If you’re looking for a lighthearted, whimsical tale to help teach your children about basic manners, A Cold Winter’s Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas might just do the trick. Of all the books we recently checked out this month, it has been my daughter’s favorite—largely due to the antics of three small dragons.

Unlike the fearsome dragons of legend, these are three tiny dragons that like to make snow dragons and igloos. One even has a little monkey doll. Dressed in fleece blankets and caps, they shiver together outside on a cold winter’s night. A kindly good knight hears their teeth chattering and invites them back to the castle, where it is warm and toasty—and where a party is about to ensue. Naturally, the dragons cause a bit of chaos at the king’s big ball.

From filling the ballroom with smoke to pouring punch all over the good knight to breaking the chandelier, the dragons just can’t seem to mind their manners, even after the patient knight continually reminds them to please do so. He tells them that they are going to ruin the party and the dragons’ faces fall in guilt and shame. Finally, it is revealed that the dragons do not have the faintest idea of what manners are!

After the good knight explains exactly what manners mean, the little dragons have no problems following the rules and minding their manners. They have fun at the party, enjoying the food, music, and dancing, while the good knight smiles with relief.

The fun, exaggerated cartoon faces, repeated words from the knight and the dragons, and the craziness that follows the tiny trio all make this teaching tool so much fun to read. Yet it really is a teaching tool, as kids get to see what can happen when you don’t mind your manners from a different perspective. Plus, each dragon is different with his or her own desires and thoughts, and though all three are represented at the same times, these distinctions can help kids identify with being in a group as well as their own individual feelings and desires.

It’s also a great example of emotions and their causes. Whether worried, hungry, happy, or shameful, the dragons’ faces and the simple text explain why they feel the way they do and what happens when those feelings come to light. This can help kids explain how they feel and make sense of their own emotions, too.