  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/15/2013 *Starred Review* From the dynamic team that brought you Duck! Rabbit! (2009) comes this introduction to the most exuberant punctuation mark of all: the exclamation point. At first, !, a round circle with a face, doesn’t like standing out in a crowd; in a line-up of seven smiling faces, which look like period marks, he’s the only one with a line above his head. ! tries clever ways to fit in (flipping himself upside down, thereby squashing his tail) and even thinks about running away, until he meets a formidable force: the question mark. After a barrage of questions from ? (“Do you like frogs? Can you hula-hoop?”), ! finds his voice and tells him to “STOP!” From there, !’s confidence begins to grow and, soon, there’s no stopping his unbridled joy. The spare, clever illustrations—all round, black-outlined punctuation marks with faces—are set on the kind of thick-lined paper kindergarteners use, and the overall design effect is lovely. The text is similarly simple, but a change in the size and color of the font signifies important moments. With the celebrating-your-strengths angle, fun grammar lesson, and many classroom tie-in possibilities, this picture book deserves a !!!. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. School Library Journal - 02/01/2013 Gr 1–5—Through a perfect pairing of clever design and tongue-in-cheek humor, Rosenthal and Lichtenheld effectively demonstrate the function of the exclamation mark (as well as the period and question mark) in this tale about a depressed punctuation mark that just doesn't fit in. On an unadorned backdrop of lined paper, several periods and one exclamation mark are lined up in a row. Clearly, he stands out in a crowd. Like Elmer in David McKee's classic tale, the exclamation mark struggles with his difference and tries to blend in. When the downcast punctuation meets a question mark who overwhelms him with inquiries, our hero finally finds his voice and tells the other to "Stop!" From there, he builds his confidence in making declarative statements and leaves the group "to make his mark." Rosenthal shines in her play on words ("It was like he broke free from a life sentence"). Lichtenheld's minimalist style is deceivingly simple; a curlicue or crumpled line, combined with an amazingly impressive circle with eyes and a mouth, is all that's needed to convey emotion when the exclamation mark is "confused, flummoxed, and deflated." This fun-to-read tale will find a ready home in language-arts lessons, reminding burgeoning elementary-age writers which punctuation personality belongs in which type of sentence-without the tedium that accompanies traditional grammar lessons. This one is a must-have!!!—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, Farmington Hills, MI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2013 Finding it difficult to fit in with his period peers, an exclamation point ponders his place in life. A clue comes when a loquacious question mark barrages him with questions, finally eliciting his exasperated response of “Stop!” From there, he begins to discover his true purpose with further exclamations such as “Howdy!,” “Wow!,” and “Way to go!” After demonstrating his abilities to his period pals, “he went off . . . to make his mark.” Lichtenheld’s illustrations are the perfect vehicle for Rosenthal’s pithy, pun-filled text. The vertical line atop the exclamation mark’s simple, round face plays double duty as it coils, droops, or scrunches to express the various emotions of our hero. A simple background of cream-colored, blue-lined, primary-grade writing paper will immediately resonate with the target audience and keeps the spotlight on the boldly drawn, inky-black punctuation marks. The standard “be yourself” plotline is cleverly and playfully executed here, and the punctuation focus makes it useful for a number of curricular activities. This might be paired with Truss’s Eats, Shoots, & Leaves or used on its own as a warm-up to a punctuation lesson. JH - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
 |