Cheerful illustrations set the upbeat (and updated) tone for this introduction to manners. A succinct running text introduces young Emily and her neighbor Ethan and comments on how and why they use manners as well as how etiquette can differ according to the time and place. More interesting to children, no doubt, are the comments made by the two children as they model sentiments, behavior, and polite speech in a variety of situations that children might encounter, from "Thanks for inviting me!" to "You are most welcome, Mr. President." A final page offers sound advice for concerned parents, with this basic message: "Always behave the way you want your children to behave." While children's books on manners are plentiful and the approach here is a bit scattershot, the playful look of Bjorkman's ink-and-watercolor illustrations makes this one of the more approachable etiquette books available for young children.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Cindy Post Senning, Ed.D., codirector of The Emily Post Institute, Inc., developed a training program for etiquette educators and conducts children's etiquette workshops across the U.S. and overseas. Cindy is the coauthor of all the Emily Post children's books, with her sister-in-law, Peggy Post.
This is Mike Gutch's first children's book other than his unpublished "book" he wrote in third grade about New York State, which coincidentally is where he resides, in the town of Pelham, just outside of New York City. Mike lives with his wife and four children. When he's not making peanut butter and honey sandwiches for them or working for the Man, he's enjoying the great outdoors. If you'd like to send him a note on the book or advice on how to get anything unstuck, you can email him at mikestuckgutch@gmail.com.
Steve Bjorkman has illustrated more than seventy books for children, including the New York Times bestselling Dirt on My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy, Emily's Everyday Manners by Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning, I Hate English! by Ellen Levine, and Safari Park by Stuart J. Murphy. He also creates greeting cards with his brother, Carl, and together they have sold millions through Recycled Paper Greetings. Steve lives with his wife and three children in Irvine, California.
Peggy Post, Emily Post’s great-granddaughter-in-law, is a director of The Emily Post Institute and the author of more than a dozen books. Peggy writes a monthly column in Good Housekeeping and an online wedding etiquette column for the New York Times.