The Punctuation Station
Grade 1–3—An amiable family of giraffes takes a train trip from Period Plaza Station to Punctuation Station. Along the way, they learn the grammatical rules governing the proper use of the period, comma, apostrophe, question mark, hyphen, exclamation point, and quotation marks. Each punctuation mark is displayed and labeled in colored print, accompanied by rhyming instructions on when and where it is used. The explanations are written in clear and simple language. "The comma is a curly mark./It makes us pause a bit/before a word or phrase, you see./You separate with it." To reinforce the lesson, the giraffes demonstrate the rule in their conversation, which appears in dialogue balloons. The illustrations also incorporate signs and posters showing the properly used punctuation marks. The vibrant art captures the energy of the bustling station crowded with a variety of cartoon animal travelers and the excitement of the train ride itself. A helpful glossary contains brief definitions and sample sentences. Pair this informative and entertaining title with Elsa Knight Bruno's poeticPunctuation Celebration(Holt, 2009).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.