First Things First: An Illustrated Collection of Sayings Useful and Familiar for Children

by Betty Fraser

An illustrated collection of familiar proverbs with suggestions for their proper use.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1990

About the author

Betty Fraser is an American artist and freelance illustrator, whose work has appeared in magazines, and who has illustrated a number of children's books. Born in Boston, she was educated at The Rhode Island School of Design, and has lived for many years in New York City.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on openlibrary.org.

Delightful.

I love the diverse cast of children, and I love all the details in the pictures. Most of these mottos could be understood by beginning readers all by themselves; only a few might prompt the child to ask parent or teacher. Or educators could explore the whole book together, especially beneficial for insulated/isolated homeschool families, I think. Could also be used as a sort of mentor text.

Some bits slightly dated, but neither offensive or unrelatable.

[Alyssa Crabb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture Book - A book of sayings about what to do in different situations. Has nice illustrations and good lessons. Not my favorite read.

[Whitney]

This is an informational book that gives American sayings and examples for when they are used. I thought this book was amazing and would help ELL students become more familiar with English. Americans use a lot of sayings, puns, and other language quirks throughout the day. This book might help to clarify some of them. The book itself is a little older so some of the phrases are not in popular use, but many of them are. A great book for those who may struggle with the concept of sayings, or who do not have American English as their native language.