Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Lynne Truss (Author), Bonnie Timmons (Illustrator)

Book Description

Illuminating the comical confusion the lowly comma can cause, this new edition of Eats, Shoots & Leaves uses lively, subversive illustrations to show how misplacing or leaving out a comma can change the meaning of a sentence completely.

This picture book is sure to elicit gales of laughter—and better punctuation—from all who read it.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Truss's picture-book version of her adult bestseller tackles the topic of commas and what can go wrong when they are misused. The title is derived from an old joke in which a panda misunderstands correct panda behavior after reading a poorly punctuated wildlife guide. Versions of two identically worded sentences are presented side by side, demonstrating the difference in meaning achieved when a comma is added or subtracted. Timmons's humorous watercolor cartoons bring the point home. In one spread, the sentence on the left (Look at that huge hot dog!) is illustrated with a gigantic sausage, while that on the right (Look at that huge, hot dog!) shows a tall, sweltering canine. The author cleverly selects examples with the potential for comical (and grammatically correct) revisions. Endnotes elaborate on comma usage in more technical terms. While a title on grammar may need hand selling, both read-aloud audiences and independent readers will discover the potent possibilities of punctuation. More specific than Robin Pulver's Punctuation Takes a Vacation (Holiday House, 2003), Truss's work is sure to spark creative assignments in elementary composition curriculums.–Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Among popular nonfiction titles for adults adapted for younger audiences, this picture book based on Truss' 2004 best-seller about punctuation may be a surprise, considering most kids' indifference to the topic. Yet it proves very effective, thanks to entertaining repackaging that narrows the original's broad purview to the comma, and focuses on cartoonist Timmons' interpretations of humorous comma-related goofs akin to the one referenced by the title (the punchline of an old joke about a panda, here set in a library rather than a bar). While dissolving into giggles over the change in meaning between "Eat here, and get gas," or "Eat here and get gas" (likely to be the most popular of the 14 sentence pairs given), children will find themselves gaining an instinctive understanding of the "traffic signals of language," even without the concluding spread explaining the whys and wherefores. This is a no-brainer for language arts class, but also recommend it to fans of Jon Agee's books of palindromes, William Steig's delightful alphabet rebuses, or introductory grammar books by Brian Cleary. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399244913
• ASIN: B0013L4DEY
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for language arts teachers, August 8, 2006

By 

Margaret Silver "teacher, parent, reader, edu... (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! (Hardcover)

If you are tired of explaining and re-explaining the importance of punctuation in writing, then this is the book for you. I originally purchased the "adult" version of this book, and while it is very clever, it is not appropriate for my students. This book, however, is perfect for my learning disabled 7th graders. Lynne Truss makes it quite clear why teachers are so picky about commas--they totally change the meaning of the sentence. The pictures help make it even more obvious that to get across the exact message, the writer must watch punctuation marks. The probably crude "gas sentence" is especially appealing to 7th grade boys. As a middle school teacher, I am no longer shocked or upset by crude pictures, statements, writing. It comes with the age group.

The endnotes that explain the rule for each picture add to the educational content.

This is another purchase I made over the summer--see "This is the Teacher"--that will be used and enjoyed by my middle school students. Nowadays students want to be entertained at school. Children will easily be entertained while learning the rules of grammar.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for kids, July 27, 2006

By 

Anne Lamott "Annie" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! (Hardcover)

I just bought this book for my eight-year-old granddaughter, but I think I laughed about as much as she did. The artist's drawings are clever and funny, and illustrate a simple sentence to show what happens when a comma moves or isn't used properly. The book also has short explanations at the back of the book in case you're not, as I am not, an expert at punctuation rules and grammar. I hope Truss and Timmons explain a great deal more of grammar. They made commas great fun for my granddaughter--and for me!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Learning Tool., November 28, 2006

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! (Hardcover)

Based upon the much longer "adult" book by the same name, EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES takes a cue from its progenitor and attempts to illustrate to kids the importance of commas and using them properly. The book has a series of illustrations accompanying each of the sentences to vividly display the different meanings in the sentences because of the commas. For instance, one of the sentences says, "Eat here, and get gas" and is accompanied by an illustration of a gas and food place. The next page says, "Eat here and get gas" and shows a scene in a restaurant with a person flying in the air because of a belch. The comparison might seem crude for older readers, but for children and juveniles it makes the point quite clear. At the end of the book there are two pages explaining the differences between each of the sentences and why the comma placement is so important. Overall, this is a great book to illustrate "why, commas really do make a difference." It's geared more towards children in Pre-K--5th grades, but from experience I know that it could be very useful as a tool in some middle school and even high school English language arts classes.