Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Children [Paperback]

barbara ross (Adapter), Nicholas Beatty (Adapter), Gelett Burgess (Original Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

There is a little bit of naughty that lives in us all, and Barbara Ross recognizes this. Ross is the founder of Goops Unlimited, a company on a crusade to bring manners and polite behavior back into the lives of contemporary families. And her latest attempt is the re-release of the humorous book, Goops And How To Be Them, originally printed 100-years-ago!
With wit and whimsy, the characters in Goops And How To Be Them represent the childish tendencies, and immature pranks every human is familiar with. The characters display such taboos as speaking out of turn, and taking things that don't belong to them, but are presented in such a way as to become endearing to the reader. Children learn in relation to the Goops, "While its fun to see them, it's terrible to be them."
Having made an appearance in Webster's Dictionary, Goops are described as "Rude creatures devoid of beauty and grace." And throughout the numerous drawings and verse in Goops And How To Be Them, this concept is perfectly illustrated. But there is a goal in mind, and that is to teach children to recognize impolite behavior and stray from it as much as possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For parents, children, or godchildren. Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners by Gelett Burgess, reintroduced by Barbara Ross. A witty and delightful volume first published in the '20s with eminently memorizable poems for the reinforcement of good behavior. "No matter how you wish/for the last one on the dish/Miss Manners has a right to it/Not you." And so forth. --The National Review

Precocious, atrocious, and ferocious? Yes, that s a Goop. Utterly without manners or noblesse oblige. Goops have one saving grace, they make wonderful examples of how not to behave. Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Children offers a compendium of Goopish examples that cleverly illustrate proper manners from improper manners.
Goops and How to Be Them, originally published in 1900, retains its relevance today. Other than a few antiquated references like girls curtseying and watching for horses when you cross the street, the suggestions for proper behavior would be welcome in any home with children. The rhymes and illustrations combine to make learning about tidiness, consideration, generosity, teasing, and patience fun. Goops and How to Be Them is a spoonful of sugar that gets the medicine of good manners down in a most delightful way. --ChildrensPictureBooks.info

Does anyone doubt that Gelett Burgess, he of the equally ready pen and pencil, is an adept in philosophy? Read his famous essays and be convinced that he is a social philosopher of great analytic power. Peruse his dissertations on the nature and characteristics of "Goops" and know him as a moral philosopher of a most practical bent. --Good Housekeeping Magazine - Arthur Guiterman

About the Author

Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 - September 18, 1951) was an artist, art critic, poet, author, and humorist. He was born in Boston, and graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S., in 1887.
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Barbara Ross is the founder of Goops Unlimited, a company on a crusade to bring manners and polite behavior back into the lives of contemporary families. She has been re-introducing the work of Mr. Burgess for over a decade.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Goops Unlimited; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971236801
• ISBN-13: 978-0971236806
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Goops, January 5, 2001

By 

D. Monthie (Queensbury, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goops and How to be Them : A Manual of Manners for Polite Children Inculcating Many Juvenile Virtues Both by Precept and Example (Paperback)

What a great book! Thirty years ago (when I was five) I discovered this book. These are manners children used to be taught. Now parents expect teachers and others to raise their children for them. Etched in my mind forever is one of the phrases from this book. "The goops they lick their fingers, the goops they lick their knives, they spill their broth on the tablecloth , oh they lead disgusting lives. The goops they talk while eating,and loud and fast they chew, I'm glad I'm not a goop are you?" Buy this book!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is very timely... even though it's 100 years old!, June 1, 2000

By 

Nicholas Beatty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goops and How to be Them : A Manual of Manners for Polite Children Inculcating Many Juvenile Virtues Both by Precept and Example (Paperback)

Time moves on, we make technological advances and things change. However, people remain the same. No matter what happens, right is right and wrong is wrong.

What impressed me the most about this book is that it is fun to read. I don't want to bash Emily Post, Martha Stewart or any others lecturing on the dos and don'ts of life, but books on manners and etiquette can sometimes get pretty dry.

I have a feeling that children everywhere will love the whimsical drawings and happy little rhymes.

The subject matter may seem simple, but Goops and How To Be Them provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to speak with their children about the issues that face today's youth.

The editor of the latest release of Goops and How To Be Them has set up a website devoted to training kids and families about manners........................

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love the Goops!, October 16, 1999

By 

Supermonkey "Software, music, and comics geek" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goops and How to be Them : A Manual of Manners for Polite Children Inculcating Many Juvenile Virtues Both by Precept and Example (Paperback)

My mother read me this book when I was very young, and it stays with me still. A great way to teach kids manners!