National Punctuation Day! A Special Spoonful

Greetings, dear readers! I just learned that Sept. 24th was the 16th annual National Punctuation Day AND that it falls on the same date every year. I hope you'll agree that a special spoonful is in order. 


Do you quiver for question marks? Sigh for semicolons? Clap for colons? Cry for commas? The comma, my personal favorite, has been maligned, misused, and misunderstood. To boost the poor comma's image, I'd like to share 7 fun facts:

1) There's an actual Comma Llama. Go ahead and check it out on YouTube. It has nothing to do with punctuation, FYI. 

2) Mary Norris is the Comma Queen. She has some very clever videos you can view online. 

3) Commas are known to cause drama with lots of writers. If you're one of those people, rest assured, you're not alone. I hope my spoonfuls help erase some of your drama and confusion. 

4) Commas - or lack of them- can have drastic consequences! Do you really want to "Eat Grandma?" I certainly hope not. 

5) Words that rhyme with comma: drama, llama, mama, trauma, pajama, and Obama. Did I miss any?

​6) Spoonful #10: FANBOYS STRIKE AGAIN shows a wonderful poem called "Commas" by Doug Florian. 

7) Picture book author Tara Lazar has a new book coming out Oct 15th called THE UPPER CASE: TROUBLE IN CAPITAL CITY. The trailer is HILARIOUS. This is new case for Private I after cracking the case of 7 ATE 9. While I'm not sure whether commas make a cameo appearance in the book, it looks like a hoot. 

It's never too late to celebrate your favorite punctuation. Happy Belated Punctuation Day to you all. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

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