Publishers Weekly
After days of teaching about commas, periods and question marks, a teacher suggests to his class, "Let's give punctuation a vacation" and the punctuation marks literally head off for a holiday. PW called this an "entertaining tale-cum-grammar lesson." Ages 5-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3-When the hardworking punctuation marks in Mr. Wright's classroom go off on a holiday, the students soon find that life is chaotic without them. A fun-filled gambol through grammar, punctuated by zany acrylic paintings. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In a delightfully clever outing, a well-earned vacation results in chaos back in school when the punctuation marks head to Take-A-Break Lake. Mr. Wright's class uses and abuses punctuation marks, without ever really giving them a thought and the marks put up with it all. But when Mr. Wright needs relief from teaching on a hot day and says, "Let's give punctuation a vacation," they discuss the matter (each mark uttering a sentence needing its own kind of punctuation, of course), and decide they should take a trip to prove to the kids just how needed they are. As the students struggle to understand anything in their classroom, each mark writes a postcard to the class showing off his or her special skills in punctuating sentences. The students finally borrow some mixed-up punctuation from the class next door and write to the vacationers begging them to return and promising that they will never be taken for granted again. Pulver (Way to Go, Alex, not reviewed, etc.) has outdone herself in this ingenious take on learning. Everything from the punctuation marks' postcards to the endpapers emphasizes the importance of punctuation in our everyday lives. Reed's (The Halloween Showdown, 1998, etc.) whimsical, child-like paintings put faces on each character, bringing them further to life as they cavort on the shores of the lake. What a fun way to teach; every language arts teacher needs this to punctuate their instruction, no matter the grade level. (Fiction. 5-8)
From the Publisher
★ "Pulver's clever story moves along at a nice clip and makes its point without belaboring the matter. Reed's acrylics-on-canvas illustrations are rich in color and texture, and add to the amusement of the story. A lighthearted choice to be read independently or used to introduce a language-arts lesson."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Pulver, the author of the ''Mrs. Toggle'' books, gives each punctuation mark its own personality. The quotation marks can't stop talking, the colons are always telling time, and the exclamation points stand on their heads in excitement. A helpful listing at the end (''Punctuation Rules!'') summarizes everybody's job. And Lynn Rowe Reed's childlike acrylic paintings perfectly capture the mood of whimsical fantasy. Try to imagine a bikini-clad comma on water skis."—The New York Times Book Review
"Pulver . . . has outdone herself in this ingenious take on learning. Everything from the punctuation marks’ postcards to the endpapers emphasizes the importance of punctuation in our everyday lives. . . . whimsical, child-like paintings put faces on each character, bringing them further to life as they cavort on the shores of the lake. What a fun way to teach; every language arts teacher needs this to punctuate their instruction, no matter the grade level."—Kirkus Reviews
"Reed paints with a funky, naïf style using zippy oranges, teals, purples and cobalt blues. Facial features as elemental as jack-o-lanterns and bodies as rubbery as Gumby heighten the fun as the quotation marks sunbathe side by side, the apostrophe waterskis and the exclamation point goes tubing. . . . Little will children realize how much they are learning, between the verbal shenanigans and the eye-popping illustrations."—Publishers Weekly
"A straightforward list of punctuation rules rounds out this inventive and entertaining device for getting kids to understand usage, which proves that nothing makes sense without punctuation. Right? Right!"—Booklist
OCTOBER 2009 - AudioFile
From the opening sound effects of an airplane—“This is your pilot speaking"—this is an engaging recording. What would we do without punctuation marks? Mr. Wright and his class explore this notion as they begin a class read-aloud that has no punctuation. "Thisisweirdthepunctuationismissinguhohwherecoulditbeyikes!" John Beach rises to the challenge of giving each punctuation mark its own distinctive vocal sound. He articulates each postcard from each vacationing punctuation mark with its specific sound effect. The results are hilarious when Mr. Wrongo's class writes an urgent letter, and the punctuation ends up in entirely wrong locations. It will take several "listens" before the vocals add to the humor of this story and are not a distraction, but it’s well worth making the effort. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
