Early Book Review: Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners!

Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners! by Beth Bracken, illustrated by Richard Watson, is a picture book set for release on February 1 2012. Peter the monkey is typically rude and gross. He does not say please or thank you, never mind saying excuse me. He does not seem to think being polite is very important. In fact, he greatly enjoys the extra attention that his lack of manners bring his way. However, one night at dinner his family begins to act strangely and Peter gets a look at how the people around him feel when he behaves badly.

Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners! is a fun story with colorful, bright illustrations. Peter is one rude monkey, and loves that behaving badly gets him some extra attention. His parents and little sister team up at dinner one night to give him a little taste of his own medicine. While this might not be the more mature parenting style, it certainly seems to get the point across to Peter. I think that this will definitely speak to the four to six year old set that the book is aimed at.

Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners! will be a hit in some homes, a complete miss in others. While bathroom and grooming humor is always a hit with the target age range, and some parents, it might be deemed inappropriate by some adults. If you want to avoid books with that type of giggle, then you might want to skip it, because it is definitely in this book. Would would suggest it for reading at home, rather than for use in a preschool or kindergarten environment. My children, ages three and five, got a real kick out of the story and illustrations. Hopefully it also made them more aware of how their actions affect those around them. Thankfully they are already good with saying please and thank you. However, like with most children, an occasional reminder is needed and this book can be a fun way to do the job.