Celebrate the tiny marks that bring every story to life!
National Punctuation Day celebrates the little marks that help our words make sense. A single question mark, comma, or exclamation point can completely change how a sentence sounds.
βοΈ The interrobang (β½) combines a question mark and an exclamation point into a single punctuation mark!
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
This clever picture book brings punctuation to life by turning an exclamation mark into a character searching for where he belongs. It’s funny, memorable, and a wonderful reminder that even the smallest punctuation mark can make a big difference.
Look at these sentences with no punctuation:
Without punctuation, everyday conversations could become confusing, funny, or even disastrous! How would your characters solve the mystery and bring punctuation back to the world?
Write the same sentence on several index cards, changing only the punctuation.
For example:
Take turns reading each sentence aloud and see how the punctuation completely changes its meaning, emotion, and tone.
Every adventure has another path to follow. Choose a trail and see where your curiosity leads!
Early writing didn’t include spaces or punctuation. Discover how readers learned to understand long strings of words and how punctuation slowly developed over time.
Wonder Challenge:
Why do you think people eventually decided punctuation was necessary?
Think periods and commas are the only punctuation marks? Discover unusual symbols like the interrobang and asterism in our guide to 5 Punctuation Marks You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.
Wonder Challenge:
Which unusual punctuation mark do you think deserves to become more popular?
Your brain uses punctuation as clues for pauses, questions, excitement, and meaning while you read. Those tiny marks help stories come alive.
Wonder Challenge:
How do you think reading would feel if every book had no punctuation at all?
Would you rather...
Print & Plan
Keep todayβs book pick, writing prompt, family activity, and discussion ideas together in one colorful overview.
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