Publishers Weekly
In a follow-up to Punctuation Takes a Vacation (which PW called an "entertaining tale-cum-grammar lesson"), Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day by Robin Pulver, illus. by Lynn Rowe Reed, Mr. Wright's class similarly lets nouns and verbs wreak havoc (e.g., " `Listen!' said a verb"; " `Window!' said a noun"). Thick, rainbow-bright brushstrokes bring the students, nouns and verbs to life. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-Pulver and Reed introduced grammar in a playful way with Punctuation Takes a Vacation (Holiday House, 2003), and their instructional romp continues here with animated words that are brightly colored, boldly labeled, and packed with personality. Hunting for nouns and verbs is a daily routine in Mr. Wright's classroom. When the students go outside for Field Day, the envious words come to life, determined to have their own good time. Teams are formed; verbs stick with verbs and proper nouns, long nouns, and pronouns pair off, yet these exclusive groups prove ineffective. In order to have fun and to form sentences, they will have to mingle with new partners, an arrangement that proves so successful that the nouns and verbs have their own uproarious Field Day. The students return and discover that the words are in brand-new locations, resulting in mayhem that is reminiscent of that in Bill Martin, Jr.'s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (S & S, 1989) and Laurie Keller's The Scrambled States of America (Holt, 1998). Humorous text bubbles enhance the lesson, along with a final page of supplementary exercises, tongue twisters, and a riddle. Just like the energetic verbs that strut across the pages, this book is "where the action is."-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The creators of Punctuation Takes a Vacation (2003) sentence readers to a good time with this follow-up. Feeling left out after the children in Mr. Wright's class thunder outside for a Field Day, the nouns and verbs left in the classroom decide to organize events of their own. But having chosen like parts of speech for partners-"Glue, Markers and Tape stuck together. Shout wanted to be with Cheer. So did Chew and Eat."-it quickly becomes apparent that as opposing teams they can't actually do anything. Depicting the Nouns as objects and the Verbs as hyperactive v-shaped figures, Rowe creates a set of high-energy scenes, climaxing in a Tug of Words and other contests once the participants figure out that they'll work better mixed rather than matched. This playful introduction to words recalls Ruth Heller's Kites Sail High (1998) and Merry-Go-Round (1990) for liveliness, and closes with several simple exercises and games to get children into the act. (Picture book. 6-8)
From the Publisher
"Pulver's humorous offering presents an appropriately athletic point of access to an often too-dry subject."—The Horn Book
"Reed’s vividly colored cartoons capture the high-energy activity, showing triangular-shaped verbs smiling, hopping, and whining their way through the story, accompanied by a variety of animated classroom objects. Although the emphasis is on silliness, Pulver makes her point about the parts of speech; even the youngest listeners will realize that sentences need both nouns and verbs in order to make sense."—Booklist
School Library Journal - Audio
Gr 1–3—Mr. Wright's students like to play a game with nouns and verbs, so their classroom walls are filled with them. On Field Day, when they are out of the room, the nouns and verbs decide to have a field day of their own and form teams. Unfortunately, like seeks like and they soon discover that nobody can win if your team consists of just nouns or verbs. Working together, however, offers the possibility of success. John Beach reads Pulver's rollicking story (Holiday House, 2006) with gusto, turning the nouns and verbs into individuals. Readers can enjoy his verbal high jinks while flipping the pages and diving into Lynn Rowe Reed's bold, kid-friendly illustrations. While it is occasionally a bit annoying that every word and letter in the jam-packed illustrations is read aloud, often resulting in duplication, this is a minor quibble. Those following along will doubtless enjoy searching for the words being read. Teachers will appreciate this joyous celebration of parts of speech and will find this a fun set for classroom use.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA
