learn from others....

Manners books differ in many ways. Some are direct. Others find their usefulness through a surplus of illustrations.  Most use characters based off of animals.  They are very busy and full of material. Is Andy to simple? I have incorporated introductions and "please and thank you" in this book. As i read them, I continually contrast and compare their stories to mine of Andy.

What I have learned so far:

•  The title needs some tweaking. I need it to have the word "manners" in the title.
• Andy has an adventure and learns his manners from his friends.
• Maybe state actual subjects for future titles. i.e. tantrums and learning the fine art of apologizing? 
• To rhyme or not to rhyme?
• The majority of authors for manners in the child genre are parents.
• My query needs some changes. I need to use titles for a comparison in my query. There are books of this subject that are similar. 
• It is an easy reader not a picture book.
• Make a list of the publishing companies from the books I like. Perhaps I can find agents that have sold to these publishers. 

There are some tv shows on PBS that also use manners as a theme. Berenstain Bears comes to mind. On Nickelodeon, Max and Ruby is another great example. Both cartoons have siblings so children can relate to a gender. They have real type situations that problem solve and demonstrate the correct behavior. Does my book do that? 

Well, I am off to the library for another adventure in searching for books with an underlying theme of manners. Wish me luck.