A village is torn apart by its residents’ inability to communicate, until a little girl shares the gift of punctuation in this humorous illustrated parable.
Chaos reigns in the village of Babble! All day, the residents fight, yell and argue, and no one is heard or understood . . . until a mysterious little girl arrives and gives the locals something very strange: a period. But what is this thing that looks like a freckle or a spot? The villagers don’t even know how to ask. However, as the girl begins to share more gifts — a question mark, quotation marks — the residents slowly learn how to communicate. But when more fights arise and disaster strikes, can punctuation truly save the day?
Buy Babble! And How Punctuation Saved It at Amazon.ca or find a local bookstore.
- Nominated for the 2023 Joan Betty Stuchner — Oy Vey! — Funniest Children’s Book Award
- A Best Books for Kids and Teens 2023 Selection
- CBC Middle-grade Book to Watch in Fall 2022
Publishers’ link: Tundra Books
Praise for Babble! And How Punctuation Saved It
“The village of Babble makes no sense. Sentences and thoughts run together and there is no logic in speech. Then a small child with a mysterious bag of interesting symbols brings order to life and thought. In this humorous parable, periods, commas, question marks, and especially exclamation points help organize life and even save the life of a drowning child. Told in a fairy-tale format, this story humorously clarifies readers’ age-old questions on the need for punctuation rules. The frightening message of “Soon we will eat Grandpa” can, with the simple addition of a comma, become the much more appetizing, “Soon we will eat, Grandpa.” …[T]he story itself will make children laugh and learn in equal measure. VERDICT Recommended for classroom use as well as for independent reading; this useful parable teaches a memorable lesson on the necessity of good punctuation skills.”
—School Library Journal
“in a village called Babble Adderson writes using no punctuation there were people who lived in confusion when they talked because all the words just ran together and everyone just spoke in the same flat monotone voice (get the picture?) until one day a girl arrives with a bag full of periods, commas, exclamation points, and question marks! Mostly printed in red boldface to call attention to themselves, these curious punctuation figures not only reduce confusion in the village (“Soon we will eat Grandpa” becomes “Soon we will eat, Grandpa”) but actually save a life, amplifying the quiet “help” of a drowning child into a more expressive “HELP!!!” The villagers are delighted and readers, particularly those bogged down by the first few run-on pages, will likewise come away with a new appreciation for the value of these inconspicuous dots and squiggles. The author even adds dashes and parentheses in an afterword. Muradov’s stylized monochrome illustrations, so washed out as to make facial features and most other details disappear, add pale but playfully impressionistic visual notes to every page.”
—Booklist
“When we pause in late November to reflect upon the many things for which we are thankful, periods, commas, and exclamation points are probably not the first things that leap to mind. But we should not take these humble punctuation marks so much for granted— That, at least, is the lesson of Babble! and How Punctuation Saved It, a charming little book by Caroline Adderson and whimsically illustrated by Roman Muradov… Babble! is a delightful parable that will instruct and entertain both young and old alike. It is also, ultimately, a book about gratitude, making it unexpectedly appropriate reading for Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Babble! is Harold and the Purple Crayon for the grammarian. It’s the little stranger girl with the red-orange punctuation. Instead of a solo creative journey away from and then back home, it’s a collective effort to make sense of the way we all communicate with each other.”
“…an inventive and engaging early chapter book that takes readers on an educational and entertaining journey, leaving them with a whole new appreciation for the lines and squiggles and dots we call punctuation marks. It’s also a finely crafted fable about the importance of communication, language, listening, understanding and cooperation… Sure to become a classic favourite, Babble, And How Punctuation Saved It! is an invaluable resource for home, public and school libraries, inspiring meaningful conversation and acting as an accessible touchpoint for intergenerational learning and enjoyment. This book is a must-read for introducing young readers to the nuances and value of punctuation and grammar, and the inherent joy in and challenges of communication, the dynamism of language and the power of the written word. Very highly recommended.”
—Canadian Children’s Booknews
“In Babble!, prolific children’s writer Caroline Adderson gives children (and adults) an easy way to remember how and when to use punctuation marks. She tells the story of a village without punctuation, one in which people don’t know if they’re talking out loud or thinking. The narrative is entertaining as the villagers learn and grow; they are immensely grateful to learn the contribution a comma can make to understanding when they contrast:
I love cooking my family and my cat but not necessarily in that order
with
I love cooking, my family, and my cat, but not necessarily in that order.
Babble! would be an excellent illustrative example to teach children in a classroom setting. It can also serve as a teaching tool for families who want to introduce younger children to the mechanics of language. For children, it’s a chapter book they will be able to master and learn from.”
“Adderson brings grammar to life and Roman Muradov’s simple black line drawings filled in with light reds add a cartoon strip-like feel that highlights the story’s levity. This treatise on the power of punctuation concludes with an important (though not pedantic) message about listening to and really understanding one another.
“Babble” would be a delightful read aloud for elementary students learning about punctuation or listening skills. It also feels similar in style to B.J. Novak’s “The Book With No Pictures,” which is beloved by early elementary-aged readers.”