Manners are about feelings. Good manners make kids nice and make others want to be with them. At the dinner table or a birthday party--or even building a sand castle at the beach--manners matter. Full color. (Baby/Preschool)

Reviews

K-Gr 3-- From the engaging jacket to the final endpaper, and in a lighthearted, humorous manner, children can see the cartoonlike depictions of the acceptable behavior, with the boorish counteraction similarly depicted for purposes of comparison. Well organized into succinct areas, the book is cleanly formatted and presents colorful images to engage browsers. That ``Manners are WORDS and ACTIONS that show others you CARE'' is paramount. Readers will revel in the sheer fun of it all and will surely gain personal insights. Younger children will be better served by individual rather than group presentation because of some of the pictures' small, informative details. Peggy Parish's Mind Your Manners (Greenwillow, 1978) or Norah Smaridge's rhythmic Manners Matter (Abingdon, 1980; o.p.) can't compete with the cheerful, broad-based treatment this offers, nor will they spark as much interest in and discussion of a universal issue--to think of others before one's self. Culture, gender, and age are well represented, also contributing to the book's wide appeal. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH

This popular and prolific author-artist here examines an important topic for children--good manners: how to achieve them and how to maintain them. Every page brims with etiquette tips, expressed by small-sized figures drawn in Aliki's customarily cheery style. If there is a problem here, it is one of excess: the dos and don'ts fly by so thick and fast that readers may have difficulty grasping them. A lack of organization may further confuse the book's users. The subjects are broached in no discernible order, and text is presented willy-nilly in captions under pictures and in cartoon-style balloons. One page bears the heading ``Ouch,'' and depicts two girls strolling down the street as another girl approaches. The copy above the picture reads, ``Here comes Alexa. / Let's ignore her,'' while two tiny birds below--they and several animal friends make pertinent and impertinent asides throughout--say ``bad manners and bad feelings'' and ``Is Alexa going to go home and cry?'' Cause and effect seem to be missing here, and the main issue glossed over. Though certainly well-intentioned, this book may prove more chaotic than constructive. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)

"Readers will revel in the sheer fun of it all and will surely gain personal insights.""-- School Library Journal"(stared review)"Presented with such generous good humor that few children will feel preached at.""Kirkus Reviews"