In this Toon Book from Candlewick
Press, Maya’s parents try to teach Maya basic table manners such as “use your
fork,” “sit up,” and “use a napkin.” They tell her she needs manners because
what would she do if she were eating dinner with the queen. Well, immediately
after Maya gets invited to have dinner with the queen. She’s flown to the
palace and is seated next the queen for dinner. At first, she’s terrified and
at one point is horribly embarrassed. Then the unexpected happens and things
don’t turn out the way they should.
MAYA MAKES A MESS is a beautifully
illustrated book. The colors are vivid and it’s easy to discern what each of
the characters feels by looking at their facial expressions. However, the book
is disappointing because instead of teaching manners or a moral, it does the
opposite. In the end, Maya doesn’t learn anything and leaves for home to teach
her parents a lesson. I realize that the book attempts to make a point that it’s
good to do things unusual sometimes. However, that’s not a lesson that children
really need to learn. In our current society children are basically allowed to
do whatever they want at schools because there can be no real discipline and
teachers are fired or written up for trying to bring some order to a classroom.
Children need to be taught manners and learn that they aren’t the center of the
world. MAYA MAKES A MESS teaches the exact opposite.
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