Taking the Lead by Stephanie Perry Moore

There were things I really liked about this book. It’s interactive with word searches after each chapter and lesson plans at the end. The story has promise – young Alec has just been elected 5th grade class president. He’s got a lot of good things coming his way. On the downside, his father is the school principal and his parents fight constantly. There are some good themes that go through this book. It does have a fair amount of Christian values such as allowing God to lead. With Alec as class president he has to learn what makes a good leader. However, I didn’t like the flow or the language of the book. It’s set in Georgia so maybe the problem is regional or even cultural. I think boys in that age group might feel differently but I don’t see this book becoming a classic. I do think it makes a great homeschooling book and as it comes in a series could be a good addition to curriculum.

Hippo Says “Excuse Me” by Michael Dahl

This is the cutest book. The colors are so bright and cheerful that it made me happy just looking at it. Little Hippo is so darling, I just want to take it home with me.
Hippo and its mama are out about town and because they are so big they have to say “excuse me” often. The other animals are not always so happy about this but wait until Hippo is on the elevator and no one wants to let little chick on.
Because this is an e-galley, I can’t be certain what type of picture book this will be. I hope it’s a board book because it just has that sort of texture to it. No matter what it’s like this book is fun and inviting to small children. And what a great introduction to manners.

Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners by Beth Bracken

“Once there was a boy named Pete who had terrible, awful, horrible manners.”
Pete is horribly rude. He’s loud, unclean and forgets to say please and thank you. His poor manners got him attention and made him laugh until one day his family decided to act like Pete. It didn’t take long for Pete to start reminding them of their manners.
This is a cute book and would be loved by most boys. Pete is loud and likes body noises which would appeal to the male persuasion. Some girls might enjoy Pete but they may be turned off by the burping and farting.
I’m not really sure this is a great manners book but it’s enjoyable and can open up a dialogue with a young child. This is definitely a young child book but wouldn’t make it long into grade school. This would be a perfect pre-school or kindergarten library book.