School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-5-Being polite in different settings such as home, school, and public places is the focus of this program. It begins by introducing five different lessons involving telephone etiquette, table manners, birthday party conduct, public behavior, and good sportsmanship. The adult female host, Julie Hunt, leads the discussions about proper and improper behavior. Each segment is concise and to the point with visual and auditory reinforcement. At the conclusion of each lesson, an onscreen reminder helps viewers focus on the proper behavior. In the example portions, boys and girls are equally represented, but in later segments such as table manners and basic politeness, a more traditional role for females is presented. The mother is in charge of preparing the meal and setting the table, while the father is relegated to a secondary role. After the table manners lesson, Hunt leads the rest of the lessons but there are no examples shown. In the classroom manners segment, an elementary school teacher discusses proper social behavior, but no actual examples are given to reinforce the lesson. Since the main focus here is on proper behavior in the home, the program could be used in a classroom setting but would be most useful for youngsters to watch with their parents at home.-Mercedes Smith, Kernan Trail Elementary School, Jacksonville, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.