Emily Post's Table Manners for Kids

November 1, 2009
Gr 4-8-This guide is a helpful tool to introduce children to the basics of dining do's and don'ts. Divided into six chapters that cover a wide range of table-related topics, as well as picnicking in the park and on the beach, the book includes tips on how to use chopsticks, what to do if there's a fly in your soup, and how to eat corn on the cob. Each chapter includes quizzes, humorous black-and-white cartoons and diagrams as well as questions and answers in child-friendly language. Readers will find the index a handy way to look up a specific topic and appreciate the bulleted lists and numbered steps. Written for today's audience, the text offers advice on dining at a food court and how to eat fast food in the car. While intended for a juvenile audience, adults are sure to learn a new custom or two and may find their manners improving as well."Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Grades 4-8 This helpful book opens with an apt quote from twentieth-century etiquette doyenne Emily Post (three generations up the family tree from the current authors): the purpose of table manners is to avoid ugliness. With that ruling principle in place, the writers get down to specifics in chapters on everyday table manners, special meals, table settings, tricky situations, meals as social events, and the hosts responsibilities. Rules are given with reasons rather than rigidity, which should make them easier to follow, and with the caveat that in certain circumstances (when choking, for example), diners should throw manners to the wind. Adding touches of wit, Bjrkmans deft line drawings will appeal to middle-school students as well as younger children. Though perhaps most likely to be checked out by parents, this clearly written book offers practical advice that will help young people to feel more comfortable when dining with others and, of course, to avoid disgusting their companions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
This lucid how-to covers everything from politely eating soup to hosting a party. Few children will read the book voluntarily, though: while the language occasionally strives to be kid-friendly, the volume's fundamental fuddy-duddiness prevails (see especially a cringe-inducing section on how to make small talk). Comical black-and-white cartoon illustrations and the occasional "Question for Cindy & Peggy" add some verve. Ind.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)