Children's Courtesy Books
The Goops
The Goops they lick their fingers,
And the Goops they lick their knives;
They spill their broth on the tablecloth--
Oh, they lead disgusting lives!
The Goops they talk while eating,
And loud and fast they chew;
And that is why I'm glad that I
Am not a Goop--are you?
"The Goops" by Gelett Burgess
from The Goops and How To Be Them (1900)
Courtesy or conduct books
aim to teach children and teenagers to behave in ways that
uphold a particular system of values. The collection of
materials chosen here shows a changing portrait of how young people have
been expected to behave and how expectations of behavior have changed over
time.
One can also reflect on how gender specific and culture specific these
expectations are. The books included in the selective bibliography
below were written by American and British authors.
To explore courtesy books at
the University of Washington Libraries try using the following subject
headings in the library catalog:
Etiquette for Children and Teenagers,
Conduct of Life,
Courtesy,
Girls Conduct of Life,
Boys
Conduct of Life
The
Library Resource Page on Children's and Young Adult Literature
has several useful links to resources for research in this area.
Selective
Bibliography of Courtesy Books available in the University of
Washington Libraries.