In this entry into the Language Arts Explorer Junior: Parts of Speech series, Marsico introduces conjunctions, their use in phrases and clauses, and the punctuation necessary (including the serial comma) to clarify the meaning of written material. She creates a story about Nancy and her family searching for her painting at a school art show as a vehicle for demonstrating these connecting words and their use. The text employs highlighting and bold, colorful typeface to point out conjunctions and grammatical vocabulary. In addition, each chapter contains a "Read and Think" activity (and answer key) that gives readers an opportunity to practice the skill introduced. Colorful, captioned illustrations appear on every page, and the use of large font and succinct text make this accessible to even young readers.

GREGORY, Josh . Adverbs . ISBN 978-1-62431-183-3 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-315-8 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-249-6 . LC 2013007018. GREGORY, Josh . Nouns . ISBN 978-1-62431-177-2 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-309-7 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-243-4 . LC 2013005813. GREGORY, Josh . Verbs . ISBN 978-1-62431-179-6 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-311-0 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-245-8 . LC 2013007653. MARSICO, Katie . Conjunctions . ISBN 978-1-62431-181-9 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-313-4 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-247-2 . LC 2013007030. MARSICO, Katie . Interjections . ISBN 978-1-62431-184-0 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-316-5 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-250-2 . LC 2013005087. MARSICO, Katie . Prepositions . ISBN 978-1-62431-182-6 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-314-1 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-248-9 . LC 2013005599. MARSICO, Katie . Pronouns . ISBN 978-1-62431-178-9 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-310-3 ; ISBN 978-1-62431-244-1 . LC 2013006092. ea vol: 24p. (Language Arts Explorer Junior Series). further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. websites. Cherry Lake . 2013. lib. ed. $25.64; pap. $12.79; ebk. $25.64. Gr 1-4 This series tries to integrate stories with instructive writing about parts of speech, but as there is no distinction between the fictional and informational narratives, readers may be confused. The books are illustrated with color photographs and bright cartoons. Words that represent the parts of subjects are highlighted on the pages. For example, "works," "jumps," and "falls" are highlighted in Verbs . Several activities are included in each volume and often have links to printable versions. "Think About It" sidebars contain helpful information, such as a chart in Adverbs that shows how to distinguish between an adverb and an adjective. This series does move beyond just talking about the usual four parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives), but it's still a secondary purchase.