Me First!: Prefixes Lead the Way

by Robin Pulver, Lynn Rowe Reed

In this zany language arts book, a classroom lesson on leadership gets a boost from little groups of letters called PREFIXES.

It s Leadership Day in Mr. Wright s classroom, and the prefixes are IMpatient to take center stage. After all, they are the greatest leaders around! Prefixes attach to the beginning of words and change what they mean. But they are MIStaken about their role in the day s festivities. . . . Mr. Wright has a lesson on President Abraham Lincoln PREpared. The prefixes are in DISbelief that they could be so carelessly IGnored. Luckily, Mr. Wright gets a REminder to include them in the lesson and the prefixes are ready to UNleash their power.

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Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 30, 2016

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulver introduces prefixe and ties them to leadership. The teacher talks about ways Abraham Lincoln was a leader and the prefixes share ways they lead words. Humorous and informative.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prefixes in Mr. Wright's classroom are ready for a starring role in the day's lesson. After all, they always come first. When the teacher shows up dressed as Abraham Lincoln they are initially puzzled, but the theme of the day is leadership...and prefixes lead the way. Robin Pulver always manages to put a lot of energy into her writing, and Lynn Rowe Reed's multi-media illustrations suit the text well. I just wish it had been a little more focused. I felt like the author was trying to do too much. On the other hand, the book is beautifully formatted. Even the end papers contain valuable information. Teachers highlighting prefixes will find this a fun and useful way to introduce the topic.

[Robert Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with Susan Faith tonight. It's one of her "Books To Review". Pretty good story.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a book to teach children how to be great leaders and how to also how to read prefixes. The prefixes go around the classroom attaching themselves to words trying to be noticed. While the teacher Mr. White comes in the classroom dressed as president Abe Lincoln. He teaches the class how to be good leaders. The prefixes take note of what it means to be a good leader and do their best to follow it.
This is a cute book about prefixes and makes them a little bit more fun to learn about for children. Children also learn how to be good leaders with this book.
I can use this book in a session to teach students how to be good leaders and how to read and recognize prefixes that are placed grammatically correct.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pulver has readers learning grammar lessons with a silly teacher named Mr. Wright. This book has clay characters for the prefixes and throughout the rhyming text there are talk bubbles for the children in the class, the teacher, and even the prefixes themselves. While learning about prefixes and their many uses, some interesting tidbits will be found about President Abraham Lincoln. Use for writing, President's Day, or simply an introduction to talk bubbles in story books.

The story itself is useful, though these illustrations did not resonate with me and I found the story a bit dis-jointed, I guess. (:-D)

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the book inside covers which told us what each of the prefixes mean in this book and gave examples. It was fun reading the book looking for prefixes and seeing more examples of words with prefixes.

* Talking points: Set the timer, how many prefixes can you name and define? What did you learn about leadership in this book?

[Mary Tumbleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses a fun story to show how prefixes are leaders. Throughout the book, all of the prefixes used are in upper case letters to show kids how common prefixes really are. I think this is a great book to use when teaching about prefixes and their meanings.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has helpful phonemic concepts about the meaning of and usage for prefixes for readers to learn and know, but the story was not cohesive for me.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to learn about prefixes. there is a lot that goes on in the book so younger kids might struggle to follow along

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for 3rd grade!

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of prefixes wait in a classroom for Mr. Wright, who is supposed to review their functions today. Then Abraham Lincoln walks in! But isn’t Lincoln dead? What’s going on? After the students arrive, the president whisks off his hat and removes his beard, revealing that he’s actually Mr. Wright in disguise. It turns out that today’s lesson is about leadership and Mr. Wright thought he’d use Lincoln as an example. While the teacher and students discuss our former president, the prefixes grumble about being ignored. They also insert themselves into the discussion. “We’re never DIShonest or IRresponsible!” they proclaim when a student remarks on the president’s reliable character. Eventually Mr. Wright remembers that he’s supposed to review prefixes, at which point the prefix figures excitedly string together sentences filled with “UN,” “ANTI” and “DIS.” Pulver’s effort to make a potentially boring subject entertaining is admirable. However, the parallel between leadership and prefixes is slight and too much of the material focuses on the president, rather than on prefixes. Furthermore, the layout—busied with sundry images and blocks of text—might distract some readers. The book is most engaging when Pulver utilizes rhyme to explain prefixes. (Unfortunately, she only employs this method a few times.) The inside front / back cover provides a handy reference tool, with each prefix figure posing above their meaning and a simple example. An informative resource, though children with short attention spans may end up squirming alongside Pulver’s anxious prefixes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily Tidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day the prefixes went to school just like the other students on leadership day. The teacher, Mr. Wright, dressed up as Abraham Lincoln on this specific day. Then he teaches the prefixes how to be humble, who want to be first and are self-centered. Mr. Wright reminds them of Abe Lincoln, who was a great leader and how they need to act like him. In addition, he states that a leader is one who is a good listener, is caring and is helpful. After Mr. wright puts on his top hat a paper falls out reminding to go over prefixes with his students. The prefixes then became excited, which made it easy for the students to find the prefixes around the classroom.

I honestly thought this book would help teach students about prefixes but it was a little confusing the first time I read through it. It wasn’t until the very end of the book, where it talks about prefixes and what they are. I did enjoy the illustrations done by Lynn Rowe Reed. On some of the pages it seemed a little too busy. However, I loved how illustrations looked like paintings done on a canvas. This book could be used in a classroom to learn about prefixes, but I wouldn’t choose this book as my top choice. Like Mr. Wright, I would love to put prefixes, suffixes, and word roots around the classroom and have the students pick out the prefixes.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars This would be a really fun 3rd grade (ish) way to do a lesson on Prefixes. It was nicely written and interesting.
I liked the info and story at 4 stars, but the weird clay, pipe cleaner, prefix thingys (thingys is a techincal term--is do hickey better?) are icky and creepy and kind of ruin it for me. I can see the point, but something more interning that theirs strange clay thingys! I will not REread it to DIScover why I don't like the clay creations, but I am ANTI-clay do bobbers!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's quite a lot going on in this prefix-filled book celebrating language. Mr. Wright always teaches in creative ways, and he gets distracted by his interest in Abe Lincoln and his leadership qualities, which causes him to forget his plans for a prefix review. The prefixes are patient for awhile, but then they become anxious since they haven't been used, and attach themselves to several words that don't need prefixes. Young readers will laugh at some of the unlikely combinations such as "repencil," and relate to the prefixes' dilemma. While I liked the minilesson on Abe Lincoln and the information and examples of the prefixes, there seemed to be quite a lot in here that could distract readers from the focus on prefixes. As another reviewer mentioned, it might be that the author is trying to do too much at one time even though the separate parts are funny and fit together. The artwork is interesting, filled as it is with texture and the tiny figures of those prefixes. Teachers can certainly use this book as part of their lessons on vocabulary and word building.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that teaching difficult things in a fun and easy way. I love that a wacky and memorable story can teach such a tricky grammar lesson like prefixes. Not only is the story super funny, but there are speech bubbles that add to the story. I love that it is so readable. Kids would love to listen to the teacher read it aloud or to read it silently themselves. There is brilliance in these pages that takes learning to another level. A wonderfully creative and engaging way to teach grammar lessons. There are other books in this series too, so make sure to check those out as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about prefixes