Product Description

Penguin is having a party, and his nine adorable animal guests have their manners all mixed up. From one silly incident to another, the guests learn where to put your napkin (not on your head!), how to sip your milk (don't spray it!), and when to tell a joke (not when your mouth is full!).

Proper Penguin's patience is tried, but by the time his guests say good-bye, they have even learned to say, "Thank you!"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #911627 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-This delightful book reinforces polite behavior by showing what not to do. Brightly colored animal friends come to Penguin's house for dinner. They have terrible table manners, and the playful text asks young listeners to consider their conduct. For instance, "When it's time for a bear to eat, she should grab her spoon and throw it across the room.… Is that right? No, that's wrong.… she should use her spoon to taste her honey." Penguin always steers his guests in the right direction, and the silliness of the characters' antics will appeal to children. The pen-and-ink and crayon drawings are crisp and clear, and show lots of action. Perfect for storytime, this offering will also be a favorite with parents, proving that learning manners can be fun.-Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
PreS-K. This jovial guide to manners may not tame wild young beasts, but it will have preschoolers giggling to see bears throwing spoons, chimps grabbing, and giraffes burping at Penguin's house. Cuyler introduces basic party etiquette in a question-and-answer format: "When a hippo sits down for dinner, she should put her napkin on her head. HOW PRETTY! Is that right?" By the time the page is turned, the hippo is back on track: "No, that's wrong. When a hippo sits down for dinner, she should lay her napkin on her lap. THAT'S BETTER!" Poor Penguin, complete with a small, white bowtie for extra primness, must witness further behavioral atrocities, but by the conclusion the newly enlightened menagerie is merrily on its way--with a thank-you and a come back soon. Hillenbrand's simple, comical illustrations harness the messy chaos (and flying food) of childhood with bold black lines and plenty of good humor. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on manners
My two four year old boys love this book! We have read it over and over. They love that the book asks silly questions about bad manners and enjoy saying, 'No, that's not right!'; then they tell what the animal guests should correctly do as dinner guests. They have learned a great deal about manners from this book as is evidenced by their discussions when we are having guests for dinner. Its a great book with a good message.

"Learning good manners can be fun!"
Tired of nagging your child about manners? Get this adorable book for a little change of pace.

Simply drawn, brightly colored illustrations show various animals with typical little kid table manners. (My favorite: "When an elephant drinks milk at mealtime, he should spray it all over the table. SPLAT! Is that right?") Turn the page to see and read the corresponding good manners. ("No, that's wrong. When an elephant drinks milk at mealtime, he should sip it quietly, a few gallons at a time. SSSSSIP!")

This book makes an amusing read-aloud; in addition to the humor of both text and illustrations, your child can join in on the repeated "Is that right? No, that's wrong" following each example of rudeness. Only you know your children well enough to assess the probability that they will find the bad manners funnier and more memorable than the good! But after reading this book, you can remind them to wash their hooves before dinner or not to burp like giraffe.

Now if only the creators of this book would make a revised edition including slouching at the dinner table....

My kids love it!
It's cute and funny. It asks questions about manners and of course the answer is always, "NO, THAT'S WRONG!" and the kids love yelling that out. Great book, great illustrations, too!