People Don't Bite People

Starred review from February 12, 2018
In a combination of listicle, admonishment, and pep talk, the well-matched Wheeler (Babies Can Sleep Anywhere) and Idle (the Flora books) remind children that they are too long in the tooth, so to speak, to be chomping on others: “Puppies bite and babies bite./ They’re much too young to know./ But you grow bigger every day/ and know where teeth should go.” Wheeler’s four-line stanzas deploy repetition and rhythm for maximum percussive punch (“It’s good to bite a carrot./ It’s good to bite a steak./ It’s bad to bite your sister!/ She’s not a piece of cake”). Idle’s pert, radiant pictures alternate between neatly divided worksheet-style grids (which correspond to the bitable and nonbitable items and people mentioned in the verse) and blithe vignettes: one mother fends off her little one by wielding a kitchen chair like a lion-tamer. The aesthetic is reminiscent of 1960s educational films, with every character exuding comic, pedagogical earnestness. Whether readers are biters, bite-ees, or witnesses to a biting incident, they’ll find this a toothsome treat. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

February 15, 2018
A rollicking reminder of what to do--and not do--with your pearly whites.The commandments rhyme and scan terrifically right out of the gate: "It's good to bite a carrot. / It's good to bite a steak. / It's BAD to bite your sister! / She's not a piece of cake." A white, blond, round-headed kid gazes dubiously across the spread at that blonde sister, who occupies the lower left quarter of her page. The other quarters of her page offer--natch--a carrot, a steak, and a piece of cake, all retro-styled and glowing. The next spread features a black sibling team with similar instructions. Refrains reiterate that "BITING IS FOR FOOD!" --once fabulously rhymed with "You're not a zombie, dude!"--and that a "friend will never bite a friend" (more ideal than truth, honestly). Idle's pencil colors are rich and soft. Some of her flat, round-headed figures show neat, inventively continuous outlines of positions that evoke stretching or movement, while others' torsos appear motionless like oval or triangular plastic toys. The gleeful, confident patter feels no need to justify its instructions--no injuries appear, real nor imagined--and to very young readers, biting may sound like merely a manners issue (it's "nasty" and "rude").Find out why people don't bite people elsewhere; get this to summon instant rereads and loud participation. (Picture book. 2-5)

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March 1, 2018

PreS-K-This instructional book about biting goes above and beyond a basic lesson with its cheeky rhymes and bright, over-the-top illustrations. Wheeler writes in precise rhythmic rhyming verse, informing readers what things are good and bad to bite, in a style reminiscent of Jane Yolen's "Dinosaurs" series. The refrain features the titular "People don't bite people" and always ends with "biting is for food." The suggestions appeal to common sense, reminding children that they are not wild animals, and giving the characters the opportunity to right their behavior, by politely chewing a piece of pizza rather than gnawing on their mother, for example. Caldecott honoree Idle's wide-eyed, retro children jump off the page with ultra bright pastels done in Prismacolor pencils and expressions as sweet as the foods that adorn the cover page. Adults and children alike will appreciate the humor in both the text and illustrations, an element which is often missing in didactic works, from the up-close views of teeth and tongues on the endpapers, to the twist ending featuring gingerbread people (the one exception to the title's rule). VERDICT This book is sure to elicit giggles from group read-alouds or one-on-one sharing. Add to any collection in need of a wildly entertaining title that addresses a common childhood issue.-Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2018
Preschool-G *Starred Review* Say it with me! this chipper book prompts, People don't bite people. / You're not a zombie, dude! / A friend will never bite a friend. / BITING IS FOR FOOD! Paired with a neatly drawn cast of doll-like animals and human figures in Caldecott honoree Idle's (Flora and the Flamingo, 2013) spacious, harmoniously hued illustrations, Wheeler's (Even Monsters Need to Sleep, 2017) infectiously exclamatory rhymes present her anti-biting message with lighthearted but compelling persistence. Along with devoting individual verses to each parent as well as brothers, sisters, friends, and grown-ups in general, she notes that babies, at least, just don't know any better, appeals to her audience's yen for self-determination ( What you chew is up to you! ), and suggests that teeth are great for shining up your smile! Her observation that some people chew their hair or fingernails but it's gross to bite the skin you're in offers an additional notion that's rarely, if ever, covered in titles addressing dentally aggressive behaviors. After all the don'ts here, the author closes with a definite do involving people who happen to be made of gingerbread. A chewy theme for children with biting issues, and a rollicking read-aloud for all.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)