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How Rude!
Join Dot and Duck in a simple, yet hilarious, story about kindness, manners, and friendship that gets more and more chaotic with every turn of the page!
Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but from the moment Duck enters the house, the tea party descends into chaos; from licking sandwich fillings to spitting tea, Duck gets ruder…and ruder…and ruder. Just how will Dot react to such outrageous behavior?
Simple, funny, and ultimately touching, this book will appeal to any child who is learning what it is not to be rude and, more importantly, what it is to be a true friend.
Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but from the moment Duck enters the house, the tea party descends into chaos; from licking sandwich fillings to spitting tea, Duck gets ruder…and ruder…and ruder. Just how will Dot react to such outrageous behavior?
Simple, funny, and ultimately touching, this book will appeal to any child who is learning what it is not to be rude and, more importantly, what it is to be a true friend.
Hardcover
Published March 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 20, 2018
How Rude! is a bit of a silly little book that would be ideal for helping to remind little ones about appropriate behaviour and manners. We follow Dot as she becomes frustrated when Duck, a guest at her tea party, shows increasingly rude behaviour.
I'd hoped there might be a bit more sharp wit at play here, but instead it's just fun and silly. I'd imagine quite a few little ones will find several of the pages very amusing, and the manners message here is strong. Much more readable than the Do-Bee book I had as a kid ;) 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures for providing me with a DRC of this book.
I'd hoped there might be a bit more sharp wit at play here, but instead it's just fun and silly. I'd imagine quite a few little ones will find several of the pages very amusing, and the manners message here is strong. Much more readable than the Do-Bee book I had as a kid ;) 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures for providing me with a DRC of this book.
January 2, 2019
Duck is transforming a tea party in a messy meeting because Duck is....rude. The illustrations are really cute, I liked the idea of look around us and care about others, even though the story is a bit too much in my opinion.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
December 19, 2018
Good and well illustrated story about good manners and how not having them or behaving properly can offend some people and why. Simple but very good, on a subject not much written on and very important in an age were good manners, with kids, are not necessarily a priority. We live in an period of time where, at least where I'm from, we excuse everything children does on the fact that they are children. Yes children don't understand all and sometime behave badly not willingly but it doesn't mean you don't have to discipline them, you can just accept all and expect it to come out well by itself when they reach 10 years old or whatever. Anyway, good book!
January 30, 2019
Duck comes to tea and makes himself at home….too at home, to the point of being very rude. This is almost a reminder that when you get comfortable with people, sometimes you can cross lines and upset them, hurt their feelings, or be rude, without really thinking about it. This story is a good argument for being polite and self-aware, which you can discuss with children on a basic level.
The artwork includes simple lines drawings with shading and added colors. It’s cute and consistent between pages.
There’s nothing particularly new, outstanding, funny, or exciting about the actual storyline. The ending is bit underwhelming and mostly focused on making a point. This story would be good if you want to open up a discussion with your child about how to behave or how to be polite.
The artwork includes simple lines drawings with shading and added colors. It’s cute and consistent between pages.
There’s nothing particularly new, outstanding, funny, or exciting about the actual storyline. The ending is bit underwhelming and mostly focused on making a point. This story would be good if you want to open up a discussion with your child about how to behave or how to be polite.
January 3, 2019
How Rude! is a sweet story about an afternoon tea party gone awry when Duck forgets his manners. As the story progresses, Dot becomes frustrated with Duck''s behavior. The expressive illustrations allow the reader to interpret feelings of the characters. While the text is basic, it is engaging while teaching kids how their ill-mannered behavior makes others feel.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group!!
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group!!
February 7, 2019
This was a cute and engaging book about learning good manners. This book has a simple message that uses friendship, frustration and humor which I think is great for a preschool audience. The illustrations were beautifully done and did a great job of showing facial cues as well that showed how Dot was getting more and more frustrated when Duck was becoming more disrespectful with his behavior.
This was a very relatable situation for young kids and I liked that we were able to see Dot's frustration level increase as that is a very normal feeling when people around us are unaware. The problems were sorted out and there was a feeling of mutual respect and understanding at the end of the book which I thought wrapped up this story perfectly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This was a very relatable situation for young kids and I liked that we were able to see Dot's frustration level increase as that is a very normal feeling when people around us are unaware. The problems were sorted out and there was a feeling of mutual respect and understanding at the end of the book which I thought wrapped up this story perfectly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
December 19, 2018
I love this duck! How Rude offers a wonderful lesson on manners. When the duck arrives for a tea party he hasn’t the first clue as to how to behave! He barges right in, dropping his stuff at the door, and starts barking demands for food. His friend is completely dumbfounded! Will their friendship survive this tea party?!
Always fun to share these lovely lessons on manners with my preschoolers! I will be sharing this book tomorrow with my class, should make for a great discussion.
Thank you to Quattro Publishing Group and NetGalley for this fun e-book! My opinions are my own.
This will be featured on my blog Friday December 21, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com
Always fun to share these lovely lessons on manners with my preschoolers! I will be sharing this book tomorrow with my class, should make for a great discussion.
Thank you to Quattro Publishing Group and NetGalley for this fun e-book! My opinions are my own.
This will be featured on my blog Friday December 21, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com
January 2, 2019
It's a book about manners. Duck is the rude guest that Dot is hosting.
This would be a great story to use to show the do's and don't behavior in class or at home. It's a good discussion piece that are great for a classroom setting.
I'd recommend it as part of your book collectioIt's a book about manners. Duck is the rude guest that Dot is hosting.
This would be a great story to use to show the do's and don't behavior in class or at home. It's a good discussion piece that are great for a classroom setting.
I'd recommend it as part of your book collection on manners. n on manners.
This would be a great story to use to show the do's and don't behavior in class or at home. It's a good discussion piece that are great for a classroom setting.
I'd recommend it as part of your book collectioIt's a book about manners. Duck is the rude guest that Dot is hosting.
This would be a great story to use to show the do's and don't behavior in class or at home. It's a good discussion piece that are great for a classroom setting.
I'd recommend it as part of your book collection on manners. n on manners.
December 21, 2018
I liked the story but I found it to be a bit basic, it teaches younger children about why they shouldn't be rude and how it can make others feel. The story was easy to follow but it could have done with a bit more text for me as sadly this is one I could only see being read maybe once or twice. Nice images though - 3.5 stars!
January 16, 2019
This gem of a book is a must-have in every home, classroom and library. It highlights one of the almost forgotten arts in our culture... manners!
Dot prepares a lovely afternoon tea and invites her friend Duck to attend the event. Right from time that Duck puts his foot inside the front door (which is by the way a muddy foot ) the sweetness of the event sours.
Duck displays atrocious manners: he throws his scarf and hat on the floor and demands that Dot hang them up, he puts his soiled feet up on her beautifully decorated table, he chomps into every sandwich trying to find his favourite, and he chugs water from the flower vase to wash everything down, just to name a few. How rude indeed! Oh my!
The final straw is Duck's behaviour regarding Dot's lovely tea cake. It is at this point that she loses it and takes charge. Will she be able to reign this uncouth beastie in and change his ways?
This delightful book has taken a valuable life lesson... using our manners... and shows little ones the importance of being kind, polite and civil to those they encounter as they go through life. Somehow it seems in our modern day culture those fundamentals have been lost by many people. If we can teach our children that manners matter and should be implemented they will display much better behaviour and attitudes, thus making them amazing citizens of our world.
The illustrations are the icing on the cake for me. They are humorous, quirky and perfectly enrich the text visually. I highly, highly recommend this book.
Dot prepares a lovely afternoon tea and invites her friend Duck to attend the event. Right from time that Duck puts his foot inside the front door (which is by the way a muddy foot ) the sweetness of the event sours.
Duck displays atrocious manners: he throws his scarf and hat on the floor and demands that Dot hang them up, he puts his soiled feet up on her beautifully decorated table, he chomps into every sandwich trying to find his favourite, and he chugs water from the flower vase to wash everything down, just to name a few. How rude indeed! Oh my!
The final straw is Duck's behaviour regarding Dot's lovely tea cake. It is at this point that she loses it and takes charge. Will she be able to reign this uncouth beastie in and change his ways?
This delightful book has taken a valuable life lesson... using our manners... and shows little ones the importance of being kind, polite and civil to those they encounter as they go through life. Somehow it seems in our modern day culture those fundamentals have been lost by many people. If we can teach our children that manners matter and should be implemented they will display much better behaviour and attitudes, thus making them amazing citizens of our world.
The illustrations are the icing on the cake for me. They are humorous, quirky and perfectly enrich the text visually. I highly, highly recommend this book.
October 6, 2019
Duck comes over to a lady named Dot’s house and is very rude to Dot. Duck barges through the door, complains about the food, and tries to eat all of the cake. Dot cannot take it anymore and eats all the cake by herself. They realize how rude they have been to each other, apologize, and become polite to each other.
A major theme in this book is manners and how being rude makes others feel.
I thought this book was a fun and silly book. You can see Dot getting increasingly angrier about how rude Duck is being until she explodes. I like that both Duck and Dot apologize and then they show polite behavior towards each other afterward. I really enjoyed the drawings in this book, they were simple with a mostly white background, but it almost felt as if I were there in the kitchen with them as I was reading it.
I would recommend this book to younger elementary school teachers and parents of young ones to teach manners. It does a great job showing what not to do and how to be polite. It also showed how each other felt when the other was being rude to them.
A major theme in this book is manners and how being rude makes others feel.
I thought this book was a fun and silly book. You can see Dot getting increasingly angrier about how rude Duck is being until she explodes. I like that both Duck and Dot apologize and then they show polite behavior towards each other afterward. I really enjoyed the drawings in this book, they were simple with a mostly white background, but it almost felt as if I were there in the kitchen with them as I was reading it.
I would recommend this book to younger elementary school teachers and parents of young ones to teach manners. It does a great job showing what not to do and how to be polite. It also showed how each other felt when the other was being rude to them.
January 8, 2019
Dot, a little girl, invites Duck over for tea. But Duck is a horrible guest with no manners at all. Dot gets more and more frustrated to the point she forgets her manners, and then apologies are necessary.
I like that this includes manners which are applicable just about any time. Some manners books seem to focus more on etiquette one must remember when visiting the Queen, but aren’t all that important if you’re just over at a friend’s house. Duck does things like dump his clothes on the floor, saying yuck instead of asking politely for some sugar, get crumbs all over the place, etc. Those are very relatable things for a little kid to learn. The illustrations are entertaining and overall this is a helpful and captivating way for kids to be introduced to manners through watching Duck do everything wrong.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I like that this includes manners which are applicable just about any time. Some manners books seem to focus more on etiquette one must remember when visiting the Queen, but aren’t all that important if you’re just over at a friend’s house. Duck does things like dump his clothes on the floor, saying yuck instead of asking politely for some sugar, get crumbs all over the place, etc. Those are very relatable things for a little kid to learn. The illustrations are entertaining and overall this is a helpful and captivating way for kids to be introduced to manners through watching Duck do everything wrong.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2019
Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of How Rude! I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.
Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but her guest is simply not very gracious. Rude and inconsiderate to Dot and to her home, how will she help Duck to see the error in his ways?
How Rude! is a very simple book about manners that young children will be able to understand. Getting angry over another's behavior is a natural response and I was glad to see that the author expressed that reaction. With whimsical and colorful drawings, the story is conveyed well with the illustrations. Young children will be able to understand the lesson they are being taught and parents will appreciate the short sentences that will allow their children to not lose interest. How Rude! is a book I would recommend to educators and to parents with young children.
Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but her guest is simply not very gracious. Rude and inconsiderate to Dot and to her home, how will she help Duck to see the error in his ways?
How Rude! is a very simple book about manners that young children will be able to understand. Getting angry over another's behavior is a natural response and I was glad to see that the author expressed that reaction. With whimsical and colorful drawings, the story is conveyed well with the illustrations. Young children will be able to understand the lesson they are being taught and parents will appreciate the short sentences that will allow their children to not lose interest. How Rude! is a book I would recommend to educators and to parents with young children.
October 15, 2020
So the story involves two characters, a duck and a little boy named Dot. The little boy Dot is trying to take care of the duck's needs by getting him food, drink, and anything else he needs. The duck is completely mindless about his behavior and does unmannerly things such as demanding that Dot hurry up while getting him things, eating and making a mess, and completely disregarding any consideration for Dot. he never acknowledges when he is rude either. The duck demands a piece of cake and asks Dot to hurry up and give him his cake, only to realize that when Dot turned around, the duck saw that Dot ate the cake. The script all of a sudden is flipped, and the duck calls out Dot for being rude. Eventually, the duck and Dot apologize to each other, make amends, and enjoy a biscuit together. I feel like this story is to emphasize how important manners are, especially for children growing up. Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you.
February 4, 2026
📌 Children's Picture Book 30 of 2026
📌 Witty, sharp, and delightfully irreverent, this is the ultimate primer on social graces, or the total lack thereof. When Dot invites a duck to a tea party, the feathered guest proceeds to throw every rule of etiquette out the window with glorious disregard. Fortunately, karma is a dish best served at tea time, and our rude protagonist gets a hilarious taste of his own medicine by the final page.
📌 Why it worked for us:
* Zero Preaching: It manages to champion courtesy without falling into the pedantic lecture trap.
* High Comedy: The humor remains front and center, ensuring the lesson doesn't spoil the fun.
* The Tired Parent Special: It’s the perfect length for a bedtime read after a long day.
📌 My five-year-olds were in stitches. If you’re looking for a way to teach manners to your own little "wild animals" without losing your edge, this is the book.
📌 Target Audience: Ages 4–7 (and parents who need a laugh).
📌 Witty, sharp, and delightfully irreverent, this is the ultimate primer on social graces, or the total lack thereof. When Dot invites a duck to a tea party, the feathered guest proceeds to throw every rule of etiquette out the window with glorious disregard. Fortunately, karma is a dish best served at tea time, and our rude protagonist gets a hilarious taste of his own medicine by the final page.
📌 Why it worked for us:
* Zero Preaching: It manages to champion courtesy without falling into the pedantic lecture trap.
* High Comedy: The humor remains front and center, ensuring the lesson doesn't spoil the fun.
* The Tired Parent Special: It’s the perfect length for a bedtime read after a long day.
📌 My five-year-olds were in stitches. If you’re looking for a way to teach manners to your own little "wild animals" without losing your edge, this is the book.
📌 Target Audience: Ages 4–7 (and parents who need a laugh).
January 6, 2019
'How Rude!' by Clare Helen Welsh and Olivier Tallec is a picture book about rudeness and how it can escalate.
When Dot invites her friend Duck over, Duck is rude from the outset, not saying hello and tracking mud in to the house. Duck continues to be unapologetic for casting his coat on the floor and sniffing his nose at the food Dot has prepared. When Dot retailiates, they both realize things have gotten out of hand.
It's a pretty silly book that makes its point pretty bluntly. The rude behavior is pretty funny so kids might choose to emulate that rather than having manners. The illustrations are colorful and cute, and I liked this story about how we should choose to be polite.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group-words & pictures, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
When Dot invites her friend Duck over, Duck is rude from the outset, not saying hello and tracking mud in to the house. Duck continues to be unapologetic for casting his coat on the floor and sniffing his nose at the food Dot has prepared. When Dot retailiates, they both realize things have gotten out of hand.
It's a pretty silly book that makes its point pretty bluntly. The rude behavior is pretty funny so kids might choose to emulate that rather than having manners. The illustrations are colorful and cute, and I liked this story about how we should choose to be polite.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group-words & pictures, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
October 9, 2019
How Rude... by Clare Helen Welsh, Olivier Tallec is a book about basic manners. Told using a yellow duck and a small book, this book is a simple reminder of how manners play an important part in everyday life.
Simple things such as picking up after yourself when you enter someone's home, saying hello, and being a picky eater are all things we as adults know not to do, but sometimes children need a reminder. This book is a great way to get children to understand how simple actions can be perceived, without us adults having to constantly remind them.
This is a wonderful book for the preschool-first grade to read, possibly a guidance lesson as well.
Simple things such as picking up after yourself when you enter someone's home, saying hello, and being a picky eater are all things we as adults know not to do, but sometimes children need a reminder. This book is a great way to get children to understand how simple actions can be perceived, without us adults having to constantly remind them.
This is a wonderful book for the preschool-first grade to read, possibly a guidance lesson as well.
September 20, 2020
This book is great to teach children about the “what not to do” of manners. I say that because the main character Duck is very rude at a tea party he was invited to by Dot. Duck spits his tea out because he doesn’t have any sugar in it and Duck insisted on a piece of cake before it was offered to him. Dog then eats the cake and doesn’t save any for duck. The two realize they d made a mess at this tea party and make up. The illustrations in this book look like they’ve could’ve been computer animated or drawn then scanned in. It could definitely be a mixture of both. The author made a clear them throughout this book and that is to have manners because they will get you further in life.
October 29, 2020
This book was OK. This was about a rude duck who went to a friends house and ruined everything because he was rude. He ate all of the food, drunk everything, and made a huge mess. I don’t really like how it took for the other character to be rude back in order for the first character to see how rude that he was. The book got better towards the end when they both apologized for being rude to each other and started being nice and showing manners. The illustrations in this book were also very plain. I wouldn’t recommend this book but I would only really recommend it when showing children how not to act.
January 1, 2019
Little girl invites her duck friend over for a tea party. Things do not go as planned. . .
This duck is a jerk. To be fair, there have been other jerk ducks, especially in old cartoons, but this one takes it to a new level. I’m surprised the little girl held out that long. At least she didn’t reach for a shotgun.
Considering all the trouble Duck caused, he sure turned on a dime, and she forgave him way too quickly. I would have preferred less mayhem and more thought from both of them, if there was a limited amount of pages available.
Wait, was that rude of me to point it out?
This duck is a jerk. To be fair, there have been other jerk ducks, especially in old cartoons, but this one takes it to a new level. I’m surprised the little girl held out that long. At least she didn’t reach for a shotgun.
Considering all the trouble Duck caused, he sure turned on a dime, and she forgave him way too quickly. I would have preferred less mayhem and more thought from both of them, if there was a limited amount of pages available.
Wait, was that rude of me to point it out?
February 10, 2019
The story is a simple one. It is that of a little kid, Dot, and their friend the seemingly rude Duck.
The concept and illustrations are charming but it seems to be lost in the actual story. It gets somewhat repetitive which is not exactly what one would want in a 32 page book.
However, I read enough that I would still be interested in reading more of this authors work and sharing it with the little ones in my life.
The concept and illustrations are charming but it seems to be lost in the actual story. It gets somewhat repetitive which is not exactly what one would want in a 32 page book.
However, I read enough that I would still be interested in reading more of this authors work and sharing it with the little ones in my life.
February 11, 2019
I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
How rude! I really had bigger expectations from this book - especially since thanks to Full House "How rude!" is my favourite thing to say. I did not feel like this book delivered. It was predictable and not funny - at least not as funny as the expression was in Full House.
It's not a bad book for kids, but not one that I feel I will reach out for a lor.
How rude! I really had bigger expectations from this book - especially since thanks to Full House "How rude!" is my favourite thing to say. I did not feel like this book delivered. It was predictable and not funny - at least not as funny as the expression was in Full House.
It's not a bad book for kids, but not one that I feel I will reach out for a lor.
October 31, 2018
This cute story is about Dot and her friend Duck. Duck is being very rude at the nice tea party Dot has kindly spread out for him. The words are filled with humor and the expressive illustrations are adorable. This is a wonderful book that shows why it's important to be polite and how people might feel sad when others are rude to them.
December 20, 2018
Funny book! I think littles may enjoy this story while learning manners. Duck is invited to a tea party and behaves very, very badly. Then he gets a taste of his own medicine and all ends well- with good manners! I loved the illustrations and am sure littles will enjoy the terrible antics in the story!
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.
December 23, 2018
I have found the little book 'How Rude!' as a good tool to teach the little ones how important is to know how to behave around our friends. It's definitely a good first book for the children who are just learning how to read or even the ones who don't know yet but have someone in their lives to read it for them.
October 13, 2019
This is only my 3rd book sent to my new Kindle. I must be doing something wrong because the formatting was a mess. The illustrations were adorable while the wording was simple and easy to read. Although, for children, I would have used a bolder font.
A great lesson learned. American children would easily understand "tea" but not the "biscuits". We call them cookies..
A great lesson learned. American children would easily understand "tea" but not the "biscuits". We call them cookies..
November 30, 2018
Story about Dot's tea party which Duck comes to and he is rude and eats all the food and makes a mess. And after Duck takes things he doesn't like, eats most of the treats, and drinks all the water in the flowerpot, they make up. But only after Dot does something that Duck thinks is rude.
February 1, 2019
What a great book for young readers to learn about rude behavior. I loved the colorful illustrations against the background of the pencil drawings. The book is an easy read for new readers. Just the right amount of silliness to keep the young reader engaged.
January 9, 2019
A funny picture book about Dot and Duck. Perfect for children.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2020
Not many people mean to be rude. Choose not to give in to drama. No matter how other person acts, you own your behavior. So choose kindness instead of rudeness.
Loved this book 4/5 stars.
Loved this book 4/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews