Thumbtacks, Earwax, Lipstick, Dipstick: What Is a Compound Word? (Words Are Categorical)

By: Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by: Brian Gable
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Publication Date: September 2011
ISBN: 978-0761349174
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: January 2012

A prim and proper CATegorical teacher uses her pointer to show us that a compound word is, "A word made up of two or more shorter words." The crazy cats in this series are ready to show you that a single word can be made up of two shorter ones to make a word easy to define and understand. A boxer cat sweats as he works out in sweatpants (sweat + pants), a cowboy (cow + boy) cat tips his hat to us, while another CATegorical cat flies his purple plane on a worldwide (world + wide) adventure. "Sometime when we're reading, / we might see a big, long word, / then find it's made of smaller ones / as in this one: bluebird."

It's easy to recognize compound words once you get the hang of it and then when you split them up they are easier to pronounce. The CATegorical cats have lots of examples for you to take a look at so you'll understand all about compound words. You'll learn that they are "mostly nouns," but that there are some exceptions. Sometimes they will tell you a bit more about a noun. For example, the cats will show you words such as uphill, overworked, and underground. You'll also find that some are adjectives while other compound words, "can help express some form of action."

The colorful cats are poised to teach the young student all about compound words in their own madcap (mad + cap) way as they read these books. The inimitable rhyming scheme meshes perfectly with the lively cats as they help the reluctant reader learn grammar in a less structured and more manageable manner than usual. Each compound word is highlighted in color so they can be quickly spotted. This is one of many in the CATegorical series of books that would be an excellent addition to any library, homeschool, or classroom shelves!

Quill says: Learning all about compound words with the zany CATegorical cats can be a FUN way to learn about grammar