Say Please [Paperback]

Virginia Austin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1996 | Age Level: 2 and up

A story about good manners for small children. When a dog drops its ball at your feet and says, "Woof woof", what it's really saying is, "Throw my ball, please." Likewise the ducks' "Quack quack" means "Give us some bread, please", the cat's "Miaow miaow" translates as "Give me some milk, please" and the pig's "Oink oink" is to be interpreted as "Scratch my back, please". The "quack quack", "purr purr" and "oink oink" which follow are, of course, the animals' ways of saying "thank you". This, in any case, is the view of toddler Tom. He thinks the animals are very polite. But he isn't when he demands of Aunty B, "Read me a story." "Say please," says Aunty B and Tom remembers the good manners the animals taught him and copies them, literally, saying, "Woof woof, quack quack, miaow miaow, oink oink, please", then greets the end of the story with "Woof woof, quack quack, purr purr, oink oink, thank you!" Virginia Miller, who also publishes under the name Virginia Austin, has written "Squeak-A-Lot" which was runner-up for the Mother Goose Award in 1991, and she has since illustrated Martin Waddell's "Sailor Bear" as well as "Kate's Giants", "On Your Potty!", "Get into Bed!" and "Eat Your Dinner!".

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS?A small child knows how different animals get what they want: "woof, woof" means "Throw my ball, please!," "meow meow" means "May I have some milk, please?" etc. So the boy adopts the same technique when he hands his aunt a book. She instructs him to "'Say please.'" "'Woof woof, quack quack, meow meow, oink oink, please, Auntie Bea!'" he replies. Large, uncluttered, appealing illustrations in pencil and watercolor enhance this satisfying book with an inherent logic that is right on target for toddlers.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 3-5. A quack may sound like a quack to you, but to young Tom, it means the duck is asking for bread, please. And the dog's "woof woof" is clearly, "Throw my ball, please." So when Tom asks his aunt to read him a story, he says please with the quacks, oinks, and woofs he's heard all day. Despite the title, it's not clear whether the animal talk translates into "please" or the whole request. But there's something very charming about this book, especially its watercolor artwork outlined in thick pencil. The book's format is small, but proportionately, the pictures are large; they really grab attention, due not in small measure to the appealing animals cavorting across the pages. A good choice for preschool story hours--both in size and in scope. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156402833X
• ISBN-13: 978-1564028334
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,635,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.