Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners

I bought this book for the bookshelf I set aside for my nieces when they visit; as the childless aunt with a lot of cats, it felt fitting that a book about manners should occupy that shelf; even though my husband technically saves me from the "Cranky Spinster Cat Lady" title, it still feels like a stereotype worth having some fun with. ;-)

Do Unto Otters is hilarious. It was so funny, in fact, that I immediately handed it to MT and told him he had to read it. It's central theme is the Golden Rule, and the main characters are a rabbit and a family of otters. It's beautifully illustrated and the real laugh-out-loud moments are the small drawings interspersed throughout the pages that illustrate examples of each facet to the golden rule show more (i.e. saying 'please' or 'excuse me'). Teaching readers how to say those courtesies in different languages (including Pig Latin - Ha!) is a distinctly nice touch.

This is a definite must have for any child's shelf, and one that makes learning courteousness a whole lot of fun. show less

When a family of otters move in next door, Mr. Rabbit isn't sure what to think. Will they be friends? How should one treat otters? Then wise old Mr. Owl imparts an important piece of advice: Do unto otters as you would have them do unto you. As Mr. Rabbit lists all the ways he would like his otter neighbors to behave, the reader in turn learns how they should behave to otters (and others)...

An amusing and effective exploration of The Golden Rule, Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners offers an animal's-eye-view of issues of etiquette, and the proper way to behave toward others. The many little speech bubbles expand upon the main text in humorous and apropos ways, while the illustrations themselves capture the zany appeal of the cast of show more characters. Recommended to anyone looking for an appealing book about manners for the picture-book set. show less

A fun book that introduces the basics of manners using the slightly varied Golden Rule: "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you." The attention to detail and design of the book are part of what makes this so funny - the book jacket and CIP page begin the fun before the book even officially opens. Healthy doses of dry humor and plain old silliness keep this message book from being preachy or boring. While not a good choice for a large storytime due to the many asides, this would be an excellent choice for sharing with a very small group of children, for one-on-one reading fun, or for the independent reader.

Kids will find this story silly as the underline message of treating people the way you want to be treated is shared. The layout of text and variation in it's style, size and color draws the reader to words that emphasize how to treat others. The illustrations are cartoonish and the characters are expressive. Mr. Rabbit is nervous because his new neighbors are otters and he isn't sure how to treat them. An owl tells them about the golden rule. I agree that Keller does a great job of highlighting, "how to be a good friend and neighbor" and I highly recommend this as a read aloud to primary grade children.

Age Appropriateness: Kindergarten- 3rd grade

Keller, L. (2007). Do unto otters. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

This story is a great approach for teaching children "The Golden Rule" and this author does it in a great way. Giving students the opportunity to gain the characteristics of being a respectful friend and classmate is key and helps them learn how to be polite, considerate, and honest all around. This would also be an excellent book to start off the school year, showing kids how to get along and cooperate with each other in and outside of the classroom. It was a very cute and creative way to incorporate these important concepts for children to evaluate and understand.

I absolutely adored this modern fiction book. The story began with a family of otters moving next door to a family of bunnies. These bunnies were worried about how they would get along with The wise owl told the family of bunnies to treat the otters like they would want the otters to treat them. The book continues with the the bunny going through all the the different ways that they would like the otters to treat them. I would use this book to teach my first graders about manners.

Such a great PUNchline at the end of this book. A rabbit is shocked to find that otters have moved in next door. The rabbit is fearful because it knows nothing about otters and is afraid that they won't get along. The rabbit spends most of the book speaking to his friend owl about all the good manners that he hopes his new otter neighbors have. In the end, Rabbit learns that he should focus on treating the otters in all the ways he wants to be treated.