Why do people call TV the “boob tube‚” or use the word “dough” for money? Why do we say we “loaf around” when we’re doing nothing? Why is something easily accomplished a “cakewalk”? All these questions and more are answered in this smart book that will get kids thinking about the words they use and hear every day.

The fictional frame of Slangalicious is the young narrator’s school project on slang. Desperate to research the topic, he turns to his computer, where two small figures, Edmund and Lexie, appear on the screen to help him. They provide examples of slang words from all areas of life – the movies, sports, food, work – and from different time periods. There’s even a section on Canadian slang (which, unfortunately, ignores the great regional gotchies/gonchies debate). Edmund and Lexie are fast-talking and fun, and their dialogue with the young researcher is bracketed with sidebars containing snippets of information on particular words. Kids will learn what etymology is, and why new words are often spoken for years before they’re written down. Johnson’s wacky images often depict definitions literally, and capture the playfulness of the book’s approach and of slang itself.

There is a huge amount of information here. Despite the frame of the school project, this book is meant for dipping into rather than reading straight through. The design encourages this with sidebars styled as imitation Internet pop-up windows. An index and suggestions for further research are included.