What Do You Say, Dear?

What Do You Say, Dear? is a 1958 children's picture book written by Sesyle Joslin and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. The book offers a humorous lesson on manners. What Do You Say, Dear? was awarded a 1959 Caldecott Honor for its illustrations.^[1]

What Do You Say, Dear?

Author	Sesyle Joslin
Illustrator	Maurice Sendak
Publisher	W.R. Scott
Publication date	1958
Pages	unpaged
Awards	Caldecott Honor

The picture book presents a series of unusual, humorous scenarios, such as "you are walking backwards, because sometimes you like to, and you bump into a crocodile." The titular line, "What do you say, dear?" appears after each scenario. Upon turning the page, readers see a polite phrase that fits the situation, like "Excuse me!".