How Are Your Manners?

A whimsical, redemptive story about how good manners can make all the difference. Lulu, a spoiled only child, wants a pet brontosaurus for her birthday. She screeches and flails to no avail when her parents adamantly say, “No.” Lulu packs a suitcase and runs off into the big forest to find her pet. She encounters and even brawls with bigger, scary animals, but she proves to be tougher and meaner. That is, until she meets the brontosaurus and finds herself unable to go back home. The short chapters are interspersed with expressive black and white pencil drawings. Viorst uses strong vocabulary and her own voice to explain quirks in the storyline like why a dinosaur would live in a forest. Recommended for independent readers in grades 2-4 or as a great read aloud.