ABOUT THE BOOKFrom the Publisher:
A string of comically stylized animals say “thank you” to one another when they receive their favorite treats. The sequence culminates in an exchange between a human toddler and his parent saying “thank you” and “you’re welcome” when the child receives his favorite sippy cup! This third title in a board book series on animal (and human) first words by award-winning author-illustrator Ethan Long is sure to make manners a lot more fun!
Description:
In this board book, an animal receives something that it likes from another animal (e.g. a dog gets a tennis ball from a cat) and the animal responds by making a noise that sounds like a thank you (e.g. the dog goes “bark bark”). In the end, a child has witnessed all of this and when his mother passes him a drink, he says “thank you”. His mother replies “you’re welcome”.
My Experience:
I read this to my 3-year-old and my 18-month-old twins. The twins liked the pictures, but did not seem too engaged with the story. They liked making the animal noises and trying to copy me as I read them. They grabbed the book and tried making the sounds on their own afterwards. My oldest (who is pretty sharp) got the point only after I told her that the animal sounds were trying to mimic the thank you. It doesn’t seem to be obvious for kids. Perhaps if the human thank you was at the beginning it would be more obvious for young kids. My oldest argued that an elephant does not say “toot toot”!
Likes:
- not a lot! – just a very average book
- emphasis on importance of saying thank you is good – but lacks real purpose of WHY we say it
Dislikes:
- seemingly computer generated digital illustrations – fuzzy around the edges. very simplistic
- confusing purpose
About the Author:
Ethan Long is an internationally recognized author and illustrator of over 65 children’s books, as well as the creator of the Emmy-nominated series Tasty Time with ZeFronk on Playhouse Disney. Long won a Geisel Award for his picture book Up, Tall, and High! He lives with his wife, author Heather Long, and his three children in Orlando, Florida.
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