Time to Say "Please"!

Time to...

by Mo Willems

As a companion book to the popular Time to Pee!, Mo Willems has created a book on manners in his own signature style. Groups of ebullient mice narrate this humorous text as young children try in vain to get what they want, learning along the way that it is helpful to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry." Oh, and you have to mean it, too.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Animals, Humor, Storytime, Realistic Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.

In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.

The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."

Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.

Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

Reviews

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little mice from book "Time to Pee!" teach children manners, i.e. how helpful it is to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry."
Adorable 🤗

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, darn. I really like Mo Willems' stuff and he seems like an incredibly thoughtful and sensitive author-artist for children but this book just falls flat in my estimation. It's boring--didactic without all the charm and pizazz of his other works. It's just a series of children wanting something, and being told that saying "Please" will not only be polite but more likely to earn them success in their plea. Sure, there are a few cute Willems elements, like a rubber duck that looks a bit like Pigeon, but overall I was underwhelmed. He can do so much better!!!

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I am a huge fan of practically everything that Mo Willems has written since his books are so full of witty humor and creative ideas! So, imagine my surprise when I found out that Mo Willems has written a children’s book that teaches children manners which is called “Time to Say “Please”!

Basically, this book starts off with a young girl trying to get a cookie, but some cute little mice start holding up signs that tell the little girl about how saying “please” to an adult can really help you get the things you truly want!

Mo Willems has done a brilliant job at writing this book as it truly shows how manners can do wonders for any child while also being entertaining for children! I loved the way that Mo Willems expressed good manners in this book because it is great that there are picture books out there that discuss having good manners and I think that this book did a fantastic job at expressing how to say “please” and “thank you” towards other people. I also loved the fact that there are little blue mice all over the pages that keep holding up signs that help narrate the story, which I thought was pretty cute! Mo Willems’ artwork is extremely cute and creative, with the best part being of the little blue mice that hold up signs that narrate the actions of the characters, as they were extremely cute to look at and I also loved their hilarious actions such as flying airplanes and hugging each other while they are moving the signs. I also loved the way that the backgrounds are in white while the characters are colored in (even though I usually prefer colorful backgrounds to go with the characters). It really felt like the characters are truly standing out, especially the images of the children and their parents doing various activities that require them to say “please” and “thank you.”

Overall, “Time to Say Please!” is a fantastic children’s book that helps teach children good manners and for anyone who is a huge fan of Mo Willems’ work, this is definitely one book to pick up! I would highly recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mo Willems offers up this interesting stand-alone piece that teaches children the importance of manners. Written more in the style of information over an actual story, Willems stresses that using words like “please” and “excuse me” work much better than simply taking or interrupting. There are a whole list of these words that children can add to their daily vocabulary, working effectively on adults to win them over. Sometimes, such manners garner the results the child wants, which can only leave everyone happy by the end. Neo is quite considerate and uses his manners, but there’s always room for improvement and a reminder of the importance of a few simple words. If only I could get a pocket-sized version of this for some adults I know.

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little over the top. But fun.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learning to say "please," but the book is kind of repetitive. Maybe not so much for the kids giggling at the pictures, but for the adults reading it with them.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it was funny and really a about Shane please

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

(read aloud by himself at 4yo, no words missed)

[Jessica Violett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mo Willems' "Time to Say Please" is a fun, carefree way to go about instilling manners in kids. The pictures are so creative and the colors are bright and up-lifting. Willems really connects to the kids by starting off the book with a girl reaching for a cookie. What kid doesn't try to steal cookies from the cookie jar when they are little? He uses a variety of shapes for text boxes throughout the entire book, which provides the reader with something fresh and new every time they turn the page. He even used the shape of stop signs when telling the girl to not to grab the cookie without asking "please".

This book is a great one for kids to read when they are young and just starting out because it is about the simple manners of please, thank you, and excuse me, which should be instilled in children when they are young. Coming from a teacher to a kid, I feel like children would feel a little differently about listening and actually following through with it.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite Willems, although he's one of my favorite author's of children's books. Written like an overdone cartoon, the mice are meant to add some fun distraction but there are too many to not find at least mildly disturbing. A great concept, learning when and how to say please, but no real reading value or other educational value besides that. Still, my preschoolers found it interesting.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story by Mo Willems. His cartoon characters are lovable and are easy for our girls to relate to. This story encourages the use of manners, a little bit too obviously, but it's still a fun book.

[Iacopo Melio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uno di quei libri per bambini che non riesco a comprendere, non trovando delle potenzialità né originalità particolari.
Una serie di “buone maniere” da insegnare a un bimbo... Non so quanto sia efficace, ma tra illustrazioni mediocri e testo banale, non lo regalerei.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial thoughts after reading (found in a notebook): Pretty cool, me and Mo think a lot alike.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about manners: saying please, sorry, excuse, & thank you.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading again. Very good.
Boys love this book. Good review of manners without being preachy. Humorous as always.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mo Willems has SO MANY BOOKS. All I can say to that is...keep going because these are amazing! This would be awesome paired with Please, Mr. Panda for a manners theme. The illustrations are familiar and playful.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can never have too many cute books that teach the importance of good manners

**Talking points - Who are your favorite people to be around? Do these people use good manners? Do you think always using good manners would get you far in life and make you many friends?

[Heather McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for crash course in manners, courtsey of Mo Willems. Young learners can try out new phrases like 'excuse me', 'sorry', 'thank you' and of course my personal favorite 'please'. For an extension activity, practice these scenarios with your kiddos - a great social skills lesson.

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Au’s been loving this boom from the library for at least half a year (since the time she was 2.5). And now it’s one of the books she tries to “read.” The illustrations make it easy to distinguish one word from the next, and the words are pretty simple.

[Katie Yaede · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the page where they are marching I would make my mom say March March March and if she didn’t we didn’t flip the page till she did. I also had to make her say all the pleases at the end of the book :)

Great memories with this book! Great for everyone of all ages!

[Aune Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a Learning Kit from our Library, and this was one of three that came with the packet. My little one loves this book. It’s been two days, and he’s already learned so much from the visuals.

[curiouskat_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good book to show kids the purpose of saying "please." I just cannot give it a higher rating because it isn't a story, feels very repetitive, and doesn't fully explain why saying please is as important as it is.

[Aurelia S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Au’s been loving this boom from the library for at least half a year (since the time she was 2.5). And now it’s one of the books she tries to “read.” The illustrations make it easy to distinguish one word from the next, and the words are pretty simple.

[Kelsey Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

All good.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for kindergarten students.

[Lee Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Mo Willems. 'Nuff said. 4/5 stars.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

We didn't love this as much as we usually love Mo Willems books, but it's a good book to spark the conversation about manners and saying please and thank you.

[Gwenn Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Mo Willems but it’s like he didn’t even bother with this book.

[Jennifer Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that I have enjoyed reading by Mo Willems. I like that it highlights saying please may not lead to also getting what you want, but that it can help the process.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book about saying please, love how the mice interact and the words used are "signs," has a touch of the Mo Willems humor.