It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel (Picture Puffins)

Rating:
Summary: Wait until your child is 5 or 6 years old
Review: Illustrations are gorgeous. Quiz-format lets a child confirm what he or she has learned -- a uniquely positive way to reinforce good manners. Humor makes this fun. Looking for the letters in the pictures makes this even more interactive and draws you into the pictures. The text is a little challenging to read aloud, but enjoyed by children nonetheless, and outweighed by all the positives. My children have enjoyed this immensely. Vocabulary and concepts seem best for children over 4 years old.

Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile
Review: Illustrations are gorgeous. Quiz-format lets a child confirm what he or she has learned -- a uniquely positive way to reinforce good manners. Humor makes this fun. Looking for the letters in the pictures makes this even more interactive and draws you into the pictures. The text is a little challenging to read aloud, but enjoyed by children nonetheless, and outweighed by all the positives. My children have enjoyed this immensely. Vocabulary and concepts seem best for children over 4 years old.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel
Review: My 4- and 7-year old boys giggled their way through this great lesson in good manners. The pictures are adorable (we had bought the book because we liked Mark Buehner's other book illustrations so much), and even older kids will enjoy finding the cleverly-hidden answers to the "quiz questions." A very nice way to reinforce what Momma always taught you - and a great gift book to subtly convey to not-quite-polite kids and their parents the proper way to do things!

Rating:
Summary: Wait until your child is 5 or 6 years old
Review: My 4-year old son was far less interested in the stories than the pictures (which are great and very detailed). However, the lessons emphasize good manners (waiting until your turn to speak, talking with your mouth full), although some are probably a bit lost on a 4-year old (i.e. how to answer the telephone politely, introducing your friend to your family memebers). I'm not overly impressed with this book in general.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel
Review: This book provided my son's preschool class with laughter and excitement. They were glued to me as I read this to the class. My children want it read to them all the time. My five year old loves to read it by himself and that is something he is really proud of, as well as I am.