Visual Guide to Grammar and Punctuation

It does my traditionalist heart good to see a grammar book targeting young readers. It does my grandma's heart good to see it done with colorful illustrations and simplified explanations. Simply put, this is an extremely useful and enjoyable book. Whether you start at the beginning to work through it sequentially or use it as a reference book for different topics, you are going to pick up a lot of GUM (grammar, usage, mechanics). Each page or pair of pages introduces a new grammar or punctuation topic. There is a short instructional heading and then lots of examples; each with its own picture. The three sections – parts of speech, sentences/clauses, and punctuation are color-coded and peppered with handy tips, quizzes, reminders of common mistakes and little rhymes to help you remember all those important but tricky points. Please note that midst the pictures of dogs, animals, household items, and children, there are a couple that might cause you to do a double-take. One is a “wizard" (identified as a noun for things that aren't real) who would look like Santa Claus in a different costume. Another is a child in a ghost costume in order to illustrate exclamations (How scary!). There is a complete glossary and index in the back. 127 pgs, hc. ~ Janice