PROPOSED TITLE: Miss Eticat's Guide
to Purrfect Manners
PROPOSED SUB-TITLE: Helping
You Shine Everyday, Everywhere with Everybody!
AUTHORS: Maralee McKee
and Troy Schmidt
ONE LINE DESCRIPTION
Miss Eticat, a well-mannered cat, teaches human children the proper
way to act in every situation.
THE NEED FOR THIS BOOK
Etiquette hasn't been taught, or been part of the public dialogue,
since the 1960's when as a society we chose to throw off standard
modes of behavior, for free expression. Today's parents of 5 - 12
year olds are the first generation of parents raised as latch-key
children. Now, they seek a family life different from their own.
And in the midst of our increasingly fast-paced and uncertain times,
people are searching for a universal standard in which to express
themselves with certainty and graciousness.
Etiquette sets those behavioral
boundaries amongst family members by defining what actions are expected
and appreciated. This provides both children and their parents with
the framework in which to move more easily through their interactions.
Etiquette is the vehicle by which we deliver and apply our character
in our everyday encounters.
Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect
Manners provides parents with a resource to communicate that
expected and appreciated behavior to their children. Done in an
entertaining and light hearted manner, Miss Eticat helps set the
standard and makes learning etiquette fun.
OVERVIEW
Miss Eticat lives with the Carson family and their three children:
Marc, who's ten, Leah, eight, and Corbett, who just turned four.
When they misbehave and forget their manners, Miss Eticat always
takes them aside (the parents are unaware that the housecat talks)
and tells them about the times when she lived with the Goodhart
family. This polite, well-mannered family always did the right thing
at the right time. The Carson children realize ways they could have
behaved better and try to correct the situation.
TAKE AWAY VALUE
Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect Manners will be an action-and-attitude
changing series that will provide children with the skills they
need to interact in everyday and special occasions with ease, certainty,
and graciousness. The series will be a resource adults rely on to
help them provide boys and girls with contemporary, practical, appreciated,
and image-enhancing skills. Miss Eticat's manners are never stuffy,
pretentious, or out-of-character for our children in the midst of
today's casual, fast-paced, techno-savvy culture.
FORMAT
9 x 7 ½ , glossy, full color (bright, clear hues)
Illustrated stories, 24 pages, approximately 1,000 words each
Additional resource pages in the back of the book, 500-600 words
Engaging illustration to appeal to boys and girls, ages 5-12, showing
a contemporary middle-to-upper-middle-class home in a typical suburban
neighborhood
UNIQUENESS
No other book series like Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect Manners
focuses exclusively on manners. A few popular children's series
only devote simple reminders for children to "Use their good
manners."
This series provides a contemporary
look at manners and proper behavior in our technologically savvy
world.
For the adults, a section in
the back of the book contains an overview of all the manners discussed,
including some helpful points not mentioned in the story. This provides
the parent a resource to emphasize with the child.
Miss Eticat is a likeable, magical
mentor who can dispense this information in a non-threatening manner.
Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect
Manners teaches five-to-ten actual lifetime etiquette skills
that children need to know and put into practice during everyday
encounters.
Most etiquette books are for
the parents who are expected to teach children the content. Miss
Eticat teaches the children with the adults.
Parents of today's children
ages 5-12 are the first generation of adults that were raised without
having benefited from learning the etiquette of everyday interactions
and special occasions. They are at a loss to teach to their children
skills that were never presented to them.
SERIES POTENTIAL
Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect
Manners will consist of 15-plus books that parents will seek
out to help their child navigate social encounters with ease, certainty,
and contemporary correctness. The series can be sold in a variety
of venues including national bookstore chains, on-line bookstores,
and mass-merchandise retailers.
Titles in the series could include:
At School
It's Your Birthday Party
At Church
While Shopping
For Going to the Movies
For Riding in a Car
At Dinner Time
For Introducing Yourself and Others
For Sleepovers
At Weddings
On the Telephone
Just for the Holidays
On the Playground
For Going to Camp
To Show You're a Good Sport
Bodily Noises
What to Wear
MARKETING
Chick-fil-A®, Inc. through their children's meal premiums has
expressed an interest in a partnership. Maralee works extensively
with Chick-fil-A, Inc. and the idea was presented to Ms. Angela
Savage, Senior Creative Consultant, during a special meeting in
Atlanta. She has expressed an interest in providing Miss Eticat
books in their kid's meals.
Miss Eticat's Guide to Purrfect
Manners offers unlimited merchandise, and add-on potential.
The series could be easily adapted into a cartoon series, board
games, plush characters, coloring books, interactive learning /
video games, and much more.
More than one thousand children,
ages 5-12, have joyfully and enthusiastically received Miss Eticat
in etiquette classes taught by Maralee during the last seven years.
Children identify with, are attracted to, and ask for interactions
with Miss Eticat!
TARGET AUDIENCE
Children ages 4-8
Parents and teachers who want to teach their children manners
ABOUT MARALEE MCKEE
Maralee McKee is a
nationally recognized and sought after expert in the fields
of contemporary business, social, and youth etiquette. She is a
contributor to the book Family Table Time featuring an introduction
by former First Lady Barbara Bush. Maralee can be seen as one of
the co-hosts of the TV show Today's Family where she presents to
viewers practical skills for interacting with ease, graciousness,
and confidence. Maralee is the etiquette columnist for Christian
Times News, and is on the panel of experts for Cooking Now Magazine.
Her advice has been quoted in newspapers across the country, and
in magazines including, Woman's World, All You, and Nick, Jr..
She was contacted by producers
of Oprah Winfrey's show who said she would be
a guest on a future episode dealing with contemporary etiquette.
For more than four years Ms.
McKee was the segment host of Monday Morning Manners with Maralee
on Central Florida's number one radio morning show Positive Hits
Z88.3 FM. She is the founder of The Etiquette Answer ® (www.protocolschool.com)
where she presents business etiquette seminars which equip associates
to represent themselves and their firm with ease, savvy, and confidence.
She has partnered privately with executives, and with companies,
including Chick-fil-A, Inc., Hyatt, AT&T, and, State Farm Financial
Services.
Maralee's impacting and contemporary etiquette classes for children
and teens have gained national recognition. NBC news affiliates,
in a story that aired nationally, praised Maralee's etiquette classes…as
the one course that could change your child's life. In Orlando,
CBS News said that Ms. McKee's course is an essential ingredient
of raising a well rounded child. Additionally, Maralee was profiled
nationally on TV as a Smart Woman Expert in instilling manners,
morals, and values to children.
Maralee began her etiquette
career in 1997 by training at The Protocol School of Washington,
formally in McLean, Virginia. She is a certified corporate etiquette,
international protocol, and youth etiquette consultant.
Maralee admits to the annoying habit of chewing ice cubes when no
one is around, and much to the horror of her mother, to being too
busy to make her bed some days! Maralee practices her good manners
at home in Orlando, Florida, where she is a wife and the mother
of two boys ages three and nine. Her boys give her inspiration for
her writings, and lots of practice in their practical application!
ABOUT TROY SCHMIDT
Troy Schmidt began writing animation in Los Angeles in 1985 (Dennis
the Menace, Heathcliff, Flintstone Kids). In 1992, he moved to Orlando
to write for The Mickey Mouse Club, on staff for three seasons.
Since then Troy wrote for three Disney parades on ABC (Easter and
Christmas), a Disney Animal Kingdom show and for the Hard Rock Café
website as the Managing Content Editor. Most recently he adapted
a Max Lucado children's book, Hermie the Common Caterpillar, into
a video, then created and wrote the future installments (both book
and video) for Mr. Lucado and Tommy Nelson. In 2004, Troy was the
Creative Consultant on a Nickelodeon game show called "Splat."
Troy is married to Barbie and they have three boys who desperately
need to learn manners at the table!
OTHER BOOKS BY TROY
Laughing Matters - A collection of sermon dramas (2009)
Buzby and the Grumble Bees - Picture book (2007)
To Share or Nut to Share -Board book (2006)
Hermie's Fruitcake Christmas - Picture book and board book (2005)
The Straight Path - Hermie board book (2005)
The Race of Fear - Hermie board book (2005)
Buzby, the Misbehaving Bee - Picture book and board book (2005)
The 12 Bugs of Christmas - Picture book and board book (2004)
Webster, the Scaredy Spider - Picture book and board book (2004)
He Did It All for You - Compiled the writings of author Max Lucado
(2004)
Flo the Lyin' Fly - Picture book and board book (2003)
The Flood of Lies - Hermie board book (2003)
Stuck in a Stinky Den - Hermie board book (2003)
The Caterpillars of Ha-Ha - Hermie board book (2003)
Hermie and the Big Bully Croaker - Hermie board book (2003)
Rock, Roll and Run - Hermie board book (2003)
© Troy Schmidt, 2006