The Family Book of Manners

by Hermine Hartley, Al Hartley (Illustrator)

Provides guidance on appropriate behavior in a wide variety of situations, such as eating out, polite conversation, interpersonal relations, family matters, and more.

Genres: Parenting

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[RebL · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book passed through my hands in some give-away stuff. I read it to see if it would be worth putting in the Little Free Library at church, as it's full of Bible verses. It's not a bad little book as far as the text goes, but literally every illustration (in this 1990 edition, not sure about in later ones) except for one is of white people. The one illustration of non-white children resorts to stereotypes (slant eyes and buck teeth on the Asian child, broad nose and big lips on the Black child, etc). Also there's fat-shaming under the guise of treating one's body with respect, with accompanying illustrations of skinny people eating small portions and a big fat lady waddling along with her tray stacked high with cake and ice cream. So I will probably just recycle it instead, because I hate to perpetuate that shit even by accident.
Three stars for the text, 1 star for the illustrations.

[Rachel Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great quick read with the kids. It started some great conversations about treating others with kindness and keeping good hygiene and personal space. I had fun reading it with my 5 year old.

[Timothy S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how practical, yet Biblical it was. I wish they had listed the version of Bible they used so I could compare with the one I read. I loved how it was very easy to understand. I also really liked how it went over all of the basics, in addition to the more quality things about manners. Great book. Every teenager should read it, regardless of how good you are with your manners. You will definitely learn something you hadn't yet about manners.

[Buffy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because my mom sent it to me, but it really had alot of good information about having good manners and proper etiquette. When I was younger, my mom enrolled me in a course called "Manners and More" and she taught my sister and I to write "thank you cards." I grew up to be an adult with pretty good manners, but there were still some things I didn't know.

A few things I learned from this book:
🩷 The dinner knife should point TOWARD the dinner plate. For years, I thought it pointed away. I stand corrected!
🩷 We use the silverware from the outside in. I didn't realize there was a cadence to this.
🩷 Three types of dinner parties: family style, buffet style, and formal style. Four types of restaurants: fast food, cafeteria, family restaurant, and gourmet restaurant.
🩷 Food is passed counterclockwise (to the right) unless the host/hostess directs otherwise.
🩷 Cup your hand around the glass if squeezing a lemon into food or drink to guard the squirt.

A nice manners refresher. 📚

[Kelly McLane]

I love manners, so I loved reading this book aloud to my kids! It’s very funny and light-hearted and we had lots of good laughs ☺️. It is in no way exhaustive, but is a great chance to add your own favourite manners into the conversation.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most books are rated related to their usefulness and contributions to my research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hartley presents manners in a comic way for kids to understand. He covers manners for all occasions. A must-read for kids and adults.