[.ca] Punctuation Takes a Vacation (ISBN 0823416879)

this book is not racist:
I was dismayed and saddened to see the customer review saying that this book is racist. That comment reveals more about the "politically correct" sensibilities of the reader, I suspect, than about the spirit of the book as a whole. We will truly be a healthy society when people of all colors and sexes can be depicted in all their humanity, both good and bad. It would have been all right, I suppose, for Mr. Rongo to be white and Mr. Wright to be darker-skinned. What are we to make of the fact that the punctuation marks themselves have yellow, pink, green, and blue faces? Is there an insidious message there, as well? I wish we could all relax a little, enjoy a sweet and clever book, and and stop being so ready to find offense.

Rip Roarin' Grammar Romp.....:
"Day after day, the punctuation marks showed up in Mr. Wright's classroom. Day after day, they did their jobs. They put up with being erased and replaced and corrected and ignored and moved around. Then on the hottest, stickiest day the class had ever seen, right in the middle of a lesson about commas, Mr Wright mopped his forehead and said, "Let's give punctuation a vacation..." Those cruel kids cheered and ran out to the playground. The punctuation marks looked at each other in disbelief and grew angry, very angry. If the kids could take a break, well they could too. And with that, they rushed out the door and left school on a little vacation of their own. When Mr. Wright's class returned, they discovered a big problem. They couldn't read or write or learn. In fact, nothing made any sense at all without punctuation. A few days later, some rather unusual postcards began to arrive from Take-a-Break Lake..... Author, Robin Pulver's zany and engaging story is a lesson in disguise, filled with droll humor, clever wordplay, silly sound effects, and lively punctuation fun. Lynn Rowe Reed's bold, bright, and busy childlike illustrations are playful and entertaining. Together, word and art offer a delightful, manic romp that's perfect for story time, or as a help reinforcing grammar lessons. With a straightforward list of rules at the end to complete this manic, fun-filled treasure, Punctuation Takes A Vacation is a delightful crowd pleaser, and kids 6-10 may find that punctuation lessons will never be boring again.

Racially Disrespectful:
I rescently read this book to my two very young and impressionable daughters. It was supposed to be for their enjoyment but turned out to be quite disappointing. The information on punctuation is expressed well enough for the average child to understand however the subtle racist ideas that this book promotes was more than obvious to my five and eight year old homeschooled, ethnic daughters. The idea that Mr. Wright's class (a caucasion man and teacher) was well organized, orderly and propper as the marks of punctuation can do for anyones writing once they know how to use them: And that Mr. Rongo's class (a man and teacher of color) was wild and disorderly with marks of punctuation that didn't know there propper place, was easily detected by my daughters as well as myself. I was outraged. I am not sure that the author took into account the intelligence level of the children that would read her book and discover the subtle racial sterio type it engenders. Nor do I think that she considered that any parents would read it, see it and know it for what it is. I would not refer this book to anyone with a racially moral conscience. It is too disturbing to learn how early the racism is instilled in our young and on what level they are promoting it.

A World Without Punctuation?:
This is a great tool for showing children the importance of punctuation in a fun format. In this book a teacher decides to give punctuation a vacation. Postcards arrive and the reader has to guess which form of punctuation wrote it to the class. Children are able to make connections to the chaos of not having punctuation and how it impacts understanding. Fortunately, punctuation returns and classroom life is much improved. I recommend this book.