From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–This fourth entry by Katz and Catrow features 14 selections about manners set to familiar tunes. For the most part, the music and words are an easy fit, although a few, such as Writing Thank-Yous to the tune of Alouette, might require some rehearsal. The verses scan well, with only the occasional resort to invention when no rhyme presents itself (Then there is Ingrid,/Who did a bad thingrid). There are entries on lateness, table manners, sneezing, nose picking, and being quiet in the library, sung to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Done in watercolors, colored pencil, and ink, the cartoon artwork is appropriately energetic and chaotic, amplifying the humor in the situations. Useful as a lighthearted introduction to etiquette or for just plain fun.
–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Like Abbott and Costello's comic synergy, the pairing of songwriter Katz's impolite songs and Catrow's cartoon illustrations is a match made in Chucklesville. The 14 "silly dilly manners songs" here are guaranteed to produce appreciative snorts and guffaws from kids. The song titles set up the farcical verse while the watercolor-and-colored-pencil caricatures take the hilarity over the top: "Jimmy Picks Boogers" (which Katz suggests should be sung to the tune of "The Blue-Tail Fly"); "Don't Chew Gum in the Classroom" (sung to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"); "Don't Talk with Beans in Your Mouth" (sung to "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore"). Adults may grimace at some of the rude details, but kids will chortle out loud and remember the manners messages precisely because they are so cleverly concocted. One copy won't be enough. For more fun with the subject, link this to David Greenberg's
Don't Forget Your Etiquette (2006).
Julie CumminsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
