The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus By Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet


The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus is a vibrant picture book biography that tells the story of Peter Mark Roget, the man behind the thesaurus. Written in lyrical prose by Jen Bryant and beautifully illustrated by Melissa Sweet, the book explores how Roget’s love of words and lists shaped not only his life but the way we think about language today. From a childhood marked by shyness and loss to his groundbreaking publication of Roget’s Thesaurus in 1852, this book is both a historical portrait and a celebration of the power of words.

The Right Word is a compelling resource for interdisciplinary learning. While it might look like a story for younger readers, its themes, structure, and artistic design make it a sophisticated tool for deep engagement in English Language Arts and Social Studies. Students can explore language development, the Enlightenment and 19th-century scientific thought, and the lifelong quest to find the “right word” to express human experience.

Curriculum Connections

Historical Context

  • Roget’s life spanned a period of intense change in science, education, and publishing. Use this book to explore the Enlightenment and the 19th century’s fascination with classification and knowledge.

  • Discuss the importance of access to information before the internet or even mass literacy. How revolutionary was a tool like the thesaurus?

  • Connect Roget’s timeline to other 19th-century thinkers, inventors, and social reformers. What values did they share?

Personal History & Identity 

  • Explore how personal experiences grief, isolation, introversion shaped Roget’s intellectual path.

  • Encourage students to reflect on their own learning styles and passions. What patterns or routines help them make sense of the world?

Civic Literacy

  • The book highlights the democratization of knowledge. Why does it matter that tools like dictionaries and thesauruses are publicly available?

  • Discuss how words shape civic discourse. How do “right” words affect persuasion, justice, and equity?

ELA Connections

Vocabulary Development

  • Use the book as an introduction to synonym study, precise language, or writing revision.

  • Create word webs and personal thesauruses, Roget-style- organized by concept rather than alphabetical order.

  • Have students identify overused words in their writing and replace them using a thesaurus.

Nonfiction and Biography

  • Study how Jen Bryant uses poetic language to tell a factual story.

  • Analyze Melissa Sweet’s use of visual metaphor—how do her illustrations help tell the story beyond the text?

  • Use this as a mentor text for students to write their own short biographies of innovators or personal heroes.

Creative and Reflective Writing

  • Prompt students to write a short piece titled “My Right Word.” What word best represents who they are or who they want to become?

  • Invite students to keep a “word journal,” tracking new or favorite words and why they matter.

Discussion Questions

For Social Studies Classrooms:

  1. How did Roget’s time period influence his work? What problems was he trying to solve?

  2. Why was classification such a big idea in the 18th and 19th centuries?

  3. What tools do we use today to organize knowledge, and how are they similar or different from Roget’s thesaurus?

For ELA Classrooms:

  1. What is the author’s tone in this book? How does she bring historical facts to life?

  2. Choose one spread and analyze the text-illustration relationship. How does Melissa Sweet visually convey Roget’s love of lists and logic?

  3. How does using a thesaurus strengthen your writing? When is it most useful?

The Right Word is more than a story about a reference book. It is a celebration of curiosity, knowledge, and the power of language. With rich historical content and dynamic illustrations, it offers middle and high school students a chance to reflect on how we organize the world around us and the importance of choosing words with care. It’s the perfect text for cross-curricular exploration, student reflection, and joyful wordplay.

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