Dinner with the Highbrows by Kimberly Willis Holt (review)

“No talking with your mouth full.” “Elbows off the table.” “Sit up straight.” Those are the mandates from the mother of Bernard Worrywart, who’s anxiously prepping her son with a heaping helping of dining etiquette for his upcoming dinner at the home of the Highbrows. He takes it all—the napkin placement, the compliments to the chef, and the offer to wash dishes—to heart, so imagine his surprise when the Highbrows take him to a fancy restaurant and he learns their table manners belie their last name. While Brooker’s expressive oil illustrations capture the Highbrows’ high spirits (and Bernard’s reserve) in depictions as generous and colorful as their manners, the frank but flat accompanying text is unfortunately unengaging. The book struggles to define its stance on etiquette, seeming to relish the Highbrows’ antic misbehavior while listing the basics of table manners in the endpapers. Still, the underlying caution against assumptions and encouragement of zesty enjoyment of life provide solid messages. This appreciation for joie de vivre and occasional moments of real humor (such as Bernard helping the restaurant’s perplexed but grateful dishwasher) make this an enjoyable readaloud for kids learning about manners—and wishing they could behave like the Highbrows.