Manners are Not for Monkeys by Heather Tekavec - OPTIONAL

Tekavec, Heather Manners are Not for Monkeys, illustrated by David Huyck. PICTUREBOOK.

Kids Can Press, 2016. $16.95.  

When the old zookeeper moves the monkey cage to the children’s playground, the baby monkeys learn manners by watching the children, but their mother is not pleased! They should act like monkeys!  She wants them to stop tidying the cage, be loud and boisterous and chew with their mouths open.  But the monkeys prefer to act like the children. But when some naughty children come visit the monkeys, and decide to demonstrate what monkeys should do, the zoo keeper makes an interesting change to the exhibit. 

This picturebook turns manners upside down.  Instead of children being told not to act like monkeys, we see monkeys being told not to act like children.  The point of view might be confusing. Is it about having good manners? The children at the zoo don’t want to watch well behaved monkeys. An interesting example of behavior (although the children at the end are behaving like the animals they saw at the zoo - I would hope that creative fun children would do just this) this picturebook should be discussed, not just read.  

EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL  Lisa Librarian