Great fun! Books on manners can be a tough sell, but occasionally one comes along that gets the message across through cascades of giggles -- the text is solid and mostly well rhymed, but the Catrow's wonderful silly-gross illustrations take it to the next level of endearing. ( )

All of those stars are for the hilarious illustrations. TBH I skimmed the story, it's about being polite, the rhyme scheme is so-so, but the illustrations are killing me. Look at these guys:





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Pirates capture the lost treasure but also using their manners to split it up. ( )

"Pirates are unruly / and pirates love to fight, / but pirates still say "please and "thanks" / 'cause pirates are polite." And so begins co-authors Corinne Demas and Artemis Roehrig's amusing guide to good manners, with its rollicking rhythm and entertaining rhymes. Twelve important lessons about courtesy, from using one's inside voice to waiting in line, are profiled here, and paired with quirky illustrations from David Catrow.

Featuring an unlikely thematic pairing, Are Pirates Polite? offers an entertaining introduction to a topic - good manners - that some children might find rather tiresome, but which is necessary for their social development. The text is just made to read aloud, while the colorful artwork, which depicts various scruffy-looking pirates being rambunctious, but also scrupulously polite, will keep young readers and listeners riveted. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about pirates and/or good manners. ( )