Alfie the Apostrophe is nervous. Can he make it into the punctuation-mark talent show? There's plenty of competition. Question marks tell riddles; exclamation points do cheerleading routines. And it looks as if the director, Bud Asterisk, has mistaken Alfie for a comma! Will all of Alfie's practice pay off?

Alfie the Apostrophe is nervous. Can he make it into the punctuation-mark talent show? There's plenty of competition. Question marks tell riddles; exclamation points do cheerleading routines. Worse yet, the director has mistaken Alfie for a comma!

Elsie, an exclamation point, announces loudly that she's sure she'll win the school Punctuation Bee. But Penny, a period, and her friend, Quentin, a question mark, decide to practice and practice. Penny wants to beat Elsie, who brags way too much!

We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the internet, in email, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.

Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions about education as provocatively as Alfie Kohn. Time magazine has called him'perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores.' And the Washington Post says he is 'the most energetic and charismatic figure standing in the way of a major federal effort to make standardized curriculums and tests a fact of life in every U.S. school.' In this new collection of essays, Kohn takes on some of the most important and controversial topics in education of the last few years. His central focus is on the real goals of education-a topic, he argues, that we systematically ignore while lavishing attention on misguided models of learning and counterproductive techniques of motivation. The shift to talking about goals yields radical conclusions and wonderfully pungent essays that only Alfie Kohn could have written. From the title essay's challenge to conventional, conservative definitions of a good education to essays on standards and testing and grades that tally the severe educational costs of overemphasizing a narrow conception of achievement, Kohn boldly builds on his earlier work and writes for a wide audience. Kohn's new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers and by any teacher or parent looking for a refreshing perspective on today's debates about schools.

For the first time, music legend and humanitarian activist Dionne Warwick reflects on 50 years in showbusiness and the lessons she has learned from being an artist, a mother and a global icon. From her rise to superstardom to raising millions of dollars for AIDS research, she gives readers a glimpse into her dazzling, inspiring life. 'If you think you can do it, you can do it' was the advice she got from her grandfather as a young girl - words she has never forgotten. Like her music and humanitarian work, her story is guaranteed to give hope and inspiration to people across the world.

It's the moment all the punctuation marks have been eagerly awaiting: assignment time, There are plenty of open positions for apostrophes as contractions soon there's only one job left--for a possessive--and only one apostrophe to fill it: non other than Greedy Apostrophe. It's not long before his greed gets out of hand, and he jumps into signs where he doesn't belong. What will it take to put Greedy Apostrophe back in his place? This clever and zany language arts picture book will have kids eager to learn the tricks of using an apostrophe.

It's Father's Day! Celebrate dads everywhere with bike rides, car washes, and more in this installment of Natasha Wing's best-selling series. It's the night before Father's Day, and Mom and the kids have a plan to surprise Dad with a special gift. When Dad goes for a bike ride, everyone gets to work. Dad wakes up the next day to find his garage newly organized and his car sparkly clean. So, of course, he celebrates by taking everyone for a spin!

This chapter book is sure to make a splash! Find fun, funny, and TRUE stories of heroic and talented dolphins and amazing dolphin friendships. It's perfect for budding bookworms and animal lovers alike.

This year Henry and Mudge are out to make the best Mother's Day lunch ever. It has to be juicy, crunchy, and perfect for family sharing. When they select a gorgeous golden pineapple, the menu is shaping up to be anything but dull. Dad is helping them carve something almost too pretty to eat. So how will Henry ever stop Mudge from devouring the surprise before Mom sees it? Since its creation in 1987, the Henry and Mudge series has grown into one of the most beloved and acclaimed beginning-reading series ever. With more than two million copies sold, the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, Parents' Choice, The Horn Book Magazine, the International Reading Association, the American Booksellers Association, and most importantly, the thousands of children who belong to the Henry and Mudge fan club have recommended these wonderful books. Created by renowned Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and acclaimed illustrator Su ie Stevenson, the Henry and Mudge series is without a doubt a classic for all time. Jacket illustrations copyright 2004 by Sucie Stevenson