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What Do You Do, Dear?: Proper Conduct for All Occasions
Explains the proper etiquette when one discovers a pirate's treasure, meets with cowboys, is arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham, encounters a polar bear, rides an elephant, or attends a royal party
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
About the author
Sesyle Joslin
37 books12 followersSesyle Joslin is a children's literature author. Joslin's book What Do You Say, Dear? was illustrated by Maurice Sendak and it was a Caldecott Medal Honor book in 1959.
Joslin was born in Providence, RI, on August 30, 1929. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she worked as an editorial assistant and assistant editor in Philadelphia, and was the book columnist at Country Gentleman magazine from 1949 through 1951. In 1950, she married writer Al Hine. The couple had three children. In addition, she served as a production assistant on Peter Brook's Lord of the Flies (1963 film) and worked on location in Puerto Rico.
In addition to writing under her own name, Joslin also used a few pseudonyms. Under the name Josephine Gibson, she and her husband wrote Is There a Mouse in the House? (Macmillan, 1965). And under the name G. B. Kirtland they wrote One Day in Ancient Rome (Harcourt, 1961), One Day in Elizabethan England (Harcourt, 1962), and One Day in Aztec Mexico (Harcourt, 1963).
Joslin was born in Providence, RI, on August 30, 1929. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she worked as an editorial assistant and assistant editor in Philadelphia, and was the book columnist at Country Gentleman magazine from 1949 through 1951. In 1950, she married writer Al Hine. The couple had three children. In addition, she served as a production assistant on Peter Brook's Lord of the Flies (1963 film) and worked on location in Puerto Rico.
In addition to writing under her own name, Joslin also used a few pseudonyms. Under the name Josephine Gibson, she and her husband wrote Is There a Mouse in the House? (Macmillan, 1965). And under the name G. B. Kirtland they wrote One Day in Ancient Rome (Harcourt, 1961), One Day in Elizabethan England (Harcourt, 1962), and One Day in Aztec Mexico (Harcourt, 1963).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
February 22, 2019
Oh, this is some great comedy. This had us all laughing at the absurdity of it. The whole set up is some strange things is happening, say someone is giving away baby elephants, what would you say to introduce yourself to the elephant. The response is always polite and things we are taught to say, but the situation is absurd. Any imagination kids come up with could be in here. What if a dinosaur bit your patient?
The artwork is by Maurice Sendak again. He was a busy bee. It’s all done in black white and blue and it looks just like his work.
This is a fantastic piece of work. It’s hilarious and all the kids and adults were cracking up and hooting and hollering. The nephew wanted to read this again. Both children gave this 5 stars and I was delighted by it as well.
The artwork is by Maurice Sendak again. He was a busy bee. It’s all done in black white and blue and it looks just like his work.
This is a fantastic piece of work. It’s hilarious and all the kids and adults were cracking up and hooting and hollering. The nephew wanted to read this again. Both children gave this 5 stars and I was delighted by it as well.
April 12, 2020
There is a book similar to this by Sesyle that won a Caldecott. I wanted to read more by her. This is essentially the same as the first, but I love the humor and the situations. It’s about etiquette and it’s funny in these silly situations.
A cowboy kidnaps you in a library, what do you do? You tip-toe out quietly to not disturb anyone. It’s silly things like this. I enjoy it and it’s funny.
The nephew thought this was funny too. He was like, you wouldn’t do that. I’d scream, or do this. We both chuckled at this. He gave it 3 stars.
A cowboy kidnaps you in a library, what do you do? You tip-toe out quietly to not disturb anyone. It’s silly things like this. I enjoy it and it’s funny.
The nephew thought this was funny too. He was like, you wouldn’t do that. I’d scream, or do this. We both chuckled at this. He gave it 3 stars.
September 3, 2018
There are any number of books about manners aimed at young children. At one time, that was about all children were encouraged to read. Some of them are pretty good - for example Richard Scarry's famous work. Many times though they are as wretched as only something didactic and condescending can be.
But how many teach you what to say when you've crashed your plane through the roof of the duchess’s house, or been bitten by a dinosaur, or bumped into a crocodile?
Just one - this marvelous little manual by Sesyle Joslin and illustrated by the incomparable Maurice Sendak. Charming and whimsical, this book of manners is sure to delight with its mixture of propriety with untamable imagination.
My girls, I'm proud to say were able to recite or correctly guess nearly everything you should say in such situations on the first try, except I'd forgotten to tell them the proper thing to say to an orchestra of bears when it tries to eat you. But, now that that's been covered, I think we are ready for anything.
I'm not usually sensitive to this sort of thing, but I'm dropping a star because for all its whimsy it ends up with games that are a little too conventional in their gender roles for me. Since I'm not generally sensitive to this sort of thing (and often sensitive to its opposite), I suspect people who are will be too much distracted by questions like, "Why doesn't the girl slay the dragon?" However, I can avow that my wife absolutely loved the book, perhaps more than I did, so don't let this slight misgiving keep you or your children away from this joyful little book.
But how many teach you what to say when you've crashed your plane through the roof of the duchess’s house, or been bitten by a dinosaur, or bumped into a crocodile?
Just one - this marvelous little manual by Sesyle Joslin and illustrated by the incomparable Maurice Sendak. Charming and whimsical, this book of manners is sure to delight with its mixture of propriety with untamable imagination.
My girls, I'm proud to say were able to recite or correctly guess nearly everything you should say in such situations on the first try, except I'd forgotten to tell them the proper thing to say to an orchestra of bears when it tries to eat you. But, now that that's been covered, I think we are ready for anything.
I'm not usually sensitive to this sort of thing, but I'm dropping a star because for all its whimsy it ends up with games that are a little too conventional in their gender roles for me. Since I'm not generally sensitive to this sort of thing (and often sensitive to its opposite), I suspect people who are will be too much distracted by questions like, "Why doesn't the girl slay the dragon?" However, I can avow that my wife absolutely loved the book, perhaps more than I did, so don't let this slight misgiving keep you or your children away from this joyful little book.
June 25, 2017
Growing up, I truely loved this book. And of course my big sister hated it. It's a book about manners, how you always have to be polite no matter the situation and apologize when screwing up or doing something wrong. I have no idea whether this had any impact on me, or my manners, but I obviously still remember it two decades later.It is silly and fun in an adorable way. I noticed a couple of people dissmissing it because of the gender normative illustrations and descriptions, and that is of course problematic, but I have to say that as a child I really did not notice this aspect. My focus was totally the sillyness and craziness of the book rather than if it was a boy or a girl depicted in the different scenarios.
December 6, 2009
It peeved me a bit that the girl has to be the shopper, nurse, and rescued princess while the boy gets to fly a plane, fight a dragon, and make a pet of an elephant, but otherwise this is a super cute little book and a painless way to get the basics phrased of politeness instilled in kid's memories.
November 12, 2019
What do you do if you're a fearsome pirate making your fine lady captive walk the plank, and she drops her handkerchief? Why pick it up for her, of course! What about if you're being kidnapped from the library by a villain named Bad-Nose Bill? Walk quietly out of the building - obviously! These and other pieces of helpful advise about the proper etiquette are offered here, in this charming, tongue-in-cheek guide to good manners.
Originally published in 1961, What Do You Do, Dear? is the second manners guide created by author Sesyle Joslin and illustrator Maurice Sendak, following upon their earlier What Do You Say, Dear? (1958), which was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1959. It is a droll exploration of good manners, emphasizing through extraordinary and unusual story-lines, the proper course of conduct, in more mundane times. One presumes, after all, that it isn't bad manners to object, when being kidnapped! Otherwise, of course, quiet in the library is advisable. Recommended to Sendak fans, people who enjoy vintage picture-books (there is some socially outdated material here), or anyone looking for entertaining examinations of etiquette for young children.
Originally published in 1961, What Do You Do, Dear? is the second manners guide created by author Sesyle Joslin and illustrator Maurice Sendak, following upon their earlier What Do You Say, Dear? (1958), which was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1959. It is a droll exploration of good manners, emphasizing through extraordinary and unusual story-lines, the proper course of conduct, in more mundane times. One presumes, after all, that it isn't bad manners to object, when being kidnapped! Otherwise, of course, quiet in the library is advisable. Recommended to Sendak fans, people who enjoy vintage picture-books (there is some socially outdated material here), or anyone looking for entertaining examinations of etiquette for young children.
September 7, 2008
Full of delicious fantastical imagination and, of course, the very best manners! Charming! :-)
July 3, 2010
This is an old favorite. It was on the bookshelf as a boy. Yesterday my mother gave this book to my daughter for Christmas. Beetle doesn't quite get all the subtlety, but it was nice to read with her all the same.
This book was written in 1961. Much like Fred Gwynne's books, it is quite interesting to see have politically incorrect some things now appear. The first situation speaks to a child being kidnapped from a library. What do you do, dear? Not call for help. Not run away. No, remember to be quiet in the library. Even quietness in a library is a thing of the past. I taught in a school where the major thoroughfare in the building was through the library. Seriously.
As Beetle and Fritz age, this book will be used to teach the manners that we expect them to have.
Maurice Sendak of Where the Wild Things Are fame is the illustrator of this fine book.
This book was written in 1961. Much like Fred Gwynne's books, it is quite interesting to see have politically incorrect some things now appear. The first situation speaks to a child being kidnapped from a library. What do you do, dear? Not call for help. Not run away. No, remember to be quiet in the library. Even quietness in a library is a thing of the past. I taught in a school where the major thoroughfare in the building was through the library. Seriously.
As Beetle and Fritz age, this book will be used to teach the manners that we expect them to have.
Maurice Sendak of Where the Wild Things Are fame is the illustrator of this fine book.
May 2, 2010
This book tries to teach manners (no idea if it's successful), and avoids being totally condescending and didactic by putting them all in the case of bizarre, childish make-believe scenarios. What do you say when you're walking backwards to town (because you like to do that) and bump into an alligator? What do you say when you're flying your plane and remember the Duchess asked you to drop in, so you do and break her roof?
It's silliness incarnate, and you have to love it!
There are three scenarios in particular that reviewers have commented on, so let's tackle those.
The first is the "decapitation". In this case you're asked what you say when you're out picking flowers in front of your castle, a dragon appears and breathes smoke at you, and then a knight saves you by chopping off its head. (You say thank you.)
There's no blood or anything gory shown, and as far as I'm concerned the princess being saved from the dragon by the knight is a common fairy tale set-up. I don't have a problem with this. There are more violent scenes in both classic and recent Disney animated films, nobody is claiming the dragon was talking and friendly and just violently attacked - I have no problem with this scene for this age group. Let's move on.
The next one is where you are a cowboy. Suddenly the bad guy shows up and holds a gun to your head and asks "Would you like me to shoot a hole in your head?" (You say "no thank you", which strikes me as perfectly sensible.)
This one is a bit trickier. I'll be honest and skip ahead a bit by saying I, personally have no problem with ANY of this book - but in this case I can really see why some people do. The scene is a bit explicit, and the Western is no longer a popular form of drama anyway so it's not like this situation is likely to have come up in your child's play.
However, as nobody actually gets hurt, I'd say most kids won't even notice to be upset. There's more violent scenes on cartoons in the morning.
And the last one that people have complained about is the one where you're a pirate and have captured a lady and tied her up. Every morning when you untie her to eat breakfast she says "Good morning, how are you?" and you are supposed to say the same.
As far as this goes... meh. Clearly nobody is being particularly ill-treated.
Now, overall, I don't mind any of these scenes because I know quite a few children. This sort of thing and more is exactly what they come up with when they're playing pretend. If you think children do not play-act violence you are very much mistaken. They do. They do it because it's exciting. They do it because it's fun to practice being really bad in a safe way that doesn't actually harm anyone, when in real life they work so hard to be GOOD. They do it because these things scare them and playing them makes them less scary. They do because the stories they are exposed to have violence there, explicit or implied, and they want to understand that. They do because you can't have a good story without a villain.
And children have been doing this for as long as there have been children to play pretend at all. I do not believe that this is in any way linked to actual violence when these children grow up.
Obviously if your child is bothered by this sort of pretend violence, don't read them this book. Or if you are. However, truthfully, I don't think it's that big a deal in this context.
It's silliness incarnate, and you have to love it!
There are three scenarios in particular that reviewers have commented on, so let's tackle those.
The first is the "decapitation". In this case you're asked what you say when you're out picking flowers in front of your castle, a dragon appears and breathes smoke at you, and then a knight saves you by chopping off its head. (You say thank you.)
There's no blood or anything gory shown, and as far as I'm concerned the princess being saved from the dragon by the knight is a common fairy tale set-up. I don't have a problem with this. There are more violent scenes in both classic and recent Disney animated films, nobody is claiming the dragon was talking and friendly and just violently attacked - I have no problem with this scene for this age group. Let's move on.
The next one is where you are a cowboy. Suddenly the bad guy shows up and holds a gun to your head and asks "Would you like me to shoot a hole in your head?" (You say "no thank you", which strikes me as perfectly sensible.)
This one is a bit trickier. I'll be honest and skip ahead a bit by saying I, personally have no problem with ANY of this book - but in this case I can really see why some people do. The scene is a bit explicit, and the Western is no longer a popular form of drama anyway so it's not like this situation is likely to have come up in your child's play.
However, as nobody actually gets hurt, I'd say most kids won't even notice to be upset. There's more violent scenes on cartoons in the morning.
And the last one that people have complained about is the one where you're a pirate and have captured a lady and tied her up. Every morning when you untie her to eat breakfast she says "Good morning, how are you?" and you are supposed to say the same.
As far as this goes... meh. Clearly nobody is being particularly ill-treated.
Now, overall, I don't mind any of these scenes because I know quite a few children. This sort of thing and more is exactly what they come up with when they're playing pretend. If you think children do not play-act violence you are very much mistaken. They do. They do it because it's exciting. They do it because it's fun to practice being really bad in a safe way that doesn't actually harm anyone, when in real life they work so hard to be GOOD. They do it because these things scare them and playing them makes them less scary. They do because the stories they are exposed to have violence there, explicit or implied, and they want to understand that. They do because you can't have a good story without a villain.
And children have been doing this for as long as there have been children to play pretend at all. I do not believe that this is in any way linked to actual violence when these children grow up.
Obviously if your child is bothered by this sort of pretend violence, don't read them this book. Or if you are. However, truthfully, I don't think it's that big a deal in this context.
November 4, 2017
I have changed my mind on this.
Upon a second look:
I remembered really liking this book when I read it almost a year ago. But now that I look at it again, I'm frankly disappointed by the gender breakdown of the situations. The boy character gets to receive a pet baby elephant, rescue a princess from a dragon, portray a cowboy, be bitten by a dinosaur, be the groom at a wedding, attend the princess's ball, visit London to dine with the Queen, fly an airplane to visit the Duchess, and invite all his friends over for a party. The girl character gets to pick flowers, be rescued, be a nurse, go shopping, be the bride in a wedding, be a Princess, be a Queen, be a Duchess, and be captured.
This is such a pity, because it's genuinely funny, and that's what I remembered about it. And Maurice Sendak's illustrations are so charming. I'd like to give Sendak the benefit of the doubt and say that if he had illustrated this today, he would have been more inclusive, but I can't in good conscience read this to my kids or let other adults read it to them and reinforce these stereotypes.
Such a waste of potential.
Original review:
Okay, please stop gnawing on my face.
Some of the illustrations are a little gender-normative, as it is from the late 1950s. There are a lot of manners books out there. I'm guessing there were even more back when this one was written. This one is a lighthearted satire of these types of books, with silly situations that kids are never going to get into, like being a cowboy, or being menaced by a dragon. It puts "please" and "thank you" and similar phrases into weird situations.
It's very silly. I think that children will definitely understand because it's always being drilled into young children how they should be polite at every turn. These ridiculous situations will entertain the children as well as teach them actual manners. People are always wanting you to be polite even when you bump into a crocodile in the middle of the road or when you crash your airplane into somebody's roof.
Message: Be polite.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
Upon a second look:
I remembered really liking this book when I read it almost a year ago. But now that I look at it again, I'm frankly disappointed by the gender breakdown of the situations. The boy character gets to receive a pet baby elephant, rescue a princess from a dragon, portray a cowboy, be bitten by a dinosaur, be the groom at a wedding, attend the princess's ball, visit London to dine with the Queen, fly an airplane to visit the Duchess, and invite all his friends over for a party. The girl character gets to pick flowers, be rescued, be a nurse, go shopping, be the bride in a wedding, be a Princess, be a Queen, be a Duchess, and be captured.
This is such a pity, because it's genuinely funny, and that's what I remembered about it. And Maurice Sendak's illustrations are so charming. I'd like to give Sendak the benefit of the doubt and say that if he had illustrated this today, he would have been more inclusive, but I can't in good conscience read this to my kids or let other adults read it to them and reinforce these stereotypes.
Such a waste of potential.
Original review:
Okay, please stop gnawing on my face.
Some of the illustrations are a little gender-normative, as it is from the late 1950s. There are a lot of manners books out there. I'm guessing there were even more back when this one was written. This one is a lighthearted satire of these types of books, with silly situations that kids are never going to get into, like being a cowboy, or being menaced by a dragon. It puts "please" and "thank you" and similar phrases into weird situations.
It's very silly. I think that children will definitely understand because it's always being drilled into young children how they should be polite at every turn. These ridiculous situations will entertain the children as well as teach them actual manners. People are always wanting you to be polite even when you bump into a crocodile in the middle of the road or when you crash your airplane into somebody's roof.
Message: Be polite.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
June 24, 2009
It's all about manners like if your in a library and suddenly you are captured what do you do dear? you walk silently out. Or there is a part where it says when your making peace with Indians and they pass around a pipe to smoke. And you swallow a bunch of smoke. What do you do dear? You cover your mouth to cough. I don't know exactly how it goes but I was just telling you what it was about. I learned my manners from this book.
February 13, 2017
This was one of my favorite books as a child. The format, where the question is asked on one page and you turn the page for the answer, is very appealing to kids who like surprises. The illustrations add humor and deserved the Caldecott Honor.
February 27, 2012
33 months - O sits very still and listens intently but I don't know if she's really getting anything from this read or if she's in awe of the bizarre scenarios. Still a good read and lots of good manners displayed.
March 7, 2015
What a great fun way to teach children good manners. With drawings by Maurice Sendak. For example, what do you say if you get bit by a dinosaur and a nurse comes and saves your life? Also I wish I could give copies to some of my clients.
June 13, 2017
I couldn't find the French edition listed, which is what I read in attempts to practice my French literacy. It was a cute read. Wish I had picked it up in time to have read it with my French first grader, dommage.
February 13, 2017
This book and its companion, What Do You Say, Dear? were 2 of my favorite books when I was a kid. They're certainly my all-time favorite etiquette books.
March 23, 2008
The only manners I've ever learned were from this book.
October 11, 2011
...And goodreads reunites me with yet another forgotten book from my childhood!
(I love you, goodreads.)
(I love you, goodreads.)
November 2, 2014
Read with Kelsey on Halloween night!
February 13, 2020
Yet more solid advice
March 3, 2019
This is a hilarious way to teach kids manners and it has the most bizarre scenarios. As a kid, I don't believe I appreciate it as much as I currently do. But, now I understand it better and I find it delightful.
The pictures add to the story, and they give the visual that cements the bizareness of it all. It is completely entertaining read.
The pictures add to the story, and they give the visual that cements the bizareness of it all. It is completely entertaining read.
August 16, 2017
Literature Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Awards: Recieved Randolph Caldecott Medal in 1959
Ages: 4-8 years
This is a book about manners, and it even states on the title page that it is "A handbook of etiquette for young ladies and gentleman to be used as a guide for everyday social behavior". One thing to keep in mind is that this book was written in 1958, and the dialog and illustrations would have been more appropriate in that era, but problematic today. The story is made up of imaginative scenarios involving a young boy and his ridiculous encounters with various characters, which are followed up by the question "What do you say dear?". On the next page would be the proper response such as "thank you", "no thank you", "your welcome", "excuse me", "I beg your pardon", and so on.
From a feminist approach, I find it a little insulting that the females in the illustrations are always the princess, queen, nurse, duchess, damsel in distress and in fancy clothing. In contrast, the boy gets to be a pilot, pirate, cowboy, knight, etc. Thankfully, society has grown since the late 1950's, and women now enjoy the opportunity to be whatever they wish to be: a pilot, doctor, lawyer, even a president--or in this story, be the one riding the horse, catching the bad guy, or slaying the dragon!
While I found this book comical, it did provide a good lesson concerning the importance of manners that every child should know.
Awards: Recieved Randolph Caldecott Medal in 1959
Ages: 4-8 years
This is a book about manners, and it even states on the title page that it is "A handbook of etiquette for young ladies and gentleman to be used as a guide for everyday social behavior". One thing to keep in mind is that this book was written in 1958, and the dialog and illustrations would have been more appropriate in that era, but problematic today. The story is made up of imaginative scenarios involving a young boy and his ridiculous encounters with various characters, which are followed up by the question "What do you say dear?". On the next page would be the proper response such as "thank you", "no thank you", "your welcome", "excuse me", "I beg your pardon", and so on.
From a feminist approach, I find it a little insulting that the females in the illustrations are always the princess, queen, nurse, duchess, damsel in distress and in fancy clothing. In contrast, the boy gets to be a pilot, pirate, cowboy, knight, etc. Thankfully, society has grown since the late 1950's, and women now enjoy the opportunity to be whatever they wish to be: a pilot, doctor, lawyer, even a president--or in this story, be the one riding the horse, catching the bad guy, or slaying the dragon!
While I found this book comical, it did provide a good lesson concerning the importance of manners that every child should know.
February 27, 2015
As we're featuring Sendak this month in our story times we shared a few scenarios from this delightful book on etiquette by Sesyle Joslin. The children love the unlikely combinations of a cowboy capture in a library, a dinner bell interruption by a pirate chef, and more ridiculous conundrums.
Since our theme was IMAGINATION EXPRESS, I made a booklet handout for parents to read and children to color with an old fashioned train engine on the cover. We are implementing "library branding" here so our logo was in the engineer's booth and the booklet title You, Your Child, Your Library, and Emergent Literacy" filled the engine white-space. The caboose on the back listed our address, website, hours, and on-line features. The inside page boxcars had these tips:
This week's "Imagination Express" theme illustrates how the pre-school years are the engine that drives reading readiness.
Tip: Print Motivation means your child enjoys books! Try this... Take home some non-fiction (true)books today. Children love information as much as, or perhaps more than, stories.
Another boxcar had a large lower case letter i in a box. Outside the box was this text: Today we played with the sound and shape of the letter "i". We made a human letter "i" with our body. The dot on the eye was made with one hand over the head opening and shutting like a blinking star.
Since our theme was IMAGINATION EXPRESS, I made a booklet handout for parents to read and children to color with an old fashioned train engine on the cover. We are implementing "library branding" here so our logo was in the engineer's booth and the booklet title You, Your Child, Your Library, and Emergent Literacy" filled the engine white-space. The caboose on the back listed our address, website, hours, and on-line features. The inside page boxcars had these tips:
This week's "Imagination Express" theme illustrates how the pre-school years are the engine that drives reading readiness.
Tip: Print Motivation means your child enjoys books! Try this... Take home some non-fiction (true)books today. Children love information as much as, or perhaps more than, stories.
Another boxcar had a large lower case letter i in a box. Outside the box was this text: Today we played with the sound and shape of the letter "i". We made a human letter "i" with our body. The dot on the eye was made with one hand over the head opening and shutting like a blinking star.
November 13, 2018
As always, Maurice Sendak's illustrations are PERFECT! Their whimsical nature pairs perfectly with the text in this book. The subtitle for this is "A book of manners for all occasions." Once you've read it, you know that Sesyle Joslin really meant ALL occasions - even very unlikely occasions! For example: "You are at the Princess' ball, and she is telling you a secret, but her orchestra of bears is making such a fearful lot of noise you cannot hear what she is saying. What do you say, dear?" And of course, the answer is: "I beg your pardon." :) Such a fun way to learn proper manners for ALL occasions. Every child should read this book at least once!
Note: At my public library, this book is part of a kit which comes with an audio cassette of the story. There were two narrators, a man and a woman, who each did a fantastic job with their parts. I particularly liked the cowboy's accent.
Note: At my public library, this book is part of a kit which comes with an audio cassette of the story. There were two narrators, a man and a woman, who each did a fantastic job with their parts. I particularly liked the cowboy's accent.
November 26, 2017
• 1959 Caldecott Honor Book •
This is such a cute and creative book! I’m surprised I’ve never seen this format before - although I’m sure it’s out there. It’s basically a bunch of scenarios and each ends with “What do you say, dear?” and the answers are various polite things to say like “I’m sorry” or “You’re welcome” or “No, thank you.” This would be a great read aloud book with kids, because they could try to think of what to say for all the bizarre and funny situations. Really fun book! Also, I really love the little dog in most of the illustrations!
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
This is such a cute and creative book! I’m surprised I’ve never seen this format before - although I’m sure it’s out there. It’s basically a bunch of scenarios and each ends with “What do you say, dear?” and the answers are various polite things to say like “I’m sorry” or “You’re welcome” or “No, thank you.” This would be a great read aloud book with kids, because they could try to think of what to say for all the bizarre and funny situations. Really fun book! Also, I really love the little dog in most of the illustrations!
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
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June 16, 2013This is yet another book of illustrations that won the Caldecott Honor.
Published in 1958, it is one of Sendak's earlier works.
Using silly situations to discuss the topic of manners, the author and the illustrator working together do not preach, rather they suggest appropriate behavior.
The words Thank you, please, beg your pardon, excuse me and may I please be excused were once a part of our everyday interaction.
Sadly, our social mores of this generation have stretched to rude curtness.
Published in 1958, it is one of Sendak's earlier works.
Using silly situations to discuss the topic of manners, the author and the illustrator working together do not preach, rather they suggest appropriate behavior.
The words Thank you, please, beg your pardon, excuse me and may I please be excused were once a part of our everyday interaction.
Sadly, our social mores of this generation have stretched to rude curtness.
November 20, 2016
I found this book in my stepdaughter's picture books that she was getting rid of and saved it. Wow, what a gem! It has to be decent if Maurice Sendak is illustrating it, right?
This book gives different scenarios (each more far fetched than the first) and then askes "what do you do, dear?" The answer always has to do with manners but when you match it with the outlandish scenario, you can't help but laugh. The only issue some people might have is the bit with the peace pipe, but that could be easily omitted because each episode is not dependent on the one before.
This book gives different scenarios (each more far fetched than the first) and then askes "what do you do, dear?" The answer always has to do with manners but when you match it with the outlandish scenario, you can't help but laugh. The only issue some people might have is the bit with the peace pipe, but that could be easily omitted because each episode is not dependent on the one before.
February 22, 2017
Imaginative story about what you should say when using your manners. A made up scenario is given and then followed by the phrase, "What do you say, dear?" The next page follows with the proper answer such as "I beg your pardon." Each scenario warrants a different answer. Great story for making a picture in your mind and leads to great conversations about using manners. The illustrations are only in black, white, and blue, but clear, silly,and interesting. The story was written in 1958, but still is entertaining and relative.
November 7, 2008
This book -- a funny introduction to manners for children -- was so indelible that I carried it in my memories for three decades -- long enough for it to be reprinted and a search for it to bear fruit. The situations posed are silly, and made more so by Maurice Sendak's illustrations. But they do get the point across that life is improved with good manners and politeness. The sequel, What Do You Do, Dear? offers more of the same, also the return of Bad-Nose Bill.
June 13, 2017
My favorite aspect of this book is that it is so cute and retro looking. The text is simple and easy for children to follow, but may be a little too easy. The illustrations are the same way. They are nice and simple, featuring a basic color profile of only black, white, and blue. While I can appreciate these things as an adult, i just don't know if this book still has what it takes to keep children interested.
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