Before you accept an invitation to dine with the Abbots, there are certain things to remember: mind your manners! Goode has transformed this 19th-century etiquette primer into a degustatory romp as the host family speaks with their mouths full, spit, slobber, throw bones on the floor, soil the tablecloth, even fall out of their chairs. Simple but precisely defining lines, a pastel palette and period dress detail the scenes and capture the facial expressions of the guests that register disgust, shock or disbelief as the rhymes exaggerate the “what-not-to-dos.” An author’s note explains how her inspiration came from an 1802 child’s spelling book that contained a lesson, “Of children’s behaviour at table.” All 35 cautions from the original book are included. Look carefully at every spread so as not to miss a crumb of this delicious humor. (Picture book. 5-8)
