The Punctuation family has arrived in Alphabet City.Exclamation Point, Question Mark, Comma, and Period are ready to attend school. Everyone is excited except shy Comma with his large, round, red glasses. The other siblings know their special jobs when they meet their fellow students, the alphabet letters. "But Comma? Comma tried not to get stepped on and fit in wherever he could." The accompanying double-page illustration demonstrates each symbol's important role: "wow" ends with Exclamation Point, "who" ends with Question Mark, "stop" ends with Period—and Comma tries to break up "ohno" but has a hard time inserting himself. (No capital letters here, as these letters are children.) The variously colored alphabet letters and the purple punctuation symbols take on singular personalities with amusing human features: pipestem arms and legs, baseball caps, hairstyles, glasses, faces, and freckles. Purple letters in the text emphasize the symbol names, although the contrast makes this fairly ineffective. As the story develops, the letters get a little rambunctious, the punctuation symbols work hard to organize them, and Comma realizes his essential place. "From now on, I'll help keep things in order." The story is slight, but with adult intervention, it could serve as an introductory look at punctuation in settings where the detailed, humorous illustrations can be seen up close.Lighthearted, cursory look at the symbols needed to make sense of English writing. (Picture book. 5-7)

Having moved to Alphabet City, the bright purple Punctuation family gears up for their first day of school. Exclamation Point leads the way enthusiastically, while lagging Question Mark considers queries: -Do you think everyone will be nice?- Comma, who -kept pausing,- lingers behind them, and period brings -the line to a close.- Their new classmates, in various hues with simple accessories, are perplexed by the Punctuation family, but after introductions, the new friends divert themselves by creating commands, questions, and short sentences. Comma, feeling unwanted by the letter strings, sneaks away, leaving the letters in speedy words (boom, duck, and run) to crash. After realizing that it is essential to slowing text, Comma promises to -keep things in order.- Though the explanations can feel repetitious, Gard and Sonke deliver a punctuation primer disguised by an upbeat story and plentiful wordplay. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)