Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

In this clever companion picture book to their hilarious etiquette guide, It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel, the Buehners use wit and very punny humor to tackle the issue of ethics for children. The multiple-choice format here translates into more of a spirited guessing game than a classroom-style quiz. On each spread one or more animal characters faces an ethical dilemma (should Ima Scalebody the fish cheat on her test? Should Howie Hogg clean up the toys he took out?). Readers are encouraged to assess the situation and choose a suitable (and usually obvious) answer from three selections. As one of the many visual bonuses in this volume, the letter of the correct response is hidden somewhere in Mark Buehner's illustration. The artist's passion for visual surprise doesn't end there: he has also concealed bumblebees, cats, rabbits and dinosaurs, among other things, in each of his lush and expressive oil-and-acrylic paintings. From a school of fish in an underwater classroom to rats in a cafeteria, the artist tweaks familiar settings by populating them with his own gently anthropomorphic animal kingdom. Caralyn Buehner's snappy, alliterative text makes for an exuberant read-aloud, perfect for sharing between parent and child. Grown-ups will guffaw over such aptly named critters as the flies Buzzer and Annoya McFly, and rats Diseasa and Fungusto. But best of all, this book brims with the sort of solid values every child should learn: never lie, follow the rules, obey your parents and think of others. Ages 4-8. (May)

ALA Booklist

Young children will be attracted to this picture book by the brightly colored artwork. They'll also enjoy searching for the small pictures hidden in the paintings. But it will be slightly older kids, reading with a grown-up, who will best appreciate the series of scenarios about behavior. Each double-page spread tackles a different aspect of personal conduct--cheating, littering, accepting responsibility, using bad language, etc. Each story about an animal, relayed with lots of catchy alliteration, sets children up for a multiple choice of appropriate (human) actions, including at least one wildly silly option, that will be good for opening up adult-child discussion. The excellent art is a nice change from what's usual in such message books, but be prepared to spend time helping little ones search for the hidden pictures; some are difficult to find. (Reviewed April 15, 1998)

Horn Book

Following the quiz format of their manners book, 'It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel!', the Buehners' latest humorous lesson in good behavior asks readers to choose among answers a, b, and c for each scenario, and then find the letter of the correct answer hidden in the accompanying painting. Bonus fun comes from locating other hidden objects, such as a dinosaur-shaped stream and an ever-present bee.

Kirkus Reviews

The Buehners (It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel! 1995, etc.) continue their mission to make learning decorum a giggle instead of a slap on the wrist. In page-long fables, animals such as Ollie the Octopus and Rateesh Rat get into situations that demand decisions, while multiple-choice quizzes allow readers to participate. When Ollie's mother calls him for dinner, should he obey her, or stay and play? When Rateesh is feeling lonely, will hoarding or sharing his cheese endear him to rodent playmates? The letter of the correct answer is hidden somewhere in the lush illustration accompanying every tale, and some of these are difficult to find; regardless, the answers are provided at the end of the book. The illustrations must be pored over; observant readers will discover an intrepid bee in every take and plenty of hidden silliness: sheep-shaped clouds, a gummy-worm fish snack, Santa departing from the North Pole. Most children will have no problem discerning correct behavior, and some adults may wince in recognition at the black-and-white approach to ethics: It's not right to lie about a child's age at restaurants where those under five eat free. (Picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--Following the format of their popular picture book about manners, It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel (Dial, 1995), the Buehners now take on behavioral issues. On each double-page spread, readers are given three choices, two of them obviously wrong and quite amusing, and must pick the proper behavior for the animal in question. Situations include promising to do something until a more attractive offer comes along; considering a lie to avoid punishment; wanting to cheat on a test; and being tempted to destroy or litter property. The language is filled with tongue-tripping alliteration and wit: "Run over Rudy's red rubber radio repeatedly." The large, bright illustrations, executed in oils and acrylics, sustain the text's humor. A group of fish are, literally, in school; a bat reads Wait Until Dark; Santa and his reindeer fly across the Arctic sky; and a fish has a packet of Gummy Worms. Children can search the illustrations for the letters of the correct answers and check their responses in the answer key. Many animals are also hidden in each picture. This title will provide ample material for class discussions on moral conduct while at the same time inviting individual readers to pore over the illustrations to discover the many visual jokes.--Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT