ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2002)

Brian P. Cleary has already sailed through nouns, verbs, and adjectives in such books as To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb (2001). Here, in rhymed couplets, the cast of doglike animals in unlikely colors takes on prepositions: They tell us time and also place, / Like past 9:30, in your face. Prepositions are set in bright colors in the text, just in case you missed them. The author also takes on the myth that a sentence shouldn't end with one, But write your sentence carefully and you'll discover that / ending with a preposition is often where it's at . The teal, purple, orange, and pea-green creatures lift weights, drive trucks, dance, and even go to Timbuktu in pursuit of their chosen part of speech, and children will enjoy and learn from the ride.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2002)

The big-nosed cartoon cats are at it again, explaining through zany, energetic pictures, "Prepositions show us where, / like in your bed, beside the chair...." Prepositions in the text are highlighted in color, and although the definition may be vague (a preposition "connects a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence") and the rhymed meter rough, readers will enjoy the whirlwind grammar lesson.

Kirkus Reviews

Cleary ( To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb?, 2001, etc.) details the ins and outs of prepositions in this fourth entry in his Words Are Categorical series. The rhyming grammar lesson is illustrated this time by newcomer Gable with cartoon-style cats in creative color combinations demonstrating the prepositions, which are printed in bright colors for additional emphasis. The reader sees cats in bed, beside the chair, and in many other locations, including a raft heading toward Mississippi, with more cats going " through the yard of Chris, the hippie." Cleary also dismisses the outdated rule banning sentences ending in prepositions with a clever rhyme: "Ever since the olden days, there's been a silly myth / That prepositions aren't correct to end a sentence with ." His humorous text does a solid but entertaining job of introducing different types of prepositions and formulating a workable definition. Although not as visually appealing as Ruth Heller's similar series on the parts of speech, this work will be used by teachers in the elementary-school classroom, especially in schools where the others in the series are popular. (Nonfiction. 7-9)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-The fourth in a series about the parts of speech, this book explains that a preposition "connects a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence." Gable's colorful cartoonlike creatures show prepositions in action, such as "beside the chair," "During recess after school, in between the pond and pool" and "next to Rover." The prepositions are all printed in different colors, which draws attention to them. Ruth Heller's Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions (Grosset & Dunlap, 1995) is another choice for students, but Cleary's snappy rhymes and clear explanations of usage are also very appealing.-Wendy S. Carroll, Montclair Cooperative School, NJ Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.