I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction?
Written by Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by Brian Gable
What’s a Contraction? is yet another clever book in the “Words are CATegorical” series. As expected from author Brian P. Cleary, this book is full of easy-to-read pages filled with funny, rhyming sentences.
The illustrations are larger than life and as funny as other books in the series. The colorful illustrations make this book a fun read for any student. The story is zany enough to keep kids engaged and informative enough to provide a learning experience at the same time. The illustration style, along with the fun approach to what could otherwise be a difficult grammar point, make learning about contractions interesting.
Young children will enjoy this story because it is written with the primary grade reader in mind. It is exactly in 2nd grade when students are first introduced to contractions. This book is perfect for a read aloud with young children, allowing for interaction between the children and the teacher.
Children at the second grade reading level may find the book challenging because it introduces a relatively new topic for them. However, once students understand that they’ve been using contractions all along, they will feel encouraged and will want to continue to discover other contractions. What’s a Contraction? will re-enforce reading level skills as well as comprehension skills.
For children at the second grade reading level, this book can be a jumping off point for discussion about contractions. The book can be used to show how contractions are made. Students can then be encouraged to look for contractions in other books that they’ve already read and are familiar with.
Teachers can help students to work through the words to make a contraction and also to break contractions down to their original words.
Fun activities and games can be found on the author’s website, www.brianpcleary.com.
Title: I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction?- Author: Brian P. Cleary
- Illustrator: Brian Gable
- Publisher: Millbrook Press
- Reviewer: Alessandra Oliveira
- Paperback: 32 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-7613-8504-2
- Genre: Educational