About This Book
A parent would reach for this book when their child is going through a phase of testing boundaries, making rude noises, or forgetting their please and thank yous. If your little one finds 'potty talk' hilarious or tends to act like a wild animal at the dinner table, this book provides a safe and silly way to address social expectations without sounding like a lecture. It uses Babette Cole's signature absurdist humor to show children exactly what not to do. By depicting the 'wrong' way to behave in over-the-top, comical scenarios, the book allows children to laugh at the chaos while building an internal understanding of why manners actually matter. It is a fantastic tool for the 4 to 8 age range, turning a potentially dry or shaming conversation about behavior into a shared moment of joy and empathy for those around us.
What Parents Should Know
Read plot summary
The book is a collection of rhyming couplets paired with chaotic, colorful illustrations that depict various 'bad' behaviors: such as eating with your feet, making rude noises at the table, or being unkind to guests. Each 'bad' behavior is contrasted with the 'good' way to act, though the focus is primarily on the humor of the misbehavior. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book is entirely secular and lighthearted. It touches on basic bodily functions and social faux pas in a way that is cheeky but never truly vulgar. There are no heavy topics like death or trauma; the focus is strictly on social etiquette. EMOTIONAL ARC: The experience is consistently high-energy and joyful. It does not follow a traditional narrative arc but instead builds a sense of conspiratorial fun between the reader and the listener. It ends on a positive note, reinforcing that being 'good' makes life better for everyone. IDEAL READER: A high-energy 6-year-old who loves Captain Underpants or Roald Dahl: children who respond better to 'reverse psychology' and humor than to direct instruction. PARENT TRIGGER: A parent might buy this after a particularly embarrassing playdate or a dinner where the child refused to use a fork and instead used their shirt as a napkin. PARENT PREP: Read it cold, but be prepared for your child to want to imitate the 'bad' manners for a few minutes after reading. It requires a parent who can laugh along while reinforcing the boundary. AGE EXPERIENCE: A 4-year-old will find the visual slapstick of the illustrations hilarious. An 8-year-old will appreciate the irony and the cleverness of the rhymes, often feeling like they are 'in on the joke' of how silly younger children can be. DIFFERENTIATOR: Unlike standard manners books that are stiff or moralistic, Cole uses subversion and gross-out humor to make the concept of etiquette actually interesting to a child.
