Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! Illustrated by
Bonnie Timmons. Putnam's, 2006. ISBN 0399244913. $15.99. 32 p.
Reviewer: Kate Reynolds
Reading Level: Primary, Intermediate, Young Adult
Rating: Excellent
Genre: Informational Books;
Subject: English language--Punctuation--Juvenile literature; Comma--Juvenile literature; Books-
-Reviews;
Truss has produced a children's book that is just as educational and humorous as her adult
book of the same name. In this book, however, she narrows her focus to, as she says, "the most
used and misused" of punctuation marks--the comma. She chooses thirteen sentences that change
drastically in meaning depending on where commas are, or are not, placed. Timmons' hilarious
illustrations of what each sentence is saying add to the fun. At the end of the book, Truss has a
more technical explanation of what each comma is doing in its sentence and how the meaning is
changed.
Younger children will enjoy the amusing pictures and can begin to understand the use of the comma, while other children will be able to grasp various rules governing comma usage. This book is a must-have for elementary schol classrooms--not to mention, many adults could do with the reminders presented as well.
