Visual guide to grammar and punctuation by DK Publishing

Australian edition. DK, 2018. ISBN 9780143794998
(Age 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Grammar. Punctuation. How exciting to find an excellent book showing commonly used grammar and punctuation in a way that is easy to understand both for children and for adults who may be uncertain about different aspects of the English language. The book has an extensive Table of Contents, with an introduction, instructions on how to use the book and definitions of grammar and punctuation. It is then divided into the following sections: Parts of speech; Sentences, phrases and clauses; Punctuation. The pages have different coloured text boxes and all are illustrated in many colours.
Although aimed at a primary school age group, I found the clear, concise explanations and the supporting illustrations to be very helpful in answering any vexed problem about punctuation. For example the use of semicolons to join two ideas together in a sentence is often a problem for writers as the semicolons are often left out and no conjunction is added to join the sentences together. The one page devoted to semicolons gives excellent examples of when to use them in sentences, as well as showing their use to separate different things in a list. Apostrophes often can be problematic but their use is clearly illustrated. The use of 'Its' or 'it's' can provide a dilemma for some writers, and the two page spread illustrating this is excellent. These are only two examples from a well-organised and lively guide.
This book would be a boon to any aspiring writer and would make a fabulous reference book for all the family. It would also be exceptionally useful in the classroom and library.
Pat Pledger