Manners/Etiquette Storytime – Revised
Good manners are an issue, especially post-Covid, where folks have forgotten how to interact in public. At the grocery store, some customers don’t respond to the checkout clerk, or even say “thank you.” To help children learn some basic etiquette, hold a storytime featuring some of the books listed below. For an activity, use this simple coloring sheet on how to set the table: Table Setting Paper Craft (dltk-kids.com).
Aliki. Manners. Simple narrative offering examples of good and bad manners.
Antony, Steve. Please, Mr. Panda. Mr. Panda will share his donuts to those who remember to say “please.”
Ashman, Linda. Ways to Welcome. Ethnically diverse children demonstrate ways to be welcoming.
Collier-Morales, Roberta. Where Is Thumbkin? This nursery song is simple but clear on greetings and thank yous.
Gassman, Julie. Do Not Take Your Dragon to Dinner. A humorous look at table manners.
Gibson, Amy. Never Trumpet with a Crumpet. When zoo animals attend tea with the Queen, they break many rules of etiquette.
Idle, Molly. Tea Rex. Cordelia’s tea party goes awry after she invites a dinosaur to attend.
LaReau, Kara. No Slurping, No Burping! A Tale of Table Manners. Two siblings teach father proper table manners.
Sierra, Judy. Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners. In this rhyming story, a little girl learns manners from a dinosaur she meets at the grocery store.
Watkins, Rowboat. Rude Cakes. Different cakes exhibit bad manners.
Willis, Jeanne. #Goldilocks: A Hashtag Cautionary Tale. Goldilocks breaks lots of etiquette rules to obtain more likes for her online videos.
Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Show Good Manners? A rhyming text and subtle humor show huge dinosaurs exhibiting good manners.
Check out our previous Etiquette Storytime post from 2010: Manners / Etiquette Storytime Ideas (2010) (bayviews.org).
Penny Peck, San Jose State University iSchool