"No matter where you are or who you are, there are four main things that you have to do if you want to make good friends and keep them.

You have to be HONEST
You have to be FAIR
You have to be STRONG
and you have to be WISE
And there is no good in trying to fool yourself. All that isn't so easy."

In a time when all the rules for raising children have been redefined dozens of times, here is a book for bewildered parents from a simpler time when we all agreed on what was right and what was wrong. First published in 1946, Munro Leaf's How To Behave And Why gives touchingly sincere yet gently funny lessons in Honesty, Fairness, Strength, and Wisdom. Originally intended for the very young, but with meaning for us all, How To Behave and Why is a true classic, charmingly illustrated with childlike drawings, and with a timeless message. It is a sure guide for teaching children (and adults) how to behave....

Orphaned at a young age, Wee Gillis divided the year between his two families. Not quite fitting in with either one, he tried to appease them the best he knew how. In the foggy highlands of Scotland he would sit still for hours on a rock, holding his breath not to scare the stags he was watching for his father’s relatives. In the vast lowlands of the country, he would use all his might to call the cattle home that his mother’s family owned.

The day came when Wee Gillis was asked to decide which family he would choose to be with forever. Uncles from both sides walked him halfway up a hill to a place that was exactly between the highlands and the lowlands, trying to convince Wee Gillis that their own side of the family was the perfect fit for him. Amid all the commotion, Wee Gillis noticed a stranger who had come up behind them. Destitute, the man lamented that he had built the biggest bagpipes in all of Scotland for use on this exact spot, but could no longer play them because he made them too big. Both of Wee Gillis’s uncles tried to play them but each lacked the skill it took for the instrument. Finally Wee Gillis picked them up and used all of his might to blow into the tremendous pipes, making a tremendous sound. Now having found his true calling, he sits in a spot exactly between the highlands and the lowlands, playing music for all of Scotland to hear....

Puffin continues to update the Puffin Storytapes™ audio program and convert the cassette tapes to compact discs.

This season, we’re adding two more titles to our list of Puffin Storytime™ packages.The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf, is a classic all-time favorite. These Puffin picture books will be accompanied by a compact disc that features a professional reading of the unabridged story. Perfect for road trips or quiet bedtime reading, as well as story time, preschool, and home school,Puffin Storytime: The Story of Ferdinand is sure to please children and parents alike....

LETTERS
like A and B and C and D
or T and Y and I and G and O and L.
When we put some of them together
in little bunches, we call those bunches
WORDS
like the word CAT or DOG or BOY or GIRL.

On the heels of Manners Can Be Fun comes the next title in Munro Leaf's acclaimed "Fun" series, Reading Can Be Fun, first published in 1953, with lessons as timely and enduring today as they were then. In his signature style of stick-figure drawings and wholesome text, Leaf demonstrates that reading really can be fun and educational at the same time. As he describes, "The whole wonderful story of the past and the interesting days we live in now take on new color and meaning when we learn more about them through the books we read."
With humorous explanations and illustrations children will chuckle while processing the fundamental reasons for learning to read. Books can be best friends, they are the source for good ideas, they are a vehicle for exploring faraway places and meeting all kinds of people, and they help boys and girls get ready to become grownups. Profoundly affecting, reading is a powerful tool in shaping a child's path to confident, happy adulthood.
Leaf's "Fun" books also include Grammar, History, Arithmetic, and Science.
...

It takes a Herculean effort to get my child to: a) brush his or her teeth b) go to sleep c) take a bath d) eat his or her vegetables. If any (or all) of these apply, continue reading. From the treasure chest of Munro Leaf comes another classic in which the beloved author and illustrator uses his time-proven method of talking to children straight—simply getting them to see it how it is. In Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun (originally published in 1943 as Health Can Be Fun), Leaf leaves his audience in no doubt that not only can health be fun, but good sense, as well. This book will help boys and girls understand why they should drink their milk, eat their vegetables, get exercise, go to bed on time, brush their teeth, keep clean, and a dozen other things both big and small that are important to building strong, healthy, and happy bodies.With his trademark stick figure drawings and witty text, Leaf will once again elicit peals of mirthful laughter from his little readers, not to mention some big ones who will find this humorous hygiene handbook an indispensable aid in the all-too-familiar night-time (come to think of it, all the time) war with their children about the merits of keeping good health....

Updated for the 21st century, How to Speak Politely and Why is a picture book with a point: proper speech and good grammar without nagging. It aims to remove “ain’t” and “uh-huh” and “gimme” and “got” and a score of unfortunate nuances by a simple, sure painless and humorous process. In his signature style of amusing stick figure drawings and captions, Leaf makes clear such things as the difference between can and may, and the reason why one does not say “he done it” or “she come.”
Exasperated parents (and grandparents) faced with the unpleasant task of dealing with grammatical lapses acquired by their children from (gasp!) their neighbor’s children will be delighted (and relieved) by this veritable “grammar without tears.” Teachers will find it an indispensable ally, and even the culprits themselves—the children—will discover that learning to speak politely and correctly isn’t such a chore after all....