Don't Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior [Hardcover]

David Greenberg (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

If you're smart, you'll read my book
Of modern children's etiquette.
If you don't, I'm sad to say -
Your life will be pathetiquette.
 
Meet Miss Information, the world's foremost expert on bad behavior, as she offers upside-down advice about the etiquette of absolutely everything. In twenty impishly off-center poems she states her views on such important topics as bathing (with and without gerbils), kissing (Komodo dragons as well as teachers), and eating.
 
Exuberant illustrations full of hilarious antics add to the humor of this mischievous spoof on bad behavior. These sly poems offer a child-friendly way to discuss what good behavior really should be like and are sure to become every child's essential guide to - a rollicking good time!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–In 20 clever poems, Miss Information, a colorfully clothed character wearing blue-framed half-moon glasses, provides children with some new and unusual rules for modern manners. As she explains, …the etiquette of olden days/Takes endless, boring study./Children need an etiquette/Far less fuddy-duddy. Framed with quotes from the likes of Emily Post and Miss Manners (appropriately credited in the back of the book), the selections merrily turn traditional advice upside down. Dressing properly? Tuck your tie into your belt/And wear it as a tail./Put your undies on your head/And wear them as a veil. Table manners? When drinking from a gravy boat/Hold it by the lip/And delicately sip from it,/Careful not to drip. There are offerings about babysitters, bathroom behavior, going to sleep (or not), disagreeing with adults, and, of course, belching. Westcott's pastel-hued watercolors are filled with verve, charm, and humor as mischievous youngsters interact with other kids, parents, and teachers. This book will tickle children's funny bones on its own, or it could be used as part of a discussion about appropriate social behavior.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this lively spoof of etiquette books, Miss Information, a young girl who claims to be fully grown and in possession of countless Ph.D.s, offers expertise on modern etiquette in a "far less fuddy-duddy" manner than the etiquette books of olden days. Advice on topics ranging from sipping soup ("At fancy dinner parties, sip soup from your hat") to "how you kiss good night" is dished out in 20 poems. Most are preceded by quotes from standard etiquette books, which seem idiotic when followed by Miss Information's outrageous recommendations. Greenberg makes creative use of language, especially in finding words to rhyme with etiquette (pathetiquette, getiquette), and Westcott's bright cartoon-style artwork, with gleeful animals and manic children rollicking everywhere (especially in the "Etiquette for the Tub" scene), perfectly illustrate the fine points Miss Information wishes to convey. Some adults may consider this too subversive, but others will see it as an entertaining way to spark discussions about the difference between proper and unacceptable behavior. Randall Enos
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374349908
• ISBN-13: 978-0374349905
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,337,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cute Reminder, July 26, 2010

By 

C. Helm (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior (Hardcover)

I read this to my 6th grade class (10-11 years old) and they love it. They even come back in following years and ask to read it on their free time. I also read it to my 2 year old sometimes too and he likes it, but probably more for the pictures. He does laugh at the book and says "noooooo" when something is not the right kind of behavior. Kids love to be read to no matter what age and it's even better when the adult reading it is amused as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an essential guide to misbehavior to be read to kids ages 4-8!, February 3, 2007

By 

Marci Twain (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It was fun to read, fun to look at the pictures, and was clearly not thrown together. There was much thought that went into creating this book. Amazon says this book is for kids ages 9-12. But it is a cute picture book - so I have to consider it to be for kids ages 4-8. It is comprised of an introduction and conclusion and the following 18 "chapters:"

1 The Etiquette of Shaking Hands
2. The Etiquette of Dress
3. The Etiquette of Sitting
4. Etiquette with Food
5. The Etiquette of Eating Soup
6. The Etiquette of Burping
7. The Etiquette of Answering the Phone
8. Bathroom Etiquette
9. Etiquette for the Tub
10. The Etiquette of Spanking
11. The Etiquette of Disagreeing with Adults
12. Etiquette with Baby-sitters
13. The Etiquette of Going to Sleep
14. Etiquette for the Classroom
15. The Etiquette of Quiet Places
16. The Etiquette of Kissing
17. The Etiquette of Museums
18. The Etiquette of Thank-you's

There is no real story to this book. Actually, each chapter is a witty poem that seems like a story. Therefore there are arguably 18+ stories in this book. I doubt little kids will want to have the entire book read to them in a sitting, but that's part of the beauty of the book. Read 3 or 4 of the chapters in a sitting and then discuss them so the book can be used as a learning tool, too. I expect kids will love the illustrations that are all well-done. I highly recommend this book. 5 stars!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars confusing for 4-8 and too young for 9+, February 20, 2007

By 

Melissa Louckes "Melissa L homeschooling mom" (MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior (Hardcover)

This book is supposedly intended for children ages 9-12. I agree with the previous reviewer that it's more like 4-8, based on its picture book format and simplistic illustrations and length. The problem is that it's very confusing for 4-8 year olds. The description of the book itself states "these sly poems poke fun at misbehavior" and yet this is the age where misbehavior vs. manners and behavior are first being explained to and understood by children. They're too young for the poems and yet 9 to 12 year olds will think the book too "young". Very confusing and not to be recommended at all! A great disappointment!