From School Library Journal K-Gr 2—Bove is a visual development artist for Disney, and her illustrations could be straight out of a Disney classic. Big-eyed Evie and Simon are concerned with their buffoonish father's improper table behavior. "Let's mind our manners," Evie repeats as she and Simon school the adult in how to behave at dinner. Bove's exaggerated, cartoon illustrations do most of the work here, showing the disastrous results of the father's bad manners. For instance, when he slurps soup, his children huddle under an umbrella. The story culminates in a funny twist when Evie and Simon's prim grandmother comes to visit and loses her propriety over a piece of delicious chocolate-coconut cake. With Bove's vintage color palette and LaReau's pedantic text, this picture book could have been published 50 years ago. As an instructional tool for table manners, it could be an effective teaching aid. However, because of its didactic message, it does not warrant general purchase.—Nora Clancy, Teachers College Community School, New York City Read more From Booklist Evie and Simon are very polite children who always mind their manners, but their father is another story. Every night they must remind him to not talk with his mouth full, to use a napkin, and to not slurp the soup. Once they think they’ve taught him everything, they invite a special guest to dinner, only to discover that their work has just begun. Readers will love the reversed roles in this story. The father is a comical mess, while Evie and Simon are perfect and patient. Even the dog gets in on the action, and readers will love seeing him in every picture. The retro-style illustrations will appeal to readers and make the action even more absurd. The importance of table manners is well presented without being heavy-handed, and hopefully readers will take away a few tips. Pair this book with Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschka’s Table Manners (2001) and Judy Sierra’s Mind Your Manners, B. B. Wolf (2007) for a lesson on manners that will elicit plenty of laughter. Preschool-Grade 1. --Tiffany Erickson Read more See all Editorial Reviews
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