Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Grade 1-3–Truss's picture-book version of her adult bestseller tackles the topic of commas and what can go wrong when they are misused. The title is derived from an old joke in which a panda misunderstands correct panda behavior after reading a poorly punctuated wildlife guide. Versions of two identically worded sentences are presented side by side, demonstrating the difference in meaning achieved when a comma is added or subtracted. Timmons's humorous watercolor cartoons bring the point home. In one spread, the sentence on the left (Look at that huge hot dog!) is illustrated with a gigantic sausage, while that on the right (Look at that huge, hot dog!) shows a tall, sweltering canine. The author cleverly selects examples with the potential for comical (and grammatically correct) revisions. Endnotes elaborate on comma usage in more technical terms. While a title on grammar may need hand selling, both read-aloud audiences and independent readers will discover the potent possibilities of punctuation. More specific than Robin Pulver'sPunctuation Takes a Vacation(Holiday House, 2003), Truss's work is sure to spark creative assignments in elementary composition curriculums.–Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.