Inspired by his brothers’ collections of stamps and coins, Max searches for familiar, favorite, or exciting words from magazines and newspapers. His word collection, contrary to his brothers’ collections, is exciting. “When Max put his words together, he had a thought” (n.p.). Max rebuffs his brothers’ refusal to trade. “When I have a few more words, I’ll have a story” (n.p.). Eventually, his brothers abandon their collections to compose an adventure with Max. Boris Kulikov extends this tale of wish fulfillment through whimsical children observed from unusual perspectives. Sprinkled throughout are words— exotic, glorious, curious, colorful —illustrated to signify their meaning. lmp

Max's brothers have grand collections that everyone makes a big fuss over. Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He's going to collect words. He starts with small words that he cuts out of newspapers and magazines, but soon his collection has spilled out into the hall. All the while, his brothers are watching. Benjamin brags that he has one thousand stamps. Karl is just a few coins short of five hundred. But a thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.
Bright, bold pictures incorporating clever wordplay accompany this highly original tale about a younger brother's ingenuity. "Max's Words" is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.