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THE GIRL’S LIKE SPAGHETTI

WHY, YOU CAN’T MANAGE WITHOUT APOSTROPHES!

Truss follows up her hilarious guide to comma placement with a sequel focusing on the trickier concept of apostrophes. She begins with a two-page introduction explaining the use of the apostrophe in possessives, contractions and in the challenging choice of “its” vs. “it’s.” Each consecutive spread follows the simple but clever layout used in the preceding volume, using a minimum of text with large, appealing illustrations in Timmons’s distinctive, understated style. The left-hand page shows a simple sentence or phrase without the use of the apostrophe, while the facing page adds an apostrophe that changes the meaning. For example, in “the dogs like my dad,” several dogs cavort around a man with wild hair and a beard. In “the dog’s like my dad,” the hairy man is walking just one dog with similar red hair. Some sentence pairs are whimsical while others are laugh-out-loud funny, but the entire text is easy to understand through the charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations. The final spread shows each of the previous pages in miniature with short explanations of the grammatical terms and issues. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10)

Pub Date: July 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-399-24706-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007

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WILD, WILD WOLVES

At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-679-91052-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992

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GOONEY BIRD GREENE

Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-618-23848-4

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002

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