Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions (World of Language) [Paperback]

Ruth Heller (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: World of Language

Through clever, rhyming text and boldly colorful illustrations, students and language lovers of all ages will enjoy exploring Ruth Heller's world of prepositions. "To say that Heller has a way with words is to understate a multifaceted talent."-- Publishers Weekly "Rhyming text...provides many examples of prepositions as well as some rules of usage. Large, colorful drawings illustrate the words imaginatively." -- Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-4. From the series that includes Kites Sail High: A Book about Verbs (1988) and A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns (1989), this volume explores yet another part of speech: prepositions. Although the rhyming text contorts sentence structure from time to time, it provides many examples of prepositions (printed in large, blue type) as well as some rules of usage. Large, colorful drawings illustrate the words imaginatively. While a child alone might find the text confusing, the many teachers who use the series will probably enjoy reading this book aloud to introduce or illustrate prepositions in their classrooms. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Heller's survey of prepositions provides early learners with basic grammar insights, using rhyming text and colorful illustrations to define prepositions and how they're used. Parental intervention will assist in the process of a child's understanding of the ideas; but the color and rhyme goes a long way towards solidifying a somewhat challenging concept. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698116984
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116986
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Logic & Language
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > Language Arts > Grammar
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > Words

More About the Author

"Writing and illustrating my own books have given me the opportunity to choose subjects of interest to me."--Ruth HellerAfter receiving a fine arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley and completing two years of graduate work in design at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Ruth Heller began her career designing wrapping paper, cocktail napkins, greeting cards, and coloring books. After five years of rejection and one complete revision, Heller's first book, Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, about egg-laying animals, was published in 1981. It was so successful that the sequel, and second book to be published, Animals Born Alive And Well (1982), about mammals, quickly followed. In 1983 and 1984, her third and fourth titles, The Reason For A Flower (about plants that have seeds and flowers) and Plants That Never Ever Bloom (about plants that do not) were published.She then began work on a collection of six books, the How To Hide series on camouflage and the magic of this phenomenon in nature, which covered the entire animal kingdom -- insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and sea creatures. The next collection of books became a five-volume series on parts of speech: A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns; Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs; Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book About Adjectives; Merry-Go- Round: A Book About Nouns; and Up, Up and Away: A Book About Adverbs. She also wrote and illustrated the unique and fascinating book Color, a charming and instructive guide to how art goes through the four color printing process.Among the notable people who have had an influence on Heller's writing have been: Ogden Nash, Gilbert and Sullivan, Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc, and Dr. Seuss. Heller says of her work, "All my books are nonfiction picture books in rhyme. I find writing in rhyme enjoyable and challenging, and I think it is an easy way for children to learn new facts and acquire a sophisticated vocabulary. Children are not intimidated by big words. I try to make my writing succinct and allow the illustrations to convey as much information as possible."On October 31, 1995, Grosset & Dunlap continues Heller's parts-of-speech books with the publication of Behind the Mask: A Book About Prepositions, a clever, thoughtful, eye-pleasing explanation of just how prepositions tell us about the "when" and "where" of things.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 3, 2000

By 

Lisa Dobbs - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions (World of Language) (Paperback)

As a soon to be teacher, I am a member of a Children's Book of the Month Club and this book, along with the book on pronouns, was sent to me by mistake. I have never heard of these books before. I thought they were wonderful. They even taught me about prepositions. I am going to collect all the books in the series because I think this is a great tool to have in the classroom. I don't have any children yet, but I know this is also a great book to have at home. Thank you Ruth Heller for coming up with these great books.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Teacher's Point of view, February 17, 2000

By 

Polly Underwood (Muskogee, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions (World of Language) (Paperback)

Ruth Heller's book, Behind the Mask offers teachers a way to review one of the basic parts of speech, pronouns, with middle schoolers in a way that is painless and often amusing. Students who don't like to study grammar will often refer to parts of her delightful poems in answer to questions. She addresses more than one type of pronoun: for example the two and three word pronouns. She also addresses the problems of confusing pronouns used at the end of sentences with adverbs. All in all, her books are delightful for upper as well as lower grade students to read. If you teach grammar, this is one of the must have books for your classroom!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for the ages, June 12, 2007

By 

Sharron A. Bortz "Literacy through literature" (McGrath, AK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Behind The Mask: A Book About Prepositions (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (World of Language (Prebound)) (School & Library Binding)

I love almost any book done by Ruth Heller. Her illustrations are dynamically colorful and enchanting, and her real magic is that she only wrote and illustrated non-fiction books. I bought this book because as a librarian for a School of Education it was a book, and part of a set, I wanted all future teachers to know about. Now as a new grandmother, it is an important part of the library collection I want to share with my grandchildren. Because it is written in lovely verse, and is colorful, the books is wonderful for even the very young children. Because of the complete coverage of prepositions, far beyond the intricacies of grammar that I usually remember, it can be used with high-school students. It should not be eliminated from use in the high school classroom because it is a picture book. Even adults enjoy beautiful, colorful pictures and high school students will be just as intrigued. They can also learn all there is to know about prepositions.