Sometimes I wonder what has happened to courtesy. In the world of the internet, it sometimes feels like it has disappeared. Not only in our online interactions, but also in our in-person interactions. We name-call, we dismiss, we interrupt, we judge, and we assume. We are so inundated with information, we don’t slow down long enough to really process what someone is saying. We rush through our interactions, leaving little time for courtesy. In our age of hyper-productivity we’ve become so task-oriented and focused on the bottom-line, courtesy is a time-wasting obstacle and an unnecessary expense. So often our attention is fixed on the digital, not on the people in the room with us, leading us to neglect courtesy to those nearest us by just being unaware and digitally distracted.
What is courtesy?
Courtesy is using good manners and being polite in your interactions with others. Using words like “please”, “thank you”, “you’re welcome” lets people know you respect them. When you are courteous, you are considerate of another person’s experience. You care about them and their feelings. When you are courteous, you try to make a good impression on others so that they think positively about you. You are more likely to get someone to help you or be considerate of your feelings if you are courteous with them. Courtesy is more than just the words you say – you can be courteous in your body language (not standing too close or too far away, or with an aggressive arms-crossed stance), in your facial expressions (by keeping a pleasant, neutral, or cheerful expression on your face – not an angry or disgusted facial expression), and in your behaviour (by not interrupting when they are speaking or are busy helping or talking to someone else).
A few weeks ago, I wrote about consideration. So how is courtesy different from consideration? While they have a lot in common in terms of thinking of others and being respectful of their feelings – I think courtesy is more about the action output of your body (through verbal language, body language, tone, facial expression), rather than an attitude of the heart and mind.
Of course, these stories are about more than just courtesy. That’s the wonderful thing about great stories – they can’t be boiled down to just one thing. Great children’s literature is not written in a top-down “let-me-tell-you-about-courtesy”, but rather exposes children to different virtues in a more subtle “by-the-way” kind of way. However, I see courteous characters in each of these suggestions.
Kids Books About Courtesy
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
Even though this book doesn’t contain the “pleases” and “thank yous” of courtesy – this little llama is still courteous as he wanders around asking others if their mothers are llamas.
Mary Wrightly, So Politely by Shirin Yim Bridges
Being polite doesn’t mean you have to be a doormat and let people walk all over you. Mary Wrightly learns to speak up and stand up for herself, politely, in this book.
A Bedtime for Bear – Bonnie Becker
I really like how over-the-top polite Mouse is in contrast to Bear!
I really like slop – Mo Willems
This is a great read for learning to politely try new foods, especially when your child is exposed to multicultural cuisines.
A Visitor for Bear – Bonnie Becker
While Mouse invading Bear’s house is not very polite – Mouse speaks very politely to Bear throughout the book. Bear speaks quite impolitely.
I hope you enjoy reading about these courteous characters with your children!
-Heather
ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. They are one small way you can support my blog, and I am so grateful!
Enjoy my posts but keep forgetting to check back to the blog? Don’t miss any content and join my mailing list below!
Discover more from Welcome to RinkydinkMum
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One thought on “Kids books about Courtesy”