The Random Shelf: Nonfiction

I wasn't too excited about the 400s, quite frankly. Oh, they're very useful. This is where you'll find your dictionaries and thesauri. Very helpful indeed, but not too much in the scope for reading fun. If I had happened upon a dictionary or thesaurus, I would have browsed through it (there's no throwing back a catch here!). I didn't have to do this, thanks to landing upon Ruth Heller's Up, Up, and Away: A Book About Adverbs.

Did you know that English is one of the hardest languages to learn? If you've studied another language, such as French or Spanish, you'll know that the rules usually don't change. English is a different story; there are many exceptions, and this makes it difficult for children (and adult learners of English) to grasp proper English grammar.

This is where Ruth Heller's books come in handy. Not only do they effectively teach the concept, but they do so in a clever and humorous way.

ADVERBS work terrifically
when answering specifically...
"How?"
"How often?
"When?
"And where?
Penguins all dress DECENTLY.

How often do toe dancers practice? FREQUENTLY.

Adverbs also ask "why?" and also tell to what extent....rather, very, more, etc.

All of this is a lot to take in. The cute rhymes and appealing illustrations make this a fun read aloud as well as an instruction book. Well worth checking out!