock of sheep…

But what do you call a collection of books about collective nouns?

A brilliance?
A giggle?
A talent?

When it comes to the set published by PatrickGeorge, all of the above could apply.

A filth of starlings, A drove of bullocks, A crackle of crickets and A shiver of sharks each take a themed set of collective nouns, illustrate them in witty and bold ways, a provide a paragraph of information about each animal in question. Part non-fiction book, part English-language/literacy book, part science book, part word-play book, each of these volumes is inventive and engaging.

Whether you are reading about a run of salmon, where an optical illusion allows the illustration to look both like a salmon’s head and a running shoe, or a culture of bacteria, where the contents of a petri dish looks like Mona Lisa, each page plays with our understanding of language and the way we look at objects.

A quiver of cobras

The modern, bright illustrations are crisp, cool and clever. The text is informative and playful. Perfect for any kid who enjoys puns or animals, these bold books are fun for all.

With these books in mind the girls and I made our own volume of collective nouns:




We all enjoyed playing with language and sitting down simply drawing together.

Now, I’m delighted to say I have one set of all 4 books on collective nouns to give away to a lucky reader.

  • The giveaway is open to anyone WORLDWIDE.
  • To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post. I’d love it if you could suggest a new collective noun for books about collective nouns – but any comment is fine.
  • For extra entries you can:
      (1) Tweet about this giveaway, perhaps using this text: Win a set of really clever & rather stylish books by @PatrickGeorge2 over at @playbythebook’s blog http://www.playingbythebook.net/?p=23269 #giveaway
      (2) Share this giveaway on your Facebook page or blog

    You must leave a separate comment for each entry for them to count.

  • The winner will be chosen at random using random.org.
  • The giveaway is open for one week, and closes on Wendesday 12th December 6am UK time. I will post the winner on this post, and also contact them via email. If I do not hear back from the winner within one week of emailing them, I will re-draw a winner.



    • Good luck!

    **This giveaway is now closed. It was won by no. 8., Gisele Barcellos**

    31 Responses

    3. Laura
      | Reply

      Brilliant – I love collective nouns!

      My particular favourites are a murder of crows & a murmuration of starlings.

      A collective noun for books about collective nouns could be a quirk or perhaps an education…?

    4. Elli
      | Reply

      These look fantastic – right up my street! And I love your girls’ invention nouns – a search of buttons and a pong of socks are particularly brilliant.
      Elli recently posted..Nightmare

    18. anna
      | Reply

      the word which jumps to mind as a collective noun for books is a library of books

    22. dawn
      | Reply

      Delurking to say thanks for the great recommendation! This solves my dilemma of what to give my nieces and nephews for Christmas! A Bevy of Books!

    29. Arundhati
      | Reply

      Loved collective nouns as a schoolgirl (a long time ago!). Can’t wait to try this with my son 🙂

      A chest of books (not just ones about collective nouns, but any sort) is a treasure… whatever name you call it by, a pleasure for all the senses!

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