“A charming tribute to the quirkiness of collective nouns … puns and wordplay abound.” — Foreword, starred review A sloth of bears, a smack of jellyfish, a nuisance of cats — these are some of the surprising and idiosyncratic names we have for groups of animals. Inspired by the evocative possibilities of collective nouns, also called “terms of venery,” author Kyle Lukoff and illustrator Natalie Nelson have created a picture book full of clever wordplay and delightful illustrations. Each spread features a nugget of a story using a particular term, which is accompanied by a collage illustration that serves as the visual punch line. But where did these unusual names come from? Many of them can be traced back to a book on hunting, hawking and heraldry, printed in 1486 — the Book of St. Albans, which has been reproduced many times since. A Storytelling of Ravens provides a unique opportunity to explore and rejoice in the oddities of the English language. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

Entry includes attestations of the head word's or phrase's usage, usually in the form of a quotation. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Nelson the Noun Nelson takes a break from his stressful day job, leaving the Noun Office in the hands of Roger the pronoun. After discovering that vacation isn't what he'd hoped it would be, Nelson returns just in time to fix the confusion Roger has caused in his absence. Nelson the Noun is part of the nine-book Meet the Parts of Speech series starring the eight parts of speech, who are personified based on the roles they play in the sentence. From the shady pronoun always trying to take the noun's place to the motherly conjunction who just wants everyone to get along, the Meet the Parts of Speech series uses the mechanics of character and story (plot, motivation, setting, etc.) to breathe life into what has traditionally been unengaging subject matter. "Learning grammar has never been more fun!" ---School Library Journal

Ideal for native speakers and learners alike, this clear guide to the grammar of modern English will help students speak and write English with greater confidence.

Five pupil books, one for each year group, provide carefully sequenced progression throughout the course ensuring pupils' confidence is maintained. They present each grammatical skill in small, easily managed steps.