Title: Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf
Author: Judy Sierra
Artist: J. Otto Seibold
Genre: Manners / Fairy Tale / Animals / Humor
Year Published: 2007
Year Read: 2016
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 5+ (Some Bizarre Imagery)
Buy on: Amazon // Book Depository
Now, I will be honest here.
I was actually introduced to J.
Otto Seibold’s work through a long forgotten animated TV special “Olive, the Other Reindeer” and even
though at the time, I didn’t care for “Olive,
the Other Reindeer” because of the art style, the special did get me
interested in reading some of J. Otto
Seibold’s other works and I stumbled upon “Mind Your Manners B.B. Wolf” which was also written by Judy Sierra and I have to admit that I
fell in love with this book!
B.B. Wolf (formerly known as the “Big Bad Wolf”) ends up
being invited to the local library’s annual storybook tea and he ends up becoming
nervous because he does not know how to act properly for this event. So, his best friend Crocodile ends up
teaching him the proper etiquette in how to behave in a tea party ceremony by
teaching B.B. Wolf this little song ditty:
“Sip your tea and never slurp,
Say “Excuse Me” if you burp.
Smile and have a lot of fun,
But don’t go biting anyone!”
Once B.B. Wolf goes off to the local library to attend this
party, he meets up with Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs and the
Gingerbread Man and they all seem nervous to see B.B. Wolf come to the party.
Can B.B. Wolf convince everyone that he can be polite?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! I was actually
quite impressed with this book! I have
read many books written by Judy Sierra
and I have enjoyed many of her books, but I had never read any of her books
that explore the importance of good manners in a cute and simplistic way! Judy
Sierra had done a great job at writing a book about manners without being
too heavy handed about what you should learn about having good manners and I
loved the way that B.B. Wolf was written as a well-meaning character who only
wanted to impress the other fairy tale characters and prove that he is not a
bad person anymore. I really loved the
little song ditty that B.B. Wolf sings throughout the story that goes like:
“Sip your tea and never slurp,
Say “Excuse Me” if you burp.
Smile and have a lot of fun,
But don’t go biting anyone!”
It is a cute little song that is simple and fun for many
children to sing to and learn about how to behave during a party or event. I
also loved the way that Judy Sierra created
the world of the fairy tale inhabitants as all the fairy tale characters live
in one town and you can see them interact with each other. It was also interesting seeing that this
story takes place in a more real world setting, even though there are fairy
tale characters inhabiting this world as it made the story more creative and
fun to read! J. Otto Seibold’s artwork really brought out the surreal nature of
the fairy tale world that B.B. Wolf lives in and they also bring out the
creative nature of the fairy tale characters interacting with each other while
giving their world a part realistic, part fantasy element in tone.
Parents should know that J. Otto Seibold’s artwork might be a bit too strange for some children
to handle and they might either be frightened or confused by the chaotic
artwork in this book. Parents might want
to read this book first before they show it to their children to see if their
child would like this type of artwork.
Overall, “Mind Your
Manners, B.B. Wolf” is a truly fantastic book that helps teach children the
importance of good manners and maybe make up their own little song ditty to
help them remember about how to behave during parties and events! I would recommend this book to children ages
five and up since the artwork might either frighten or confuse some children.
My kids are quite good with most things so I think they could cope with this, actually never mind them I think I'd enjoy it too!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I'm sure that your kids would love this book!
DeleteActually a few days ago my friends that work as anessay writers advised me this book as a present for my nephew. After reading your post. I'll definitely buy it!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! It's definitely a great read!
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