Exclamation Mark

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Overview

From the bestselling creators of Duck! Rabbit!, an exciting tale of self-discovery!

A perfect gift for graduation!He stood out here. He stood out there. He tried everything to be more like them. It's not easy being seen. Especially when you're NOT like everyone else. Especially when what sets you apart is YOU.Sometimes we squish ourselves to fit in. We shrink. Twist. Bend. Until — ! — a friend shows the way to endless possibilities. In this bold and highly visual book, an emphatic but misplaced exclamation point learns that being different can be very exciting! Period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545436793
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2013
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	281,388
Product dimensions:	7.36(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.45(d)
Lexile:	360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tom Lichtenheld is the illustrator of New York Times bestsellers Duck! Rabbit!, Exclamation Mark, Steam Train, Dream Train, Shark vs. Train, Mighty, Mighty Construction Site, and Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, which has been on the bestseller list for over three years. He has also written and illustrated a number of books, including What Are You So Grumpy About?, Cloudette, and E-mergency, a Publishers Weekly and Boston Globe Best Book of 2011. For more information, visit him at tomlichtenheld.com.

AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL was the author of the memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life and the children’s books Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, illustrated by Jane Dyer; One of Those Days, illustrated by Rebecca Doughty; and Little Pea, illustrated by Jen Corace.

Editorial Reviews

This slight story is an amusing and effective exploration of the "ugly duckling" premise…the energetic graphic illustrations kept me smiling and turning the pages.

The New York Times Book Review - Michael Ian Black

Rosenthal and Lichtenheld (the team behind Duck! Rabbit! and other titles) give punctuation personalities in this witty calligraphic jaunt. Against a background of lined penmanship paper, an exclamation mark realizes he differs from his neighbors, a neat row of periods. Like them, he consists of a smiley face drawn in swooshes of expressive black ink, but above his head stands a resolute vertical dash. He twists and curls his topper to no avail, until—“Hello? Who are you?”—an inquisitive question mark appears. Bothered by the newcomer’s incessant queries (“When’s your birthday? Know any good jokes?”), the hero bellows a spread-shaking “Stop!” and discovers his talent for assertions, from “Hi!” to “Wow!” and “Look what I can do!” Thanks to savvy design, the exclamation mark’s announcements are printed in different sizes and colors to subtly indicate emphasis and tone, yet the mark never meets others like himself and therefore never suffers from overuse. With a restraint that’s more declaratory than exclamatory, Rosenthal and Lichtenheld cleverly raise awareness of the ways punctuation conveys mood. Ages 4–8. Agent: Amy Rennert, the Amy Rennert Agency, (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Exclamation Mark*"Punctuation with pizzazz . . . Funny and spirited (and secretly educational, but nobody will notice)." —Kirkus, starred review*"With the celebrating-your-strengths angle, fun grammar lesson, and many classroom tie-in possibilities, this picturebook deserves a !!!" —Booklist, starred review*"A perfect pairing of clever design and tongue-in-cheek humor . . . This one is a must-have!!!" —School Library Journal, starred review"Rosenthal and Lichtenheld (the team behind Duck! Rabbit! and other titles) give punctuation personalities in this witty calligraphic jaunt . . . cleverly rais[ing] awareness of the ways punctuation conveys mood." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Gr 1–5—Through a perfect pairing of clever design and tongue-in-cheek humor, Rosenthal and Lichtenheld effectively demonstrate the function of the exclamation mark (as well as the period and question mark) in this tale about a depressed punctuation mark that just doesn't fit in. On an unadorned backdrop of lined paper, several periods and one exclamation mark are lined up in a row. Clearly, he stands out in a crowd. Like Elmer in David McKee's classic tale, the exclamation mark struggles with his difference and tries to blend in. When the downcast punctuation meets a question mark who overwhelms him with inquiries, our hero finally finds his voice and tells the other to "Stop!" From there, he builds his confidence in making declarative statements and leaves the group "to make his mark." Rosenthal shines in her play on words ("It was like he broke free from a life sentence"). Lichtenheld's minimalist style is deceivingly simple; a curlicue or crumpled line, combined with an amazingly impressive circle with eyes and a mouth, is all that's needed to convey emotion when the exclamation mark is "confused, flummoxed, and deflated." This fun-to-read tale will find a ready home in language-arts lessons, reminding burgeoning elementary-age writers which punctuation personality belongs in which type of sentence-without the tedium that accompanies traditional grammar lessons. This one is a must-have!!!—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, Farmington Hills, MI

School Library Journal

Punctuation with pizzazz. How does an exclamation mark learn his purpose? Pre-readers and readers alike will giggle and cheer to see the process. The setting is a warm yellowish beige background with a faint pulpy pattern and repeating horizontal lines with dotted lines halfway between them--penmanship paper. Each bold, black punctuation mark has a minimalist yet expressive face inside its circular dot. "He stood out," explains the first page, as the titular protagonist looks on doubtfully. He tries hanging around with periods, but squishing his extension down into a spring doesn't really work; even prostrate, "he just wasn't like everyone else. Period." (Hee! Rosenthal gleefully puns instead of naming any punctuation.) Mournful, "confused, flummoxed, and deflated," the exclamation mark's line tangles and flops. Then someone unexpected arrives. "Hello? Who are you?" queries the newbie, jovially pummeling the exclamation mark with 17 manic inquiries at once. "Stop!" screams the exclamation mark in enormous, bumpy-edged letters--and there's his identity! The outburst's anxious vibe dissipates immediately (and the question mark is undaunted by being yelled at). Finally, the protagonist has "[broken] free from a life sentence." Snapping up usages that match his newfound personality, he zooms back to show the other punctuation marks. The zippy relationship between exclamation mark and question mark continues beyond the acknowledgements page. Funny and spirited (and secretly educational, but nobody will notice). (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews