Look Mom! I Have Good Manners

Is it ever okay to put your elbows on the table? This and many other tricky questions about manners are addressed in this wonderful interactive program, creatively structured as a game show. Five categories of manners (mealtime, playtime, telephone, healthy, and school) cover a wide variety of everyday situations, with realistic live-action vignettes used to illustrate each multiple choice answer (viewers are encouraged to play along, and there's even a downloadable score sheet available). Touching on even small details--such as turning a knife blade inwards when setting the table--the intelligent script presents manners not as boring rules, but as practical ways to simply make everyone's life more pleasant. The host, “Willy Dooright,” is hilarious but never cheesy, the multiethnic cast of kids is convincing, and the fun graphics and sound effects make this affordably priced program both entertaining and educational. (And yes, you can put your elbows on the table--but only after everyone is done eating.) Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: E, I, J, P. (E. Gieschen)