Me First!: Prefixes Lead the Way

Pulver and Reed (Punctuation Takes a Vacation, rev. 5/03; The Case of the Incapacitated Capitals, rev. 11/12; and others) add another title to their winning collection of grammar and language-arts books for elementary students. The prefixes (depicted in the collage illustrations in clay, paint, and colorful pipe cleaners) are excited because teacher Mr. Wright had "promised to REview PREfixes today." When he arrives at school dressed as President Lincoln, though, the prefixes worry that they have been forgotten by their teacher. Sure, Lincoln was a great leader, but as the prefix labeled "dis" says, "No DISrespect, but we're great leaders too!" When words with prefixes are used throughout the text, the prefix is written in capital letters, allowing readers to appreciate the role that prefixes play. (If there's any confusion, readers can turn to the endpapers for a refresher course.) Some of the more obscure rules of grammar are made clear so that even an adult might learn a little something: "But UNlike suffixes, we never change the spellings of our root words." Though the story line about Lincoln being modest and prefixes being too braggy is distracting, the silly speech-bubble dialogue and overall likability of the prefix characters carry the day. Rules of grammar can be difficult to remember, but these humorous books will surely help OVEReager teachers and UNexcited students (maybe even PREschoolers!) learn. robin smith

The prefixes (depicted in collage illustrations in clay, paint, and colorful pipe cleaners) are excited because their teacher had "promised to REview PREfixes today." When he arrives at school dressed as President Lincoln, though, the prefixes worry that they have been forgotten. The silly speech-bubble dialogue and overall likability of the prefix characters carry the day; the endpapers include a prefix refresher course.