Are You Quite Polite?: Are You Quite Polite?

From The Lateness Song (sung to Hey Diddle Diddle) to Don't Chew Gum in a Classroom (sung to Take Me Out To The Ball Game,) these are the best manners songs for kids ever written!

This is a funny book that I came across at the local library- my almost 4-year-old loved it so much that we still find ourselves singing these silly little songs long after we returned the book. I wouldn't expect children younger than around 4 to understand it much, and it certainly can't be used exclusively for Manners Education. (that would be our job, as parents) :) It is definitely a good way to introduce the topic of common childhood situations/behaviors (nose-picking, how to behave at parties, table manners, etc.) in a fun and non-threatening way. I am now looking to purchase this book and add it to our permanent collection of books! Highly recommended!

We love these books. We love bellowing these songs at the top of our lungs, and the tunes given are generally familiar to us - Alouette, Pop Goes the Weasel, and so on, although sometimes fitting the words to the melody is a bit of a stretch. There's definitely some potty humor in here, which appeals to most kids. For example, the song about not putting your mouth on the water fountain finishes with "And stop drinking from the toilet by the way!" (That's a weird illustration too - the toilet has a fountain attachment? Is it like a bidet?) One about not picking your nose in public shows a boy picking his friends' noses - they're not too happy about this. And they do make sure to spell out Just What Not To Do - some people are concerned that this encourages bad behavior in and of itself. I disagree. I find that my nieces understand that the examples are over the top and chosen to be funny, not as anything to emulate! I don't object to this at all, I think it's hilarious, but if these things concern you should, as always, read the book before buying.

This book is a great addition to the other silly dilly song books. My first graders love them.

This book is so much fun to read with your children. It is a silly and fun way to learn about good manners. Singing the poems to tunes the kids already know makes it easier for them to remember and we have a great time trying to stay on beat.

Alan Katz and David Catrow's ARE YOU QUITE POLITE? tells of silly manners and creates a rollicking, fun story of manners kids might actually like to follow. Here are common rhymes with uncommon lyrics that are crazy and fun comments on a different kind of etiquette indeed.