Happy Endings
A Story About Suffixes
1 Paperback/1 CD (see all formats)

"It’s the end of the school year, but Mr. Wright has one final lesson for his students. He explains that after lunch, the class will tackle word endings. Having waited all year to be in the spotlight, the word endings are shocked to hear that it’s finally their turn. Believing they will be pummeled by the much larger students, the word endings slide off the blackboard and head for the weight room, hoping to bulk up for a fair fight. When Mr. Wright realizes they have disappeared, he vows there will be no summer vacation until they are found. Within the text of Pulver’s story (Holiday House, 2011), the word endings are printed in red and yellow so they stand out to readers. Lynn Rowe Reed’s digital and acrylic illustrations feature brightly colored word endings with faces, and these vibrant pictures add personality and fun to what could otherwise be a dry topic. Narrator John Beach uses a different voice for each suffix, which helps distinguish the word endings for listeners. This CD and the companion book would be useful for classroom listening centers so students can review word ending rules at their own pace and supplement language arts instruction."

"In the final moments before summer vacation, Mr. Wright's disgruntled class has one more lesson to learn--on suffixes. Leave it to author Robin Pulver to create an experience that any listener will find hard to forget. Narrator John Beach infuses this laugh-out-loud story with delight. His depiction of Mr. Wright is ever enthusiastic, and his students sound typical. The mercurial suffixes have emotions that range from prideful excitement at being the center of attention to distraught angst at being "tackled" in a lesson. Sound effects and music complement the production, which bears repeated listening while looking at the droll illustrations. Grammatical information about suffixes completes the recording."