for Do Unto Otters
	Amazon.com #1 Editor’s Pick, Picture Books 2007 A Junior Library Guild Selection Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” 2007 Please Touch Museum Book Award (Ages 4-7) 2007 “Please Touch Museum’s Book Award is given to books that are imaginative, exceptionally illustrated, and help foster a child’s life-long love of reading.” Booklist *Starred Review* From the gleeful title pun to the kinetic illustrations, this clever book from the creator of Open Wide: Tooth School Inside (2000) introduces the golden rule with irresistible humor. Mr. Rabbit is worried about life with his new neighbors, the Otter family: I don't know anything about otters. What if we don't get along?  Then a wise bird introduces Mr. Rabbit to a favorite saying: Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you. As Rabbit ponders how he would like to be treated, he covers the basics of polite and responsible behavior, from saying a cheerful hello  and please and thank you to being honest, considerate, and kind. The clean design features well-placed arrows and other visual cues to help children quickly jump through the multiple images on each page, a feature that, combined with the wildly expressive cartoon-style animal characters, makes the scenes feel like part of an animated film. As usual, Keller packs the tale with unabashedly goofy puns, jokes, and even a few fart references, and the sheer silliness and well-tuned comic timing of it all will easily pull kids into the clearly explained concepts. Pair this sly, intelligent guide to etiquette with other equally unstuffy picture-book titles in the adjacent Read-alikes: Mind Your Manners. --Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2007 Booklist Publishers Weekly Keller's (The Scrambled States of America) latest offers lessons in the social graces, featuring Mr. Rabbit and his whiskery new neighbors, the otters. "I don't know anything about otters," the pink-eyed, pink-nosed protagonist agonizes. "What if we don't get along?" At this, a bookish owl pops in from the margin with an apt take on the Golden Rule: "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you." Hmmm...," muses Mr. Rabbit, "How would I like otters to treat me?" When he opines, "I'd like otters to be polite," a gray otter in polka-dot shorts demonstrates how to say "please" in five languages (counting Pig Latin), then does the same for "thank you" and the indispensable "excuse me." Later, the smiling otters "co-otter-ate" and help friends move a heavy log. Even disagreements can be managed. Keller loads her acrylic-on-paper images with comical asides and tangential conversations, and goggle eyes, rubbery smiles and rounded teeth suggest her cast's goofball personalities; no mistaking them for Little Lord Fauntleroys. Without prescribing perfect etiquette, Keller serves up sound, friendly advice for maintaining a peaceable kingdom. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information Donna Atmur School Library Journal Gr 1-3 Mr. Rabbit is worried that he might not get along with his new neighbors. A wise owl gives him the advice, "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you" and proceeds to explain what this means. Thus follows a listing of traits and qualities such as friendliness, politeness, honesty, consideration, cooperation, and sharing. Each one contains humorous examples of Mr. Rabbit and the Otters following those rules. Also included are samples of how to say certain phrases such as "Excuse me" and "Please" in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Pig Latin. Each page bursts with colorful illustrations and is scattered with words of different sizes and fonts. This simple story is certain to appeal to children. Kirkus Reviews When a dubious rabbit discovers his new neighbors, a family of otters, a helpful owl prompts him to think about ways to ensure they'll all get along. "Treat otters the same way I'd like otters to treat me? . . . I'd like otters to be friendly. A cheerful hello, a nice smile, and good eye contact are all part of being friendly." Being polite, saying thank you and excuse me, being honest and considerate and cooperative all follow as traits and behaviors the rabbit would like to see, accompanied by examples of each, setting the stage for amicable neighborly relations. Keller's animals cavort across the page in a pleasingly varied design, the humor in their bug eyes and big noses helping to keep the tone light. Aiding this is a generous helping of silliness in the examples of good behavior-included among the enumeration of considerate actions is "helping neighbors untangle ears." While kids may well have encountered the Golden Rule elsewhere, this explanation and elaboration nicely unifies what might otherwise seem like a dreary list of manners. This lively book is anything but. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-8) New York Magazine Online (nymag.com) Puns finally fill higher purposeA trio of otters moves into rabbit's neighborhood, and they're a bit ill-mannered, with their over-the-top gesturing and smelly fish. How can everyone just get along? According to this wickedly funny new book, the answer's an old one: "Do unto otters…" Laurie Keller's exploration of what that really means is packed with visual and verbal gags, and her non-messagey message is perfect for kids returning to the classroom this week.-- 100 Scope Notes  (http://100scopenotes.wordpress.com) Alright everyone! Looks like we’ve got ourselves the new Laurie Keller book here. I’m just going to go down the list for a second to make sure everything is accounted for: Aside-happy artwork that will take multiple readings to fully absorb?  Check. Voices given to usually non-speaking main characters?  Uh-huh. Silliness in spades?  Yep. Clever storyline that will appeal to kids and adults alike?   Well… (Reviewer quietly puts clipboard and pencil down in order to speak frankly) Well, you see, that’s where I get just a bit hung up on this one. Let me explain. Our story begins with Mr. Rabbit hopping through the woods, heading home to his comfortable tree hole. Once there, he runs into his new neighbors - the Otters. Mr. Rabbit is worried; he doesn’t know much about otters and is nervous about how they will get along. To the rescue comes Mr. Owl, who provides a twist on the old golden rule. He asks Mr. Rabbit to list some of the good qualities he would like to see in Otters. Friendliness, honesty, and kindness all make the list, to name a few, with each characteristic illustrated in Keller’s signature humorous fashion. You see, Do Unto Otters is really more of a how-to guide than a story. And as a how-to, it succeeds - taking a subject of universal importance and making it fresh and entertaining. While it doesn’t hit the highs I was anticipating, Do Unto Otters is still 3 out of 4 by me - nothing to mope about. The Voracious Reader (thevoraciousreader.com) "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you". In a picture book teeming with fun, fresh, and often hilarious illustrations, Laurie Keller presents the importance of good manners from the perspective of a rabbit who is wary of his new neighbors, the otters. "Do Unto Otters" is a truly original book, full of humor and sound instructions for polite young readers. The News Tribune.com  (thenewstribune.com) “Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners,” by Laurie Keller, introduces the Golden Rule with a groaner of a pun and a hilarious cast of characters: Mr. Rabbit, a wise owl and an otter family. Mr. Rabbit is worried when he sees the Otters have moved in across the stream. “What if we don’t get along? ”The owl explains the otter version of the Golden Rule hinted at in the title. For the rest of the book, Mr. Rabbit describes how he wants to be treated by otters, leaving the reader with the happy conclusion that that’s how he will treat them. The rules of politeness and good behavior are enlivened with goofy illustrations, more puns and pure silliness. Rabbit says he’d like to share games with the new neighbors, such as “otter-totter” and a literal version of “go-fish.” Keller’s illustrations are packed with things to look at.On one page, Mr. Rabbit tells Owl that otters should know when “to say ‘excuse me.’” Below, a little arrow points to the next page, as it burps, and says, “excuse me. ” Keller’s books (“Scrambled States of America,” “Arnie the Doughnut”) are always fun. Readia.com (Sue Stauffacher) Before we sing auld lang syne, I want to share with you two of my most favoritest books this year! Caveat: both these authors are known to me and are my friends. So you can take it with a grain of salt if you want, but, honey, these are good books no matter what kind of rabble they hang around with. The first is Laurie Keller’s Do Unto Otters (Holt, $16.95). If you don’t know Laurie’s work, get thee to a bookstore or library and start reading! Her Scrambled States of America is the ur book on geography. The thing about Laurie is she has that wonderful brand of humor you see in good kids’ movies. Makes kids giggle and grown-ups chuckle, too. And reading is fun when it’s funny! Laurie manages to convey funny, educational content in a zany package with about a thousand things going on in each page. It really appeals to me.  The delightful story begins with a hare that has some new neighbors. They are not hares just like him. They are—gasp!—otters. The hare doesn’t know anything about otters. What do they like? Will they be good neighbors? What if they don’t get along? An owl—in plaid pants and a maroon jacket—reminds the hare of an old saying: “Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you.” The result of this advice puts the hare in a zany reverie, wondering just how he would like to be treated, and how otters would like to be treated as well. It’s fun and funny and thought-provoking, and will bring spark great conversations with kids. Bookin’ it on the web.com Do Unto Otters - A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller Adults at the book fair I was at recently came over to my table to see what all the laughter was about. I just couldn't help it; Keller's book is the best kids' intro to the Golden Rule I've read. Rabbit is surprised to discover that The Otters, have moved in next door. He wonders if he'll get along with his new neighbors when his friend, Owl, reminds him of the rule put forth by Socrates for maintaining harmonious relationships. The illustrations are priceless!