Please Is a Good Word to Say [Hardcover]

Barbara Joosse (Author), Jennifer Plecas (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Please is a good word to say. It puts a smile on your words. And that’s not the only advice curly-burly-haired Harriet has for you. Asking, taking, interrupting, eating, answering the phone—if there’s a nice way to do it, Harriet can tell you just how to do it.

Jennifer Plecas’ infectious illustrations bring Barbara Joosse’s hilarious heroine to life in this offbeat and adorable approach to manners. Kids will be (very politely) clamoring to hear it over and over again . . . and parents will be pleased to oblige.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This small etiquette primer is narrated by a little girl with wild curly hair, a tutu, and cowboy boots, who will make the basics of "please," "thank you," and "I'm sorry" seem inviting to children. The words and pictures have a subversive undercurrent. No Pollyanna, this little girl tries to rip another girl's tutu right off, smears nail polish on someone who won't share, and then uses manners to make amends or get out of trouble. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations add zest to the lessons. Each double-page spread contains a bit of advice in a cartoon balloon and then spices it up with examples, which are often comical: the "excuse me" section covers gross bodily sounds, for example. A hilarious read-together filled with good advice. Fletcher, Connie

About the Author

Barbara Joosse lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Jennifer Plecas lives in Blue Springs, Missouri.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (May 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242171
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242175
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kids will love this--and learn, too, June 4, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Is a Good Word to Say (Hardcover)

Some words, like please and thank you, you can use to put a smile and a hug in what you say. Other words you can say can make people sad. Words can be used to make others feel better and words that should only be used if you really mean it. And sometimes it is best to just not say anything. Harriet knows these things and she wants to tell your kids all about them.

Barbara Joosse has written another great picture book, this time teaching manners--but not in the stuffy old way. She puts a unique spin on words (imagine that!) so that kids don't even know they're learning. They're just hearing a cute story in which Harriet talks about double-dipping a phone hello. In Please is a Good Word to Say Joosse has accomplished her goal of teaching one rule that really matters: Kindness. And as she does in her prior works like Hot City, and Nikolai, the Only Bear, she shows not only how we are different, but how we are the same.

And, as usual, Jennifer Plecas has artfully illustrated another book in a manner that kids love. Simple. Tasteful. Lively. The wonderful combination of story and illustration will have kids pulling this one off the shelves time and time again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Precious and great for older preschoolers, April 3, 2008

By 

Christine (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Is a Good Word to Say (Hardcover)

My 5 year old daughter received this book for Christmas this year. While we've made sure to stress good manners as she's grown up, like most kids, she has gotten to a point where it's just not "fun" to hear about it from Mom and Dad anymore. This book is adorable and makes good manners fun again! Written in a way that older preschoolers / early elementary school aged students can truly appreciate it is a gentle and often hilarious reminder of what we really should do every day. In fact, I know a few adults who could use it!

My daughter loves to read this book out loud. It's one of our new favorites!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, quirky Harriet will teach your children!, April 10, 2008

By 

JenHartnsoul - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Is a Good Word to Say (Hardcover)

Brilliantly written--gets in good with (ornery) kids and (their expasperated) parents. Main character Harriet is ornery and speaks in adorable child-like syntax which is hand-printed in twirls around the illustrations rather than the typical rows of font. I can't say enough good about this book. It does, however, say the word "butt" once, which can easily be censored if you want.