How to Lose All Your Friends (Viking Kestrel picture books) [Hardcover]

Nancy Carlson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Series: Viking Kestrel picture books

A tongue-in-cheek look at bratty behavior explains how children can lose all their friends by never smiling, never sharing, and always whining whenever they do not get their own way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-This reverse etiquette book advises readers to never smile or share; to be a bully and whine; to tattle and be a poor sport. Each "rule" offers specific examples and is illustrated with brightly colored pictures. While children are always interested in stories showing the complications and potential pitfalls of social interactions, this plotless treatment is not likely to hold much appeal for them. Also, it's unfortunate that "tattling" is presented as undesirable. Granted, the examples given are minor ones involving friends who are misbehaving in not terribly destructive ways, but youngsters do need to know that there are situations in which "telling" is perfectly acceptable. Carlson's cartoon-style art is a little more crudely done here than in her previous books, and her figures are more angular, as they "Push in front of the lunch line" or "Cheat at cards."-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4-7. Carlson's set of "simple instructions" is a send-up of adult self-help books and collections of genteel counsel aimed at children. The artwork and the advice she gathers refer to common home and school behaviors children know about and are told to avoid: "If you are eating cookies, hide them when your friends come over." Pushing in the lunch line, whining, tattling, and sibling teasing are illustrated with zippy pictures that strongly contrast having fun and being mean. Mary Harris Veeder

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670849065
• ISBN-13: 978-0670849062
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,996,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This year illustrator and author Nancy Carlson published her 44th children's book. Her specialty is teaching kids to feel good about themselves and others.Kids, parents, teachers and even book critics think she does a great job. That's because she is never out of touch with the kid spirit inside herself. Her brightly colored pencil drawings perfectly capture the happy-go-lucky characters that fill her clever and funny books. There is a life lesson to be learned from each story.Nancy decided at age five to be an artist. As a child, Nancy would sit on her bed and draw for hours. "I began creating characters and telling stories through my drawings," Nancy said. "I always had the need to communicate something through my art." Her early love of comic books influenced her style of drawing and use of color.A graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art, Nancy has kept alive a youthful zest for life. Readers and book reviewers alike are charmed by her jazzy yet childlike drawings done with bright colored pencils. In all 42 books and four stage plays, she uses well-placed humor in words and pictures to tickle the funny bone of children and their parents.Humorous childhood experiences from her own life growing up in Minneapolis and from the escapades of her three children provide themes for stories. Most of her books feature animal characters that show the funny side of people. Nancy's two dogs, cat and a guinea pig are a source of inspiration.Nancy Carson lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. She and her husband, Barry McCool, have three children, two dogs, and a cat. Nancy loves nature and spends as much time outdoors as possible, running, biking and birdwatching. Besides writing and illustrating children's books, she designs posters, t-shirts, caps, greeting cards and other specialty items, which are marketed across the country through McCool Unlimited, Inc. and available though Nancy's on-line catalogue.Readers say they recognize themselves and their friends in the characters who triumph over everyday situations.Each story helps young readers deal with life's little problems, while teaching the basic values of honesty, determination and self-confidence.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good start in addressing bullying and social skills problems, October 5, 2005

By 

SD Teacher (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Lose All Your Friends (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

I use this book as a read-aloud with my first grade students. The illustrations are great, and the book is right at their level. It is a fun way to show good and poor social behavior, and my students ask me to read it again and again. It helps them internalize what it takes to make friends.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Super Lesson for Preschoolers, August 13, 2004

By 

English Teacher "--That's me!" (Rural USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Lose All Your Friends (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

I have a little girl who is nearly four and learning to read. She also has trouble, sometimes, with sharing, as do most little girls her age. This book provides her with great lessons about sharing, being a friend, and why other kids don't like it when you're not nice to them. It's a super lesson for a preschooler.

The author's approach amazed my daughter. She writes the book as a sarcastic "guide book," on how to lose all your friends (thus the title), but the sarcasm did not escape my little one. The clear illustrations helped a lot, so that the meaning is easy to grasp.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps kids without threatening their esteem, December 13, 2001

By 

H. David Peirce "Zossima" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Lose All Your Friends (Viking Kestrel picture books) (Hardcover)

This book uses humor to communicate common things that kids do to hurt other children. It is a good book for children who frequently get into scraps with other kids. One of my nephews is the second boy in his family. As the second boy, he seems to have a lot to prove, which has led to a lot of arguments with his other little friends. This book helped him see his actions for himself in a way that did not threaten his self-esteem.