Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb?

Words Are CATegorical ®

by Brian P. Cleary, Brian Gable (Illustrator)

Adverbs tell us when and how. Like, quickly, do your homework now!

Bursting with adverbs, this addition to the Words Are CATegorical(R) series creatively clarifies the concept of adverbs for young readers with delightfully playful rhymes and extremely humorous illustrations. For easy identification, adverbs are printed in color and key words are illustrated on each page.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book does an almost adequate job of introducing the concept of adverbs to grade school children. It covers the questions adverbs answer clearly; mentions how they modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs; and leads the child to a conclusion question, "So, what is an adverb? Do you know?" The child can then construct their own definition rather than rely on memorizing a definition provided by the book. It also accomplishes this with fun rhymes and highlights the adverbs with different colors of text. The book doesn't quite work in my mind for two reasons. First, because it uses the word "modify" with no explanation. Most children who could learn and benefit from the introduction offered here need help understanding the concept of a modifier. Secondly, when he addresses usage by explaining that "the adjective's 'good,' the adverb is 'well," he is incorrect. "Well," both an adverb and an adjective, deserves a better explanation, and may be better saved for students above the elementary level.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text: 5 stars
Illustrations: 4 stars

Part of the Words Are CATegorical series. Outstanding children's nonfiction picture book about adverbs. Discusses the functions of adverbs and provides solid explanations of the various types of adverbs, with examples. Distinguishes between "good" and "well," which is tricky for many people.

The rhyming text makes learning fun and is surprisingly clear. The cartoon-like art style also adds to the kid appeal of the book and helps to make the education more interesting for children. The illustrations provide excellent visual support for the concepts presented in the book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition in this series. Adverbs are hard for kids (and some adults like me) to understand. This book is helpful and the boys were able to identify examples, but I can tell we're still shaky on them.

A great start. Very useful. But dang it, adverbs are tricky. Recommended.

[Anthony Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true wonder that teaches kids exactly what an adverb is and does. From hardly doing homework to somewhat afraid adverbs are taught in a fun and entertaining way that uses rhymes and adorable characters to bring life into what can be a very dry subject.

I love this book and the way that it clearly lays out what an adverb is, how to use it, and exactly what it's job is. The artwork in this book is amazing and it keeps you laughing and paying attention throughout the book.

I think this book would be a great addition to a classroom to teach English or even English as a second language.

[Kylee Champlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short picture book that covers adverbs through the acting of animals and everyday life. This would be a good book for middle elementary to begin learning about parts of speech. It is vibrant with illustrations and keeps the students engaged.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!!! This book was fun and easy to read. My kids enjoyed the rhyming text and exciting illustrations. It was a nice refresher on adverbs for my third grader, and a fun introduction for my kindergartener.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for teachers

I used this to wrap up the adverbs unit in my class via distance learning. It's fantastic and the illustrations are marvelous.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone please buy me this whole set for my future classroom! My only complaint is the design of the letters were a little hard for my student to read.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a series on English grammar for kids . . . this one is all about adverbs!

[Katie Wellard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun learning

Kiddo and I greatly enjoy these books by Brian P. Clearly. They are a quick way to learn. They are always funny and sincerely appreciated.

[Shelby Rollenhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all the others in this series, I got these to share with my children as a fun and cute way to discuss language and have not been disappointed. They are cute and engaging for kids.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really enjoy Brian P. Cleary's books. He makes learning fun, and this is a silly and humorous rhyming book about adverbs. His books really entertain children while teaching them basic concepts; our girls really like them. The illustrations by Brian Gable are cartoony and cute, too - we love the cats.

We've read several of the books in the Words are CATegorical series and we've really enjoyed them. We will certainly look for more books by this author/illustrator team at our local library.

[Karelle Royal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book to use when teaching about adverbs.
Funny and silly scenarios that will have students LOL.
Great illustrations & lots of rhyming words.
Teaches students how to use adverbs to describe various verbs.
Good for teaching poetry as well.
Art: can have students act out verbs in a game of charades during class.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever hated grammar never read this book! This was sooo much fun to read! I am going to buy it to keep as a reference book for the kids as they all progress through the study of the English language. I cannot heap enough praise on this book!

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great informational book about adverbs. Students can learn what an adverb is, how to use them, and what adverbs actually tells. Several examples of the adverbs are shown throughout the book with different colors and endings. This would be perfect for teaching students adverbs.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great. The text is well-written and does a nice job explaining adverbs. I didn't care for the illustrations, but I guess that's not too important in this type of book.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a great job of showing what an adverb is and how it is used in a sentence. The illustrations are colorful, silly and aid the text. The rhymes make it easy and fun to read. Love the whole series.

[Lidra West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian CLeary has become my favorite auther. This book help student grasp the understanding of adverbs in a fun yet educational way. Cleary books are excellent for classroom lessons.

[lola Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

a terrific book that explains adverbs better than most of my teachers ever did.

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun English grammar book by Brian P. Cleary and introducing young children to adverbs by using them in silly rhyming sentences and accompanying goofy cartoon characters.

[Annette Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my comments on Hairy, Scary, Ordinary... All these books are available at the library.

[Amber]

I am shelving this book with the other books by him. I really like all his books! I want them in my teaching books shelves

[Ebony Hargett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great text to teach adverbs and uses rhyming poetry with entertaining illustrations. Great resource for the elementary level writer.

[Fariba Aadelvand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduces, explains, and gives ex/s of adeverbs
. Loved it

[Murlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the book approaches learning about adverbs. Children get excited about the rhyming words and the pictures.

[Alana Arlequin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book. All of the adverbs are written in a different color than the rest of the text in the sentence.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book used in a Special Ed class to promote writing. Great story and a fun read to capture student's attention. There is a series of this books to work with and read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for introducing or reinforcing adverbs. Gives a lot of examples with silly illustrations.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent way to teach children about adverbs. And fun too!

[Emmaus Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A playful way to introduce adverbs to beginning readers and to just have fun with words with your pre-schooler.

Part of the Words Are CATegorical series to introduce parts of speech.