The Fake Dictionary

Someone, somewhere, somehow made up a particular word to be meaningful and useful. And so to question-what are the rules around who gets to make up words and why?

The Fake Dictionary challenges 8 to 12-year-olds to create a series of images of new meanings to everyday words. As the title implies, this is a very original dictionary. Using family relics, Clare-Rose created a part text and part image book to explore the meanings behind the meanings of words, hoping to open up conversations around the concept of change.

The book also encourages children to make up their own new meanings to words that already exist. What parts of our brain can we plasticise to empower us to see the differences and be bold enough to make our very own changes? Want to have a go?

The Fake Dictionary is part of the Young Philosophers Series dedicated to listening to and valuing children as natural philosophers. These unconventional and creative books are designed to get children's imaginations flowing.