Periods say "stop"

Stop right there. Catch your breath. A.S.A.P. The periods in this informational picture book are here to tell you just how their type of punctuation works. They don't have time for vacations, like commas, or holidays, like exclamation points, or coffee breaks, like question marks. Straightforward text explains that periods are always busy telling readers when to end sentences and avoid run-on strings of words; a wave of unpunctuated text flooding the pages offers a good metaphor. The text also relates how periods indicate abbreviations. Set against bright pinks, reds, and blues in digital, geometric illustrations, oversize and comic-style dots add more punctuation details and plenty of amusement through conversational speech bubbles. A concluding Points about the Period spread provides a visual round-up of period usage in declarative sentences, imperative sentences, abbreviations, personal titles, personal initials, and telling time. Pair with Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Exclamation Mark (2013) for another rousing look at punctuation. Now, as the periods suggest, go take a break.--Angela Leeper Copyright 2010 Booklist

Dahl and Garbutt launch a punctuation series with this look at an essential mark: the period.A period clad in a hard hat introduces readers to its job, though other periods also interject their two cents in dialogue bubbles. Dahl emphasizes the sentence-ending job of a period, devoting a few pages to its use in abbreviations. Garbutt poses the roly-poly periods, who sport stick arms and legs and expressive faces, in humorous situations. For instance, they are menaced by a threatening run-on-sentence tsunami or exhausted when a bunch of text doesn't offer a place to stop and take a breath. The pink, purple, and blue palette gives the book a retro feel; text that is not a part of the story plays a role in providing readers with examples. Though diligent and not without a sense of fun, the book is not a total success. Small but vital details in the pictures make this difficult to share with large groups or entire classes, limiting its usefulness, and while some parts are a bit funny, it's not likely kids will choose this on their own. Backmatter includes a summary of the period's uses, a glossary, scant lists of resources for further information, and three critical thinking questions. Publishing simultaneously are Commas Say "Take a Break", Exclamation Points Say "Wow!", and Question Marks Say "What?".Fills the bill for small-group educational settings, but its audience is limited. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.