Customer Reviews

Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? (Words Are Categorical)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a teacher of third graders, I've used this book and "A MINK, A FINK, A SKATING RINK: WHAT IS A NOUN?" to teach and delight my students, and to take some of the tedium out of parts of speech. Within a day or so of introducing these books, all 27 of my group knew the difference between the major parts of speech. We found out that Mr. Cleary has a website, and I printed out some word-building worksheets off it for free, and a took away a couple of suggestions on how integrate teaching nouns with a fun art project, called the noun quilt, in which each letter of the alphabet has a noun, as in B, BOOT, C, CAT and the students draw the item and eventually it becomes this big old paper quilt full of nouns. His publisher assures me that TO ROOT, TO TOOT, TO PARACHUTE: WHAT IS A VERB? will be in soon, and it's a no-brainer that I'll get that as well.

This is a great book. It's a neat tool to teach with, and also an interesting trip through the world of adjectives. I think Brian P. Cleary may well be on his way to that rarefied place in children's literature occupied by those manic, witty rhymers Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. I like how the adjectives are colored to stand out more, and how the book uses language and words that stretch the young reader and never talks down to them. I originally got hooked on the pun series he did with Rick Dupre (illustrator) a few years back, which includes "It Looks a Lot Like Reindeer," and was delighted to see that he's not neglecting the first, second and third graders! Educational, but really hip and a lot of fun, I just loved it and can't wait to buy A Mink, a Fink, A Skating Rink: What is a Noun?

These books are so good at helping kids learn the parts of speech. They give so many clear examples of sentences, with the specific part of speech in a different color so everyone will notice it. I used these in a classroom during english class and they all loved it. A+ to this book!

My five year old daughter loves this book! Prosmitsky's colorful illustrations make it so much more fun learning the parts of speech. My daughter adores the illustrator's goofy pillow-like cats!

This is a fun book to read. My son is 6 and he enjoys the delighful pictures along with its creativity. This has truly helped him better grasp the understanding of adjectives. Now when we discuss sentences and structure, he has many excellent references about adjectives.

Well worth the money!

This book by Brian Cleary is a delightful book live with pictures and relatability to children. They love the illustrations, enjoy listening to the story and then reading it over and over again by themselves. In my third grade classroom, this has been one of the favorites. Brain Cleary's other book (A Mink A Fink A Skating Rink, What is a Noun?) is equally liked and incredible. Thumbs up to two great books that teach content while engaging students in exciting reading!

Young readers four through six will enjoy Brian Clary's whimsical book, cleverly illustrated by Jenya Prosmitsky, as Hairy, Scary, Ordinary shows what an adjective is. The adjectives are printed in color for easy identification while the playful rhymes and illustrations combine to highlight key words. Hairy, Scary, Ordinary is a delight to read aloud and perfect for homeschooling as well as classroom reading program activity supplementation.

While the book is intended to introduce the concept of nouns, its use can also be extended to teach new vocabulary, rhyming, and classifying. The book is content-rich, and several readings and explanations may be needed.

My only quibble is that while the text (font and format) is cute, it is not very child-friendly.

This is such a great book for my 2nd grader to begin to understand the different types of words he can use to build sentences and stories. I love the way these books make it stick!

It was in great condition and received in a timely manner. Kids love the book- even middle school kids!