Gr 2-4-Using a combination of humorous rhymes and silly illustrations, Cleary attempts to define nouns. He adheres to the traditional definition, stating, "If it's a person,/place, or thing-/Your dad, Detroit,/a diamond ring,/If it's a boat or coat or clown,/It's simple, Simon,/it's a noun!" Nouns are highlighted in color throughout the text, making it easy for readers to identify them. The rhyming sentences are short and breezy, though some sound awkward: "The pope,/some soap/that's on a rope,/A downtown mall,/a downhill slope." While proper nouns are mentioned, possessives, plurals, and compound nouns are not. The bright illustrations appear to be rendered in colored pencils and crayons, providing both detail and humor. A variety of comical-looking cats are depicted on backgrounds splashed with sea blues, lime greens, and lovely lavenders. Libraries looking to build up their 400s section could consider this introductory title, but Ruth Heller's Merry-Go-Round: A Book about Nouns (Grosset & Dunlap, 1990) is a stronger choice.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink (32 pp.; Sept. 7; 1-57505-42-7): This book appropriately abounds with persons, animals, places, and things, while rhymes drop broad hints about using nouns: "Nouns can sometimes be quite proper like Brooklyn Bridge or Edward Hopper," but also "A pocket, button, sleeve, or cuffA noun can simply be your stuff." Cleary leaves explanations of when and why some nouns are capitalized to the textbooks. Prosmitsky's funny illustrations of tubby cats link some disparate nouns and make them memorable, while a picaresque feline scene on a final two-page spread allows readers to pick out nouns on their own. (Picture book. 7-9)