Dinner with the Highbrows

January 6, 2014
When Bernard Worrywart is invited to the Highbrow residence for dinner, his mother coaches him on how to behave: “Don’t forget, no elbows on the table. Don’t talk with food in your mouth. And for goodness’ sakes, don’t sing,” she says. However, at dinner, which takes place at an Italian restaurant, Bernard learns that the Highbrows burp, burst into song, and more. Brooker’s oil paintings play up the comedic disconnect between the Highbrows’ evident wealth and their boisterous table manners, pointing to how no two families are alike, but the story itself fizzles. The Highbrows may not resemble their surname, but dour, timid Bernard remains saddled to his. Ages 4–7.

March 1, 2014
An invitation to have dinner with a friend's family leads to an unpredictable evening for a young boy. Drilled in good manners by his mom, Bernard arrives at Gilbert's house prepared to be polite, tidy and helpful. Greeted at the door by a tail-coated butler, Bernard's (and readers') expectations are upended when the whole family piles into a limousine and heads to an Italian restaurant for a spaghetti dinner. Slurping, burping and using meatballs as projectiles are only some of the atrocious antics that ensue. Through it all, Bernard remembers his mother's lessons, often to humorous effect. Holt's exaggerated, tall-tale style is apparent from the first page when readers learn the boys' last names: Worrywart and Highbrow, respectively. Overall, however, the text is relatively straightforward, relying on the tension between expectations and reality for its wit. Brooker's multimedia illustrations, created using oils and cut paper, amp up the madcap humor. Characters' costumes create an old-fashioned feel: Bernard's mother favors frilly aprons, while Gilbert sports a complete cowboy get-up, and his two brothers appear in short pants, formal jackets and bow ties. Odd perspectives abound, and small snippets of photographs occasionally add texture and surprise. Like the central meal it features, this clever concoction will likely please some preschool palates, but it may take slightly older and more sophisticated readers to easily digest the combination of fun foolishness and explicit advice. (Picture book. 5-8)

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April 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Bernard receives a formal invitation to dine with the affluent Highbrows, so his mom drills him in etiquette. Surprises begin when instead of eating at their home, the Highbrows take him in their limousine to an Italian restaurant. They grab utensils, offer an inane blessing, reach across the table, burp, and drop food. Bernard continues to recall his mother's teachings and maintains a high standard of behavior (he even goes to the kitchen to help wash dishes), but the antics promise to continue as the party leaves for dessert at a sundae shop. Brooker's buoyant watercolor and cut-paper illustrations are filled with whimsical details and goofy characters. The endpapers include etiquette tips set against the backdrop of a messy dinner table. The tale starts a tad slowly and tries too hard to be humorous. Bernard's clearing the table and dishwashing at the restaurant might strike some as funny, but it's a shame that the Highbrows remain clueless and crass despite the boy's good manners.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Grades K-2 Bernard receives his very first invitation to have dinner with a friend's family on Saturday. He is excited, but his mother, Mrs. Worrywart, is concerned because she's certain that Gilbert Highbrow's family will have impeccable manners. So, she begins a campaign of speed-teaching her son everything she can think of that is manner-related. The big day finally arrives, and Bernard's head is full of all the dos and don'ts of good etiquette. The over-the-top, obnoxious Highbrow family could learn a thing or two from Bernard. Energetic and colorful pictures, rendered in oil paint and cut paper, are reminiscent of Boris Kulikov's illustrations. The contrast of rude and polite behavior in the colorfully rendered restaurant setting will have children laughing and, hopefully, assimilating a few of the tips.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)