SECOND STEP E-Newsletter
September 2010
Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners
by Laurie Keller
Reading Level: Kindergarten–Grade 3
Mr. Rabbit is worried. He arrives home one day to discover he has new neighbors: an otter family.
“Otters? I don’t know anything about otters. What if we don’t get along?”
Before he goes too far down the worst-case-scenario road, an owl friend offers some advice: “DO UNTO OTTERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTTERS DO UNTO YOU.” From here readers are treated to an extended lesson on manners that we hope both Socrates and Emily Post would be pleased to support, in spite of the lighthearted silliness accompanying the rules. In addition to saying please and thank you, otters should be honest (which includes keeping their promises and not lying or cheating).
Being considerate is another rule Mr. Rabbit comes up with. Being considerate means being a good listener, asking before borrowing something, being patient, and “helping neighbors untangle ears.” Kindness and cooperation are discussed, as are playing fair, sharing, apologizing, forgiving, and not teasing.
Young readers will giggle their way through this delightfully goofy story by the author of the award-winning Scrambled States of America and other picture books. But fear not, grownup readers: the serious message will not be lost among the antics. Mr. Rabbit is exceedingly clear in his self-questioning and self-responding, and the cartoonish illustrations reinforce each idea.
Being friendly, for example, is illustrated by several subcategories: “a cheerful hello” (a manic looking otter waves at an insect and calls out “Howdy, neighbor!”); “a nice smile” (another otter blinds us with her gleaming grin); and “good eye contact” (an otter and Mr. Rabbit are practically nose-to-nose while chatting: “Blah blah blah…”).
Social and Emotional Lessons in Do Unto Otters
There’s nothing like a little laughter to ease the stress of being the new kid (or teacher!) at school, or to help your students settle into a new classroom and school year. Reading Do Unto Otters to students in younger grades is a fun way to refresh SECOND STEP and STEPS TO RESPECT skills, such as identifying feelings, friendship, active listening, respect, fairness, and more. Some discussion questions:
- Is there another word that sounds like “otters” that could replace “otters” throughout the story?
- Do Mr. Rabbit’s ideas about how he’d like his neighbors to treat him apply to more than just otters?
- Can you add to his list?
- Why do you think Mr. Rabbit is worried about his new neighbors? Has he ever spent time with otters before?
- How do you feel when you meet someone new? How do you get to know new people better?
- Have you ever met someone you weren’t sure about at first? How did you feel after you spent some time together?
