Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day
Illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed

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Featured in Curriculum Connections Fall 2006

A Children's Book of the Month Club main selection (a main dual selection along with Punctuation Takes a Vacation)

"The creators of Punctuation Takes a Vacation 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 on their own. But having chosen like parts of speech for partners-- "Glue, Markers, and Tape stuck together. Shout wanted to be with Cheer.... It quickly becomes apparent that as oposing teams they can't actually do anything. Depicting the Nouns as objects and the Verbs as hyperactive v-shaped figures, Lynn Rowe Reed creates a set of high-energy scenes, climaxing in a Tug of Words and other contests once the participants figure out they'll work better mixed rather than matched. This playful introduction to words... closes with several simple exercises and games to get children into the act." -- Kirkus

ISBN: 0823419827

Author's Note:

Teachers' Guide Available!

Picture books are a collaboration among author, illustrator, and the editor who brings the author and illustrator together.

My editor, Mary Cash at Holiday House, suggested that I write a language-arts companion for Punctuation Takes a Vacation. She even suggested the title. I could only groan. Writing Punctuation was a long (although ultimately rewarding) struggle for me. I couldn't imagine doing this! But the idea chewed away at me, as good ideas tend to do.
I realized that TEAMWORK was the key. Nouns and Verbs need each other if they're going to have a Field Day of their own. Teamwork was my way into the story. Cooperation is valuable life skill we all need to learn. Growing up with three brothers, as well as a sister) helped me develop that skill. So I dedicated this book to my brothers David, Paul, and Will. (
Don't worry, my sister, Claire, already has a book dedicated to her--Axle Annie!)

Teachers and grammar lovers: Do you remember diagramming sentences and parts of speech? Try this book: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, by Kitty Burns Florey.