Punctuation Celebration

by Elsa Knight Bruno, Jenny Whitehead (Illustrator)

Punctuation marks come alive in this clever picture book featuring fourteen playful poems. Periods stop sentences in a baker’s shop, commas help a train slow down, quotation marks tell people what to do, and colons stubbornly introduce lists. This appealing primer is a surefire way to make punctuation both accessible and fun for kids.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Writing, Language, Nonfiction, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2009

Reviews

[Amy Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to 7th graders as a way of reviewing punctuation marks and how they are used. While they all are confident about how to use periods, question marks, exclamation points, and commas, they still have questions about dashes, hyphens, and ellipses. By the time they are in middle school, I like my students to experiment with the latter forms of punctuation to help express their voice in their writing.

Reading this book to my students also allowed me to demonstrate how punctuation can affect how the text is read. The students were paying attention, and adding on to my think-alouds. I think the rhyming pattern helps keep their ear and when I stop to talk about how I would use the punctuation mark, the illustrations were useful to refer to.

It was a fun way to review and deepen conversation around conventions with 7th graders. However, I do not think my 8th graders need this.

[Kristin Hamrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went through each form of punctuation in a fun way, making it more interesting for students to learn about a subject that is often thought about as boring or dreadful. This book would be awesome to pair with a lesson about punctuation. The whole book is rhyming, making it more engaging; students will be able to better remember the rules of punctuation if they can remember the rhyme. Some words are capitalized, which are good words to say louder than the rest, so that students are more engaged in reading. Some words are made-up words, which makes the book silly to the students and engages them even more.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text: 5 stars
Illustrations: 4 stars

Thorough explanation of punctuation marks and their uses. Nonfiction picture book uses rhyming text. The punctuation mark being discussed on each page spread appears in red for easy identification. Modern collage-type illustrations.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explains the various punctuation marks using rhymes and poems. The illustrations are cute with the punctuation in a race. Each punctuation contestant is explained and examples of their use are provided. At the end of the book the race is between the words and the punctuation marks. I recommend this book for elementary school students, or for students wanting to brush up on understanding punctuation and their usages.

[Sandra Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book!! Punctuation Celebration introduces the different types of punctuation used in writing. The story is set up to have the various types of punctuation participating in a race, as you read along each punctuation is explained and examples are given, with creative and funny, illustrations. Additionally the book is written in a rhyming pattern, which makes it all the more fun to read. I would recommend this book for first grade and up; based on the age a page at a time may be appropriate, but what a fun way to introduce punctuation.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book of poems that teach about punctuation. We loved the short, rhyming poems and I loved that the concepts were easy to understand and the poems were fun to read aloud. The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and our girls loved the anthropomorphized punctuation characters. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a bit of a grammar geek, especially when it comes to punctuation, but I just couldn't get into this book. Each punctuation symbol has a 2-page spread with a poem/chant that tells its purpose and gives an example. The rhythm of the poems were inconsistent, so made it hard to read smoothly. The example stanzas were written in black with the punctuation in dark red, which made it hard for me (not color-blind) to see. And the illustrations were adorable, but maybe too cute for my high school students.

However, the explanations and examples were clear, and the punctuation marks covered were pretty darn near complete. Included: period, comma, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, parenthesis, hyphen, dash, colon, semi-colon, and ellipses.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable picture book that consist of different poems. I can definitely use this picture book in the future to teach students the craft of writing poetry and of course it can be used to teach them different types of punctuation marks which are spread throughout the book in a fun way for children to learn.

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the 20th book in my 2020 challenge the dates say it was published 10 years ago, but I think it will still work just fine for tutoring English/Phonics to my 7-year old niece...

Fun little book on punctuation.

I don't think she would pick it up on her own, but i will read it to her at least a couple of times among all the other books piling up. :)

She doesn't seem too keen on poems, or non-fiction type books...we shall see how this goes though. My love of reading is rubbing-off a little, and she is even sometimes picking out books of her choice to read to me sometimes. Maybe she will choose this to read back to me sometime, or maybe she won't I don't know yet.

[Smurf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very fun to read through. Each concept (punctuation mark and their purpose) was introduced through a small poem and then demonstrated in another poem. It was a great style, and interesting to read through. But in the attempt to make the story rhyme, there were some important details left out or stated in a strange way. It's a good book to introduce the ideas, but not the best to solidify it.

[Fahula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book is suited for older students, but primary students can glean from the first few pages. It really needs to be presented using a document camera rather than just held for students during a whole group read-aloud since the functional use of the more advanced punctuation marks is unclear without that visual piece. Rhyming limits the clarity of some of the explanations given. My students enjoyed the bright, busy illustrations.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this book with a 4 year old as she learns to write. It's a tiny bit advanced, but it's a fun way to introduce grammar and help her identify the grammar she sees as she reads. Some of the poems (I think only 2) aren't the best at explaining the purpose of the punctuation mark. I think this works best as a follow up to learning punctuation in those instances.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute way to introduce kids to or refresh their understanding of basic punctuation.

[ConnieLettow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book for describing what punctuation is for, but a bit too messy for me.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[Michael Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches a lot about puncuation and teaches kids what they need to know.

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ih, keren. Mengenalkan fungsi tanda baca pada anak dengan gaya asyik. Setelah pengenalan fungsi dikasi contoh bait berima.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an entertaining (and slightly nerdy) book! The rhymes were fun, and it was educational without feeling like it.

[Kaylee Klaassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade Range: 1st - 4th

I really liked this book! This would be a really fun book to read to students when introducing punctuation. I loved that this whole book rhymed. It was really fun to read as I was just bouncing from word to word! This book reminded me of when I began learning how to write and use punctuation when I was younger!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes grammar fun!

3/13/17 Read with Naomi.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Rating: 5
2. A book review from Children's Literature says, "Where would we all be without the periods, commas, exclamation and questions marks that show readers what their voices should do, or where to end a sentence or phrase? Those marks and others march across the title page alerting readers to get ready for a Field Day, with punctuation marks playing key roles. Each page shows a mark and how it is used. Not only does the period end sentences, it is needed for abbreviations, while the comma sets off items in a list, separates the day and the year, and city and state. Illustrations show the use of the marks as the text explains them. Classroom teachers in lower grades—four would be pushing the limits—will love the rhyme and vocabulary choices. Short verses do the explanation and show how marks are used. For a first effort this text and the illustrations have a lot going for them. Illustrations are child friendly, along the lines of Giselle Potter's work. This can take a place next to recently published similar books, Eats Shoots and Leaves by Truss, and Ruth Heller's older standbys. Children may not pick this up by themselves, but librarians or classroom teacher s could read it before a class begins their own writing projects."
3. I think this book would be great for second and third grade writers. It features a wide variety of punctuation marks including the period, semicolon, comma, question mark, dash, and so on. It would be a fun way for students to learn about all of these different forms of punctuation and each page offers great picture support with enjoyable rhyming phrases.

[Caitlin Lichtenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a college student currently in a grammar class, I was surprised how easy the punctuation rules seemed in this book. And I must admit that I learned a lot from this picture book about punctuation. (There goes my pride.)This book makes something that is rather drab seem fun with clever rhymes and examples. It's not hard to understand grammar when you put it with colorful pictures! I think this is a great book to teach children the basics, because so many people get into their teen years and adulthood without knowing the difference between a dash and a hyphen! We could all learn from this book.

[Carly Bontrager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry
2nd-6th grade
This is such a great book! I love that it teaches about punctuation in a fun way! Each punctuation mark has a short poem about what it does and where it belongs. There is great rhyming in the book as well. It’s a fun book that is not only great for teaching punctuation, but rhyming and poetry too! I would highly recommend this book!

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think teachers will love this. I sometimes am put off by forced rhyme, but I thought Bruno did a great job of keeping the rhymes easy, but clever. In that way I can see the book being a model for writing. I like it so much I think I'll buy it as my gift to a 5th grade teacher. Of course the book never gives all the uses or rules for specific punctuation, but what a fun way to get the examples. Hey, I'm no punctuation expert! In fact, the book was a great reminder of the difference between a hyphen- and a dash--

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY love this book! This is a book I would use to introduce punctuation, or to help a student who is struggling with punctuation. I like this book because it makes the punctuation marks characters in a story. The book highlights each of the punctuation marks in red so that the student is not confused about which mark they are looking at. Also, the book clearly gives examples of how the punctuation marks can be used in everyday writing. I think that this book could be used in any K-5 classroom to reinforce how to use punctuation marks correctly.

[Hope Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little too much at a time. As a teacher it would be a great book to use one page at a time after you go over certain punctuation. You could introduce your punctuation in the order of the book and add a page every week or so (depending on your class). After you go over all of the punctuation you would be able to read the whole story. I believe it is too much to read all at once. Also, it explores rhyming words so you could go from a grammar lesson to a rhyming lesson using the same book and switching gears.

[Alma Loredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces the different types of punctuation used in writing through a field day race. This is a great book to read to students in pieces as they learn about a new punctuation. This book can be read at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year just read pieces of the book as it may relate to subject. This book is also written in a rhyming pattern AABB for most of the book.

[Katy Houseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about punctuation. It explains ways to use: Periods, question marks, exclamation marks, comma, apostrophe, quotation marks, colon, semicolon, parentheses, ellipses, dash, and a hyphen. For each type of punctuation they explain what it does/how to use it, and it gives examples of it being used in a sentence. It is a fun and engaging book that will make children want to use every punctuation in their writng.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for punctuation mastery, especially for students who are sensory learners and have difficulty remembering, the rhyming makes it easier to retain the information. Each punctuation has a character/story to accompany it which reminded me of the "Meet the...[colors, shapes, numbers] dvd's where each concept is assigned a character/story which helps with retention and recall. This would be great as a reminder for older students as well as a refresher.

[Shannon Brasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to use when discussion different types of punctuation marks with students. I love how the book is entirely written as poems which might help the reader remember the purpose of each punctuation mark. Not only does the book educate students in an entertaining way, it also contains examples to show how to properly use each punctuation mark. This is a good book for a classroom library.