No Slurping, No Burping!: A Tale of Table Manners

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