Book Buds Kidlit Reviews

Politely speaking

Emily Post: Emily's Magic Words; Please, Thank You, and More
by Cindy Post Senning and Peggy Post; illustrated by Leo Landry

HarperCollins

Gee, bet you can't guess those magic words. If you said "back off" "up yours" and "drop dead," you'd be ... wrong. Of course.

Yet I found it hard to snicker for all the wrong reasons while reading how "please" and "thank you" can open doors, "hi" and "bye" can make you friends, "sorry" can fix boo-boos and all that sort of rot. Yeah, yeah, it'll help reinforce basic etiquette. It's nice to be nice, etc.

And it is awfully cute when my toddler looks up at me with her chocolate-smeared face and squeals "thanks, Mommy!" Of course, she also sits behind me in the minivan, where she learned to say "honk honk!" and "schmuck!" while waving only one finger. I'm working on her fine motor skills. Ahem.

I do try hard to be polite. I'm polite when people cut in front of me in line, have more than 15 items in the express checkout, clog my inbox with spam, lecture me on how to raise my kids, etc.

Being polite would be more fun if everyone else did it too. What Emily Post's heirs really need to write is a sequel for how to avoid a murderous rage when the rest of the world doesn't take etiquette lessons.

Rating: *\*\

POETRY FRIDAY Bad behavior that's good

Don't Forget Your Etiquette: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior
by David Greenberg; illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Okay, so just what is the protocol for bathing with gerbils? Is it ever appropriate to spank your parents? And that whole bit about sitting still ... does it have to last until rigor mortis sets in?

I'm so glad Greenberg's around to ask. Though my Dad used to crack jokes about Miss Information, Greenberg's revived her with a few contemporary twists, like dragging your laptop into the bathroom while your siblings are waiting to pee.

A fine whine

Love You When You Whine
by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Reviewed by Ilene Goldman

The cover and title of Emily Jenkin’s new book simply called to me. The little ponytailed Kitten looks forlorn and in need of a hug. I was immediately comforted by knowing that she is loved even when whining. She is loved when she interrupts, doesn’t say please, paints the walls (and the dog) and won’t get dressed. She’s loved when she does all those things that we have to learn, eventually, not to do.

The mischievous glint in Kitten’s eyes is unmistakable. Kitten is just having some fun, seeing how things work and figuring out her limits. Mom looks alternately glum, frustrated, and dismayed. I know I have made all of those faces, sometimes all within 15 minutes. Ruzzier’s illustrations capture the grimaces so acutely, I could've been looking in a mirror. 

Kitten and her antics also made me think of Maurice Sendak’s characters. As Kitten chews with her mouth open and puts crayons in the dryer, how can we not think of Where the Wild Things Are and mischief-making Max? In the end, Max longs to return to “where someone loved him best of all.” Kitten is loved the best way of all—her mom hugs her and says “Love you, always. Yes, I do.” And, she doesn’t have to play with monsters first!

This lovely cuddle-up book will certainly prompt conversations about “How do you think Kitten is feeling?  Do you do that sometimes? Do Mommy and Daddy like it when you behave like that?” Jenkins talks on her website of reading the book with her own daughter, who inspired it at age two, and having such conversations. I look forward, not to the tantrums, but to being able to share this book and that talk with my own daughter.

Other books by this author: That New Animal, Hug Hug Hug

Rating: *\*\*\

A feast for the eyes

Thanksgiving is Here!

by Diane Goode

Whoops ... I almost let the holiday pass without taking note of this pungent tribute to our favorite excuse to pig out party.

You're not buying this one for the kind words about going to grandma's house for turkey. You're buying it for the mad scramble of relatives depicted in all their quibbling, gossiping, nosy glory. Kids dive bomb the table, lovers woo, old ladies quarrel and the older men try to catch a few zzzz ... all rendered with a deliciously wicked eye for detail.

Set at roughly the turn of the last century, Goode's given it a timeless feel with send-ups of family stereotypes, each with a storyline that threads through the crowded illustrations. Nobody's left out, not the family bookworm or the screetchy violin prodigy, and even an uncle's toupee is served up.

By the time Grandma and Grandpa collapse in their chairs after the last good-byes, you're as cheerfully pooped as they.

And while we're on the subject of family feasts and Diane Goode, she's lent her satiric gift to Mind Your Manners!, which has more than just an unnecessary exclamation point in common with "Thanksgiving is Here!"

Goode found an 1802 etiquette text for children in an antique store and was inspired to research early Americans, what they wore or ate or how they conducted themselves. Then she dreamt up a stiffly polite family invited to dinner with the barbaric Abbotts.

It'd be a great way to teach table manners if your own little savages aren't slobbering in front of the TV. I just toss food to the ravenous beasts and run for cover.

Hope your Turkey Day wasn't as fowl. Hee hee.

Rating (both books): *\*\*\

Minding their manners

Mini Manners

Little Skills

by Tanya Napier; illustrated by Airlie Anderson

     Every now and then, I come across a book so useful its utility outweighs any other consideration. And any book – or collection of booklets, in this case – that can get my introverted toddler to confidently shout “hello!” or “thank you” in a crowded classroom or playground deserves a gold star of gratitude.

     Each box set contains three books and a progress chart with stickers. In the "Little Skills" set, a nameless bunny is put through his paces brushing his teeth, dressing himself or going potty. In "Mini Manners," he masters such rudimentary courtesies as please and thank you, hello and goodbye and the ever-important "sorry."

     The lessons are so tactfully imparted, with goofy examples of what NOT to do, that the messages hit home without Mommy having to noodge him every five seconds or order a dozen time outs. My tot wants to do what the bunny does, simple as that.

     The few lines that rhyme never rise above the “poo” and “you” variety, and the illustrations of bunny and his animal friends are flat, if bright. But then, how often I forget these books aren’t written with my entertainment in mind.

Note: comes with reward stickers and progress chart.

Rating: *\*\*\