The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

McGuirk, Leslie , von Bidder, Alex

Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant

32 pp. | Candlewick | August, 2009 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-4014-9 $16.99

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Leslie McGuirk. Puppy Wiggens goes to the Four Seasons (owned by coauthor Von Bidder) to learn about "refinement and good manners." McGuirk's lighthearted gouache illustrations include playful pups and speech-bubble asides; each lesson (e.g., "When you meet someone, shake his hand or paw") is summarized on a Four Seasons dinner plate. The pages are busy and the jokes insider-y, but the manners lessons are solid.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan