Exclamation Mark

Description

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

Awards

Winner of California Young Reader Medal (Primary) 2015. Runner-up for Buckaroo Book Award 2014. Commended for NAPPA Gold Awards (Preschool) 2013 and Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (Up to Seven) 2014 and Parents Choice Awards (Spring) (2008-Up) (Picture Book) 2013. Short-listed for Virginia Readers Choice Award (Elementary) 2015 and South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award (Picture Book) 2014 and Grand Canyon Reader Award (Picture) 2015 and Colorado Children's Book Award (Picture Book) 2014 and Alabama Camellia Award (Grades K-1) 2014.

Reviews

"From the dynamic team that brought you Duck! Rabbit! (2009) comes this introduction to the most exuberant punctuation mark of all: the exclamation point. At first, !, a round circle with a face, doesn't like standing out in a crowd; in a line-up of seven smiling faces, which look like period marks, he's the only one with a line above his head. ! tries clever ways to fit in (flipping himself upside down, thereby squashing his tail) and even thinks about running away, until he meets a formidable force: the question mark. After a barrage of questions from ? ("Do you like frogs? Can you hula-hoop?"), ! finds his voice and tells him to "STOP!" From there, !'s confidence begins to grow and, soon, there's no stopping his unbridled joy. The spare, clever illustrations--all round, black-outlined punctuation marks with faces--are set on thick lined-paper, the kind kindergarteners use, and the overall design effect is lovely. The text is similarly simple, but a change in the size and color of the font signifies important moments. With thecelebrating-your-strengths angle, fun grammar lesson, and many classroom tie-in possibilities, this picture book deserves a !!!."-- Ann Kelley, "Booklist "starred review "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,

Author description

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld are the creators of many books for children. Their hugely popular DUCK! RABBIT! was named one of the best books of the year by Time Magazine and Publishers Weekly. Amy is the author of PLANT A KISS, a New York Times Bestseller, illustrated by Peter Reynolds. Tom's GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Please visit www.whoisamy.com and www.tomlichtenheld.com. Both live in Chicago.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld are the creators of many books for children. Their hugely popular DUCK! RABBIT! was named one of the best books of the year by Time Magazine and Publishers Weekly. Amy is the author of PLANT A KISS, a New York Times Bestseller, illustrated by Peter Reynolds. Tom's GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Please visit www.whoisamy.com and www.tomlichtenheld.com. Both live in Chicago.