Customer Reviews

Please Is a Good Word to Say

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Somebody asked me, "Harriet, it's very nice to write a book about manners. I mean, everybody needs them, right?"

"Yes," I said. "Adults, too."

"But aren't manners kind of . . . boring?"

"NO!" I said. "Manners are like maraschino cherries. They make everything taste better."

*

And it's true, isn't it? My new curly-burly haired, fashion-forward heroine, Harriet, is fizzy and fun. She knows that the Number One Rule about manners is . . . kindness. She's learned a lot about manners over her not-so-many years, and now she'd love to pass along her personal advice to children (and adults) in your home and classroom.

Barbara Joosse
and
Harriet

I FIRST BOUGHT THIS BOOK AT A GARAGE SALE--THEN I READ IT TO MY 6-YEAR OLD GRANDSON AND HE LOVED IT SO MUCH THAT HE READ IT OVER AND OVER ALOUD. OF COURSE, HE WANTED TO TAKE IT HOME WITH HIM. I WAS SO HAPPY TO FIND IT ON YOUR WEBSITE SO I COULD ORDER IT FOR MY OTHER GRANDCHILDREN. THANKS!

I dread it when my three year old asks for this book at bedtime. It is so boring and bit, well, weird. There is a part at the end where you are supposed to sing a song. Very strange. My husband confessed the other night that he skips pages too.

We are consistent with teaching manners but I think this is a book to politely decline.

Was the author on 'Wife Swap'? I recognized her dedication to 'goops'. Again, weird.

We found this book for my 6 y/o daughter, who loves reading it b/c it is funny. we love it b/c it teaches some good lessons and it is from the perspective of another kid, so that makes it even more fun for others to read it. The author has a unique and silly way of writing to keep the reader interested.