I love the idea of this book and using the story to show the purpose of punctuation for early readers!
It did feel a little too busy for me though and I think I would have liked a more simplified version.

Once upon a time, there was a lighthouse with a library. One night, a book falls from the library shelf, and all sorts of punctuation fall from the pages. And they are NOT happy. Exclamation Point feels overused, and Period and Comma feel underappreciated, so they decide to sail away to the island of fun. Along the way, they run into all sorts of conflicts. Still, eventually, they make their way to the island of Chaos. On this island, all sorts of words run amok because no punctuation lives there! Our little boat of punctuation comes to the rescue, where they then feel worthy of returning to the lighthouse and the book from which they tumbled.
A charming and funny way to learn about using punctuation. A wonderful addition to any classroom. In fact, I shared it with a friend of mine who works as Literacy Lead, and she purchased a copy for our grade 3 teachers!!

I think this is such a cute book for little learners! It would be great for a classroom to learn about punctuation and is packed with examples of the different types/uses.

Enjoyed this little story with my second grader.
The punctuation marks having character attributes (question being inquisitive, comma hesitant, exclamation dramatically going off. I appreciated the inclusion of old forgotten punctuation marks.
Definitely a good, educational read for younger kids! Think K-3 and. ELs!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

A fun adventure for our punctuation friends. I love that even punctuation gets tired of being unappreciated; a gentle reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.

I love that this book teaches young readers about punctuation while telling a fun and sometimes chaotic story.

This will be a good book for those maybe 6-10 years old. I liked the story myself, so I can see them following along the journey of the punctuation marks vacation! My only constructive feedback would be, I wish the book contained more examples of how to use the punctuations since that seemed like the main plot of the story. Otherwise, it was very cute.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cheryl Olsten, and Fleecydale Press for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

a fun lighthearted message on the importance of punctuation that is also a brilliant vacation adventure. the character design and general aesthetic of the book is eye catching and stimulating and it subtly teaches what the main punctuation marks mean too.

i really loved the out of control words designs, especially.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Punctuation goes on a vacation after being overworked and under appreciated.
What an adorable concept. I really enjoyed this one and it was great to incorporate into our “how to use punctuation” lesson at home. I’d recommend this to parents. Super cute adventure and discovery that we need punctuation!

This was a fun way to teach the different punctuation marks. I’d use it up on a screen so the students can actually see each sentence that the characters are saying while using their punctuation. The ending was a bit odd, throwing in an old type of punctuation (but it was explained; better for older students writing paragraphs) and a made up type of punctuation, which could be very confusing.

This wasn't as fun as I was expecting and I found the American terminology strange, referring to a full stop as period.
This wasn't for me.

This is a clever book for 7-9 age range, as it is a little too long of a book for the younger crowd. The illustrations did not show up for me to read with the illustrations, so this book is solely based on the writing content. I think adding the Pilcrow was an excellent addition to showing children that there is more to basic punctuation than just what they learn. I overall enjoyed reading this, as I was curious how today this topic could be approached with fun.

Punctuation to the Rescue by Cheryl Olsten (illustrated by Sara Not) is a clever, lighthearted picture book that shows how to use periods, commas, exclamation points, and question marks through an adventure in which the various forms of punctuation try to take a vacation from punctuating. Unfortunately, the punctuation marks end up on the Island of Chaos, where they are badly needed to make sense of the words and sentences that are out of control there.

I absolutely loved how the four different punctuation marks not only showed how they are used, but the writing cleverly gave them personalities matched to the way the punctuation is used. Exclamation mark is a hothead, comma is timid, period is serious, and question mark is inquisitive. The artwork is amazing in this picture book, and gives the punctuation marks even more personality. I loved the appearance of the pilcrow, and hope that maybe it will appear again in a book of "extinct" punctuation.

My only complaint about this book is the fact that there is a run-on sentence (which was easily fixed by adding the word 'and') and at least one awkward sentence fragment (which should have been the second half of the previous sentence). I normally would not nitpick about this type of grammatical error, but given that this is a book used to illustrate proper punctuation use, I find it very disappointing that these errors were not fixed in editing.

Many thanks to the publisher, the author and illustrator, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this picture book.

This cute picture book introduces young readers to the well known punctuation marks and their uses in a fun and silly way. When the punctuation marks are tired of being forgotten, ignored and leading a boring life, they decide to go on a vacation to the island of fun. After quite an adventure they end up on the island of chaos where they meet Pilcrow, the punctuation mark that use to denote a new paragraph. Pilcrow knows how chaotic this island is and asks the punctuation marks to help wrangle the crazy letters on the island. I think this was a fun and interesting way to introduce children to the importance of these symbols including how they can be used. I could definitely see myself using this book in my classroom. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if punctuation marks had personalities (and dramatic feelings), Punctuation to the Rescue is here to deliver—and with flair! This quirky, colorful adventure brings Period, Comma, Question Mark, and the ever-overworked Exclamation Point to life in the most unexpected way. Poor Exclamation Point is done with being misused and decides a sailing vacation is the answer—because obviously, punctuation burnout is real.

The story is as fun as it is educational, sneaking grammar lessons into a wild punctuation adventure that kids will love. The illustrations are bold, the characters are hilariously relatable (who hasn’t felt like an overused exclamation point?), and there’s just enough chaos to keep young readers laughing while they learn. It's a grammar lesson in disguise—and honestly, I wish my school textbooks had been half this fun.

Great colour, adventure and characterisation. A clever way to discuss what can be a boring subject. A great story to support in class learning.
May benefit from country specific variations to allow access across all English speaking countries eg: in UK we use the word ‘full stop’ not ‘period’.
Lots of fun and educational.

I loved this so much. I am also a big fan of punctuation, so seeing them as the heroes of this story was a blast.

A great way to teach kids punctuation too, loved it!

This was perfect and I think my kids will love it but the text could do with being darker and bolder to make it easier to read

Puncuation to the Rescue would be a really helpful but fun way to help younger children get a better grasp on some common types of punctuation. There's the adventure of the punctuation marks at sea when they decide to take a vacation that adds a good element of action and once they arrive to their destination the punctuation marks realise the disorder they caused by taking a break and we see how they fix their mistakes and help the others. In this brightly illustrated picture book, I think children will hopefully learn more about how important it is to use the right punctuation. The reason my rating is quite low is because I wasn't interested in the story too much as I'm not the target audience. But it's pretty good overall.

I am a Special Education assistant at a elementary school and I help teach writing to students and this will be a great resource to help teach them the important and proper use of punctuation. With it being a fun fictional children’s book, it will helpful for my students to understand.

I graciously received an advance e-copy from the publisher to review. All opinions are my own.

📚 Review – Punctuation to the Rescue by Cheryl Olsten
👶 Age Range: Best for ages 5–8 (early elementary)
📖 Format: Children’s eBook with vibrant, full-color illustrations
🧠 Themes: Grammar basics, punctuation personalities, teamwork, story structure

👩‍👧‍👦 From the Parent’s Perspective
Punctuation to the Rescue has a clever premise: punctuation marks take a vacation from their book, and chaos ensues. It’s a fun way to introduce grammar concepts, and the illustrations are bright, bold, and engaging. My twins were immediately drawn in by the idea that punctuation could be characters with personalities and that they could just leave a story.

But as a parent (not a teacher!), I felt like the book missed a key opportunity. It never really explains why the story falls apart without punctuation. The marks vanish, the sentences get messy, and the characters panic but it doesn’t break down how each punctuation mark contributes to meaning, tone, or structure. For early learners, that’s a great place to explain.

I also noticed that all the punctuation marks were the same color, which made it harder for my kids to distinguish between them. They eventually got there and they’re still very early learners, so that might be part of the confusion...but I could easily see other young readers picking up this book because the colors are so eye-catching, and then running into the same issue.


🧒 From the Kids’ Perspective
My twins thought the story was hilarious. They loved the idea of punctuation marks going on vacation and leaving the book in chaos. The shark chase scene was a favorite, and they were genuinely curious about what would happen next. They kept flipping pages and asking questions, which is always a good sign.

But they also got confused. Without clear visual differences between the punctuation marks, they struggled to follow who was who. And since the book didn’t explain why the story needed punctuation, they didn’t fully grasp the consequences of its absence. It was fun but it left them with more questions than answers.


📚 Read-Aloud Considerations
As much as we enjoyed the book at home, I probably wouldn’t use it for a classroom or group read-aloud. The concept is clever, but it moves quickly and assumes a level of understanding that younger readers might not have yet. Without a clear explanation of how punctuation shapes a story, kids might laugh at the chaos but miss the deeper lesson.

At home, though? It works beautifully. You can pause, explain, and dive into what’s happening and why. It’s a great springboard for talking about grammar in a way that’s playful and engaging—especially if you’re ready to fill in the gaps the book leaves behind.

🌟 Final Thoughts
Punctuation to the Rescue is a vibrant, imaginative take on grammar that turns punctuation into quirky, adventurous characters. It’s fun, fast-paced, and full of visual appeal. But for younger readers, especially early learners, it may need some extra scaffolding to truly land the lesson.

Best enjoyed one-on-one, where you can guide the conversation and help kids connect the dots. And if your little ones start arguing about exclamation points afterward? That’s punctuation power in action.