Under, Over, By the Clover

January 1, 2002
"Prepositions show us where, like in your bed, beside the chair " With snappy rhyme and comic illustrations, Under, over, by the Clover: What Is a Preposition? marks the fourth book in the Words Are Categorical series by Brian P. Cleary, illus. by Brian Gable. This summer, look for the paperback edition of their To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb?

June 1, 2002
Gr 2-4-The fourth in a series about the parts of speech, this book explains that a preposition "connects a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence." Gable's colorful cartoonlike creatures show prepositions in action, such as "beside the chair," "During recess after school, in between the pond and pool" and "next to Rover." The prepositions are all printed in different colors, which draws attention to them. Ruth Heller's Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions (Grosset & Dunlap, 1995) is another choice for students, but Cleary's snappy rhymes and clear explanations of usage are also very appealing.-Wendy S. Carroll, Montclair Cooperative School, NJ

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2002
Gr. 2-4. Brian P. Cleary has already sailed through nouns, verbs, and adjectives in such books as " To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb" (2001). Here, in rhymed couplets, the cast of doglike animals in unlikely colors takes on prepositions: "They tell us time and also place, / Like " past " 9:30, " in " your face." Prepositions are set in bright colors in the text, just in case you missed them. The author also takes on the myth that a sentence shouldn't end with one, "But write your sentence carefully and you'll discover that / ending with a preposition is often where it's " at" ." The teal, purple, orange, and pea-green creatures lift weights, drive trucks, dance, and even go to Timbuktu in pursuit of their chosen part of speech, and children will enjoy and learn from the ride. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)