Some of literature’s favorite and most loved characters and seasoned etiquette experts tackle manners in a variety of books written for toddlers, teens and parents. Here’s a roundup of popular books that address proper etiquette and good manners for kids.
Clifford’s Manners
- Author: Norman Bridwell
- About: The Big Red Dog demonstrates his mastery of writing thank-you notes, saying “excuse me” and sharing toys – skills he learned from Emily Elizabeth, naturally.
- Ages: 4-plus
Dude, That’s Rude!: (Get Some Manners) (Laugh and Learn)
- Author: Pamela Espeland
- About: This full-color cartoon tome is a great pick for the guys. Delivered with plenty of humor (and far from preachy), it tackles etiquette in the bathroom, on the phone, at school and more.
- Ages: 8-plus
Emily Post’s The Guide to Good Manners for Kids
- Author: Cindy Post Senning
- About: Focuses on the Emily Post Institute’s three core concepts of etiquette – respect, consideration and honesty – tailored for the tween crowd.
- Ages: 8-plus
Emily’s Everyday Manners
- Authors: Cindy Post Senning and Peggy Post
- About: In this charming tale, a young gal and her best friend Ethan discover the “five magic words” – and much more.
- Ages: 4-8
Everyday Graces: Child’s Book of Good Manners
- Author: Karen Santorum
- About: Considered “wonderfully rich and instructive,” this anthology is crafted to instill manners in little folks (though Bono of U2 has said it’d be helpful for rock stars, too!).
- Ages: 3-plus
Excuse Me!: A Little Book of Manners
- Author and Illustrator: Karen Katz
- About: Darling as can be, this simple and repetitive book is a great first for toddlers, covering everything from burping to breaking a sibling’s toy.
- Ages: 2-plus
Goops and How to be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Infants
- Author: Gelett Burgess
- About: This classic, 100-some years old, still holds up as kids are introduced to a family that leads “disgusting lives” – providing laughs and lessons.
- Ages:Â 4-8 years
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?
- Author: Jane Yolen
- About: Part of a popular dino series, this fun book covers burps, belches and all kinds of table etiquette.
- Ages: 3-plus
How Rude! The Teenagers Guide Good Manners, Proper Behavior, and Not Grossing People Out
- Author: Alex J. Packer
- About: “Humorous, non-threatening, entertaining and educational” is how the School Library Journal sums it up – a top pick for teens.
- Ages: 13-plus
How to Behave and Why
- Author: Munro Leaf
- About: This staple, with its simple stick-figure characters, first appeared on the scene in 1946. Today, it’s still delivering its gentle messages on honesty, wisdom, strength and more.
- Ages: 4-plus
Madeline Says Merci
- Author: John Bemelmans Marciano
- About: This iconic little lady shares her secret of being polite – just being kind to others. She, Miss Clavel, the girls and other popular characters show many basics of manners.
- Ages: 3-plus
Manners
- Author: Aliki
- About: Booklist calls it a “lively primer,” and its engaging, eye-popping illustrations are sure to deliver some key lessons to your little ones.
- Ages:Â 4-8 years
Mary Louise Loses Her Manners
- Author: Jack E. Davis
- About: What the heck happened? She paid them so little heed, it seems, that they’ve “up and run away!” Follow Mary Louise on her recon mission.
- Ages: 4-plus
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf
- Author: Judy Sierra
- Illustrator: J. Otto Seibold
- About: The B.B., of course, stands for “Big Bad” – and we all know that fellow could use a few pointers. In this whimsical winner, Wolf has to learn manners fast when he moves into the Villain Villa Senior Center.
- Ages:Â 3-7 years
Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners
- Author: Judy Sierra
- Illustrator: Tim Bowers
- About: What happens when a little girl meets a dino in the grocery store? She gives the friendly gal a few etiquette tips in another fun, read-out-loud rhyme book by Sierra (see above, too).
- Ages: 3-plus
The Golden Rule
- Author: Ilene Cooper
- Illustrator: Gabi Swiatkowska
- About: A young boy learns about this much-mentioned rule with his grandfather, who shows him it’s a simple concept – but tricky to follow.
- Ages: 1-8
The Thingumajig Book of Manners
- Author: Irene Keller
- Illustrator: Dick Keller
- About: The rude, large-snouted creatures in this zany tale will crack-up kids as they spit, scratch and pick their teeth – while delivering some valuable inspiration.
- Ages: 4-8
What Do You Say, Dear?
- Author: Sesyle Joslin
- Illustrations: Maurice Sendak
- About: From the artist who gave us Where the Wild Things Are comes “delightfully absurd situations and elegant and exceeding funny illustrations.”
- Ages:Â 4-8 years
This post was originally published in 2012 and is updated regularly.Â
