Pulver, Robin. The Case of Incapacitated Capitals.

Pulver, Robin.    The Case of Incapacitated Capitals.            Holiday House   unp  $16.95          978-0-8234-2402-3  2012             elm/ms                  VG-BN                      Grammar                                   

Mr. Wright’s students want him to have a day off, but when they write a letter to the principal, they forget to use capitalization!  Mr. Wright turns this thoughtful gesture into a grammar lesson for his caring students.

“Creative”, “colorful” and “seamless” are three descriptions that fit this book.  First, the author creatively entices children to learn capitalization rules by turning these rules into a children’s book with a story!  The lower-case and upper-case letters share their woes while the story is told in the third person.  As the plot moves forward, the children learn how to correctly use capital letters in a letter that they have written to Ms. Allcap, the principal, requesting that she give their teacher, Mr. Wright, a much-needed day off.  Secondly, the book is colorful, a feature that the illustrator has used to subtly move children forward, both literally and figuratively.  Simply stated, children will learn the rules of capitalization through the combined use of art and grammar.  Finally, the book is seamless.  It flows naturally; by the time students finish it, they have learned that capitalization is as easy as writing a letter!  The rules are woven in throughout the story, and children will not feel that they must memorize the rules of grammar. 

Three extra features at the end of the book are excellent.  In the first, the reader learns how letters got the name “lowercase” and “uppercase”.  Next, the letter is presented, and next to each capital letter the rule is restated in its shortened form.  Finally, useful rules for capitalization are enumerated, and children who did not learn the lesson from Robin Pulver’s story can learn the lesson in a more traditional way.                  --Martha Squaresky