Whatever Says Mark ~ Knowing and Using Punctuation

Language on the Loose

by Terry Collins, Russ Cox (Illustrations)

Mark doesn't say much. And he never uses punctuation. He just doesn't see the need. Will he ever ask a question? Shout? Or pause? His new teacher, Mrs. Weatherspoon, knows!

Genres: Picture Books

24 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

I write. I teach. I teach writing. I write about teaching. I read about writing and write about reading and teach about both when not dealing with the paperwork being a high school educator demands in our current political clime. I'm National Board Certified in my discipline (English).

I've won awards, published constantly since 1989, and just wrapped up a two-year tenure as the editor and designer of Pine Whispers (the newsletter for the North Carolina Poetry Society).

I make time for reflection, which comes in handy with all of the hats I wear. I also buy, sell and collect pop culture items ... from books and comics, to lunch boxes and action figures.

And if you've read this far, please accept my humble thanks.

Reviews

[Erika Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Book Summary in your own words
Mark never uses punctuation. He doesn’t get excited. He doesn’t ask questions. Will he ever know the joy of using punctuation? Ask his teacher, Mrs. Weatherspoon.
2. Grade level, interest level, lexile
2-4
3. Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
English, Punctuation
4. Individual students who might benefit from reading
Students who need a little help with using punctuation correctly.
5. Small group use (literature circles)
In groups, students will try to have a discussion without any punctuation.
6. Whole class use (read aloud)
As a class, we will discuss how our group discussions could be made more clear with the use of punctuation and why.
7. Related books in genre/subject or content area
Frog. Frog? Frog!: Understanding Sentence Types (Language on the Loose) by Nancy Loewen
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver
8. Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdCOs...

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books uses a fun technique to teach children the importance of using punctuation. It is a story so it doesn't necessarily feel like learning. The illustrations are great too.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this book is freaking adorable. I feel like this book would be a great one to read with the class and encourage others to join in on the reading or ask questions as I am reading to see who can catch the significance of punctuation and where/how it could help Mark(main character) communicate effectively. I loved the bright and animated illustrations and Marks less than enthusiastic attitude. It makes it fun to read aloud and watch the kids react to the humor.

[Michael Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I likwd this book a lot and it shows a funny turn. It can teach children the importance of puncutation.

[Olivia Delisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good at explaining why punctuation is important but it didn't capture that character very well

[Rebecca Sofferman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young boy speaks without using punctuation, so no one can tell if he’s excited about anything. When he begins second grade, his teacher fills him in on all he’s been missing.

The illustrations in this book are bold and fun. Each page includes speech bubbles, which aren’t always all that conducive to read-alouds, but make the story engaging for students to read. The end of the book includes a page with information about how to use punctuation properly, some recommended related titles about punctuation, and an Internet link created by the publisher that leads to a site with some games and information about the book. This book can be used to teach students about the importance of punctuation, via an engaging, picture-book format. This would also be a good book for teaching students about how speech bubbles are used to enhance a story.

While I highly applaud the attempt to bring attention to the proper use of punctuation, something that my students sorely need, this book could have done a much better job. The student in the book has a massive personality reversal from a dull, uninterested kid (no punctuation in his text bubbles) to an engaged and excited kid (lots of question marks and exclamation points!) just because his second grade teacher encourages him to use punctuation. I feel the author could have made the book more amusing and engaging by including a little more information about the placement of commas and why that's so important. For example, “Let’s eat, Grandma!” vs “Let’s eat Grandma!” Many an Internet grammar meme could be mined for inspiration. Also, the main character also doesn’t use proper capitalization or apostrophes but that isn’t addressed in the book at all. The book was a little oversimplified and flat, and I think students will see it the same way.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark takes a long time to start talking as a baby and when he finally does, he doesn't use any punctuation -- no periods, commas, apostrophes, exclamation points or question marks. The examples in the text lacking punctuation are very clear and perfect for driving home the importance of punctuation for young readers. When Mark gets to second grade, his teacher explains why using punctuation is critical to communication and Mark's punctuation light bulb finally goes off.

I picked up this title, which is part of a series based on grammar and punctuation, to take a closer look before purchasing. It was recommended in SLJ's Series Made Simple, Fall 2013.

Recommended for school libraries and classroom use; best for grades 1 and 2.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good resource for parents and educators wanting to teach the importance of punctuation in verbal and written communication. The information presented at the end of the story would be best put in the forward though, so children can know more about the different punctuations they should be looking for while reading. A creative teacher can make this story very interactive with their class.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of explaining punctuation is a good one, but this book spends more time on the set up rather than the pay off.