Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/15/2017 Meet Verb. “Verb is happy.” And then there is Noun. “Noun can’t DO like Verb. But Noun can BE.” While Interjection, Adjective, and Adverb watch amazed as Noun shows his ability to become a person, place, or thing, Verb is not impressed. When Noun turns into a unicorn amid the oohs and aahs of his word friends, Verb sulks. Suddenly, Interjection shouts, “BEE!” and all run and hide from the enormous and vicious-looking bee, except for Noun, who “can’t DO anything.” But Verb, who recognizes her own strengths despite her envy of Noun’s abilities, comes to the rescue. In this grammatical contest for power, Lehrhaupt puts personified parts of speech to work in his playful demonstration of word usage. Colored-coded dialogue matches up to each part of speech, expect for Noun, who just is. Chapman’s cartoonish artwork features exuberant, brightly colored figures gamboling about a verdant playground, and the endpapers include a more detailed explanation of the parts of speech featured in the book. A playful enhancement to a language arts lesson. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2017 Gr 1—4—Lehrhaupt and Chapman have created a story to help young readers understand parts of speech. Readers are introduced to Verb, a vivacious red girl with long pigtails and a big black "V" on her sweater. She DOES things such as climbing and twirling and is full of action. Then readers meet Noun, a blue boy who doesn't DO but can BE; he can be a dinosaur, an Egyptian ruler, or a roller coaster. Verb is jealous of Noun and all his different and amazing iterations, but when a large bee swoops in to harm him, she springs into action for a thrilling rescue. Interjection, Adverb, and Adjective are represented by three differently shaded children who serve as a Greek chorus by standing on the sidelines and making observations in keeping with their names. "Wow!" says Interjection. "Big, scary teeth," observes Adjective. "Brilliantly done," states Adverb. Chapman makes great use of color, relying on deep green for the background and character-specific hues for the parts of speech. This teaching tool for budding grammarians shines best when defining nouns and verbs. The other three parts of speech are more subtle, and their interplay in the book doesn't always work. VERDICT A supplemental purchase where needed.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.