Punctuation Takes a Vacation - by Robin Pulver (Paperback)

About the Book

Mr. Wright's class can't believe it. What will it be like without question marks, apostrophes, periods, and commas? Punctuation has never been as entertaining as it is in this wacky picture book.

Book Synopsis

Oh, no! Mr. Wright's class can't believe it. All the punctuation marks in the classroom have disappeared. Where can they be? What will the class do without them?

After a lesson goes awry on the hottest, stickiest day of the year, Punctuation decides to go on vacation. Maybe if the kids have to live without punctuation for a while, they'll appreciate all the hard work commas, apostrophes, exclamation points, and question marks do!

Chaos erupts! The class can't read their book, and the letters they write to ask punctuation to come back home are a mess.

This clever and funny tale shows just how important punctuation is to reading and writing, and helps illustrate how different types work. From the question mark's inquisitive postcards to the quotations' constant chatter, this story is full of fun detail, elaborated on by bright acrylic illustrations, full of action and personality.

For more language-arts fun, check out Robin Pulver and Lynn Rowe Reed's other collaborations, including Me First, Happy Endings, and Silent Letters, Loud and Clear.

Review Quotes

* "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

About the Author

Robin Pulver is a popular picture book author whose website is robinpulver.com. She lives in upstate New York.

Lynn Rowe Reed writes and illustrates picture books and lives in Indiana. You can visit her website at lynnrowereed.com