Gasp, Giggle, Think, and Learn: Ten Best Books for Teaching Children Manners

There are hundreds of how-to's on the web for teaching manners-most of them lists of do's and don'ts. But we all know that lists are rarely the best way to teach anything. It's through discussion and participation, storytelling and play, identification and example, that we learn. And what better way to stimulate this involvement than with books. A preschooler or elementary school child seated with a parent can be entertained by characters that make him gasp, giggle, think, and learn. Following are ten books that parents can use with their children, beginning with books aimed at preschoolers, ending with those for ages 7 and up.

Ages 2-5

Excuse Me!A Little Book of Manners, by Karen Katz, is a great book for toddlers. Six questions are arranged on double-page spreads with lift-up flaps, beginning with, "Mommy says, 'Do you want peas for breakfast?' What do you say?" Lift the flap and find the answer. Illustrations are clean and bright and a child is sure to want to hear this book over and over.

Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? illustrated by Mark Teague, features dinosaurs who do not want to go to bed: "Does he slam his tail and pout? Does he throw his teddy bear all about?" Human parents, dwarfed by each boldly painted dinosaur, bide their time until the story turns, and we learn that dinosaurs "give a big kiss. . . .[then] turn out the light. They tuck in their tails. They whisper good night." Children are sure to appreciate this lesson in cooperation.

Ages 4-8

An old favorite, with its childlike drawings and lessons on getting along with others, is Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf. Table manners, sharing, and cleaning up are covered; then we meet the Whiny, the Noisie, the Me First, the Bragger, the Sulker, the Bathroom Wrecker, and many other undesirables. Leaf's aim is always clear: this is what you don't want to be.