cover image Achoo! Good Manners Can Be Contagious!

Achoo! Good Manners Can Be Contagious!

Mij Kelly, illus. by Mary McQuillan. Barron's, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7641-6969-4

The characters from Have You Seen My Potty? return in this follow-up about manners. After Suzy Sue sneezes without covering her mouth, several farm animals decide to intervene: " %E2%80%98It's true,' said the cow. %E2%80%98She is horribly rude,/ but that doesn't mean she can't be improved./ If we teach her the rules, I'm sure we can save her/ from a life of bad manners and ghastly behavior.' " Using various animals as examples, the cow offers some rules: "don't be disgusting" (the animals clean up a "grotty" dog), "don't eat like a pig," and "do not fight" (in which a game of tug-of-war between cats is halted). But when the maligned and insulted animals express their unhappiness, it's the cow who learns a lesson, as Suzy Sue reminds him about the golden rule (" %E2%80%98If you're kind,' said Suzy Sue,/ %E2%80%98people sometimes learn from you' "). McQuillan's cartoon art offers a playfully exaggerated cast, but the rhythm of the somewhat preachy verse occasionally stumbles, as Kelly concludes that while good manners are important, one shouldn't be haughty about them. Ages 4%E2%80%947. (Sept.)