Springing from the pages of an old Gulliver's Travels, in a library's lighthouse "along the shore of a bustling city," Period, Comma, Question Mark, and Exclamation Point hop into the hearts of young readers in this gleeful tale. These punctuation marks are in desperate need of a vacation, prompting Exclamation to impulsively pick the Island of Fun as their next stop from a nearby globe. The crew sets sail, but troubled waters—and a territorial shark—quickly alter their course, beaching them on the Island of Chaos instead. There, the punctuation pals find their true calling—saving the island from a "stampede of reckless words" caused by a severe lack of punctuation.

Olsten (author of Mimi & the Gold Baton) highlights important writing mechanics and sentence structure through this entertaining adventure. With the help of Sara Not’s vibrant, amusing illustrations, readers will be spellbound by the story’s stars, each with dialogue crafted in a way that makes their role clear: Question Mark only asks questions, Exclamation Point’s responses come with marked surprise and heightened inflections, and Period adds decisiveness and a sense of certainty to the book’s conversations. Even the group’s new friend, Pilcrow, described as “outdated” but “happy to have company,” plays a special part.

Not’s graphics truly steal the spotlight here, flaunting the punctuation marks’ adventure with lively, rollicking scenes of pure glee, whether it’s Comma’s sombrero in preparation for a tropical getaway or the frantic, animal-shaped words on the Island of Chaos, running amok “without proper punctuation [to] save us.” Olsten transforms these common punctuation marks into unsung heroes as they go about restoring order on the Island of Chaos, and she wisely incorporates the important message of feeling loved—and never overlooking the little, but valuable, things in life—as well, making this buoyant, colorful book hum with not just creativity, but a whole lot of heart, too.

Takeaway: A witty, animated tale teaching youngsters the importance of punctuation.

Comparable Titles: Brian P. Cleary's The Punctuation Station, Hudson Talbott's A Walk in the Words.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A