cover image Me First! Prefixes Lead the Way

Me First! Prefixes Lead the Way

Robin Pulver, illus. by Lynne Rowe Reed. Holiday House, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-3644-6

A group of self-important anthropomorphic prefixes star in this addition to Pulver and Reed’s Language Arts Library series. Teacher Mr. Wright shows up at school dressed as Abraham Lincoln for a discussion of leadership with his students. Meanwhile, a handful of prefixes, pictured as tiny clay figures, are busy tooting their own horns: “No disrespect, but we’re great leaders, too!” While the use of Lincoln to teach the prefixes a lesson in humility comes across as somewhat forced, readers will enjoy the silly words the zealous prefixes form (“antilunch,” “subschool,” “repencil,” etc.) while getting a solid sense of how these word elements work. Ages 6–10. (Aug.)