Praise for Biting the Wax Tadpole
“A delightful language scrapbook.”—Chicago Tribune
“A tour of all the quirk and queerness to be found among the world's many dialects ... her meandering, highly-readable riffs on Finnish prepositions and Incan counting systems manage to be funny, earnest, and not funny because of their earnestness—something of a feat for a book that could be used as a grammar primer.”
—The Onion A.V. Club
“Charming anecdotes, witty sidebars, and attractive illustrations ... Little’s strong sense of humor never overwhelms her love of languages in this fascinating yet educational introduction to linguistics for a wide, pop-savvy audience.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Biting the Wax Tadpole is witty, sassy, and laugh-out-loud funny. Little convincingly demonstrates that, as she puts it, ‘language is nothing less than a great adventure.’ So is her book.”
—Kitty Burns Florey, author of Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog and Script & Scribble
“A wrap-worthy language book. A multilingual voyage, exploring the ‘quirks, innovations, and implausibilities’ of the world's languages.”
—The Boston Globe
“This is a fun book for grammar and pop-culture lovers alike. Little provides grammar basics and little-known facts by incorporating stories of her travels, Star Wars, Dr. Seuss, and other familiar icons. It’s both a breezy read and a useful resource.”
—USAToday.com
"It's clear that Elizabeth Little's omnivorous curiosity has suited her well ... This short, neon-colored book walks readers through categories that on paper should seem dry, from pronouns to numbers, spicing everything up with cultural comparisons.”
—The Newark Star-Ledger
"[A] feisty romp through the world's languages.”
—Rob Kyff, The Word Guy
"If you like language, you'll love Biting the Wax Tadpole. Elizabeth Little has mused on, used, and even misused many of the planet's languages, and this fascinating and often hilarious book gives a full account of her adventures.”
—Ben Greenman, author of A Circle is a Balloon and Compass Both and Superbad
“[A] quirky, funny, intelligent little book ... complete with amusing illustrations. Little has packed her work chock-full of the world’s tantalizing linguistic nuggets.”
—Newsday