Time to Say "Please"! [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

As a companion book to the popular Time to Pee!, Mo Willems has created a book on manners in his own signature style. Groups of ebullient mice narrate this humorous text as young children try in vain to get what they want, learning along the way that it is helpful to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry." Oh, and you have to mean it, too.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–This painless introduction to good manners is sure to produce a generation of more civilized beings. With tongue firmly in cheek, Willems uses an army of mice and a cast of multicultural children to cover the basics of polite conversation: please, excuse me, sorry, and thank you. The tiny rodents are responsible for maneuvering the colorful text bubbles (and parachutes, arrows, signs, hot-air balloons, sails, wrecking balls, etc.). Framing the words in creative ways against expansive white backgrounds reinforces their importance while providing a boost to beginning readers. The examples speak directly to a young child's experience, thereby inspiring the motivation to try the author's suggestions: If you ever really want something–the illustration shows an entranced girl eyeing a cookie jar–...don't just grab it! Go ask a big person and please say ˜please'! Other relevant situations follow as the mice instruct and cajole the youngsters on the art of approaching adults while remaining sincere. A certain pigeon makes a cameo appearance, and a simple board game decorates the endpapers. While treatises on good manners abound, this entertaining and practical guide is closest to the spirited style of Sesyle Joslin's What Do You Say, Dear? (HarperCollins, 1958). Willems offers no sermons, no sentimentality, just good sense–and fun, thank you very much.–Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Mo Willems is the New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of picture books and early readers that have changed the face of children's literature. He has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions, and two of his Elephant and Piggie early readers have received a Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal. His most recent picture book is Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, of which the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books wrote: "Willems continues to be a master at conveying an amazing amount of emotion and humor using ... minimal elements" in a starred review.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (May 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786852933
• ISBN-13: 978-0786852932
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute and funny, October 13, 2005

By 

J. Parker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Time to Say "Please"! (Hardcover)

My three year old grandson and I love Mo Willems. This one isn't quite as good as our favorites which are "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" and "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog" but Max enjoys repeating all the please words written across the page. We'd recommend it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TIME TO SAY 'PLEASE'!, July 10, 2007

By 

Grandma Margie (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time to Say "Please"! (Hardcover)

Perfect for the attention span of the little ones with enough substance for the over fives. With Mo Willems there is a "little" something on the pages for future reads. This one has a cute game inside the jacket.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my daughter's favorite, January 11, 2012

By 

MN2LA - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time to Say "Please"! (Hardcover)

My family spends a lot of time at the library. My kids love picking out their own books and I'm always encouraging them to pick new titles we haven't read.

But once "Time to Say Please" came home, it quickly became a favorite of my then 3-year-old daughter. She still enjoys it at age 6. The illustrations are cute and the text jumps off the page. And the message is fantastic.

I felt obligated to buy it so other kids could check it out from the library once in a while!