It’s hard to explain to children why manners are important. Although, I have to admit, some adults don’t really get it either. This cute picture book by Kathryn Madeline Allen, illustrated by Nancy Wolff (really, I didn’t make that up) tells the importance of having good manners in a way children can understand and accept.
We begin: “This little piggy said please and thank you. This little piggy did not.” We see the dialogue between the animals and their reactions to the piggies and their differences in manner.
“This little piggy chewed with his mouth closed.” The other animals are appreciative, so much so that one zebra says, “I’d love to see him tackle corn on the cob.”
“This little piggy forgot.” Feedback from friends: the cow says “How utterly disgusting.” (Which makes me wonder why she didn’t say it was udderly disgusting, but I digress.)
“This little piggy shared all of her toys. This little piggy said MINE!!” One friend says, “What a toy hog.”
The book continues on, showing the pigs in different situations and how they react differently. I think perhaps the most important thing about this book is that we see what their friends are thinking. We might not understand why it’s important to chew with our mouths closed, but when we understand how it’s grossing other people out, we want to keep our mouths closed more. I’m not a believer of succumbing to peer pressure, but when your peers are telling you that your behavior isn’t appropriate, by all means, you need to listen.
The illustrations are creative as well. The cover tells us that the pictures were done with gouache on Canson paper. I’m not an artist and I frankly don’t know what gouache is, but the result is adorable, like a series of paper dolls, with every piece a different pattern. The pigs are pink plaid, for instance, while the rabbit is gingham and the mouse is polka-dot.
A cute book all around, I recommend it to teach manners to readers of any age.
(This book was published by Henry Holt and Company, 2003.)
Related Blogs:
Teaching Your Toddler to Mind Their P’s and Q’s