My kids all love(d) Richard Scarry's book, "The Polite Elephant." And of course I appreciate a cute, appealing book that also tries to teach my toddlers to say "please" and "thank you."
My problem with "The Polite Elephant" is that, although it was published in 1998, it feels terribly dated to me. According to Scarry, when the Polite Elephant gets on the bus, "he always offers his seat to a lady," which never fails to strike me as chauvanistic. He also understands that "some rooms are for sitting and others are for playing" - which, while it may be true in some houses, is not particulary high on my list of important manners I want my children to have.
What I really need Richard Scarry to teach my toddlers is, "The Polite Elephant never throws a fit when he doesn't get his own way." It might also be helpful for my kindergartner to hear, "The Polite Elephant never talks back to his mommy."
What manners would you like to see included, should Richard Scarry decide to pen, "The Polite Elephant - Part Deux"?
