That's NOT How You Do It!

Written by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar

Part of the Child's Play Library series

Lucy meets Toshi, who does everything differently. Can she learn from him?

5.2/7 Bookroo experts·3.7/5 Goodreads · 206 ratings

32 pages· 238 words· Est. 2 min read-aloud· ~530L

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Lucy prides herself on knowing the right way to do everything, from eating to painting. But when Toshi arrives, his unique methods challenge her perspective. Frustrated by his unconventional ways, Lucy attempts to teach him her methods, only to discover an important lesson about embracing differences. Will Lucy learn to appreciate Toshi's unique approach, or will her frustration get the better of her? This charming tale explores the beauty of understanding and respecting diverse ways of doing things.

"That's NOT how you do it!"

— from the book

From the publisher

Lucy knows how to do everything. All her friends ask her for help if they need to know the right way to do something. When Toshi arrives, Lucy thinks he can’t do anything properly at all. She can barely hide her frustration. When she finally tries to teach Toshi the right way to do things, she learns a very important lesson herself.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Words: 238
Reading age: 3–7
Audience: Picture
Lexile: ~530L

Themes & topics

Books about being bossy Books about making friends Books about kindness Books about admitting you are wrong Books about diversity

Good to know

Stories behind the story

What is something you admire about Lucy and Toshi's friendship?

Lucy and Toshi have a very special friendship because it came about from an act of kindness and listening and learning from one another.

"Ok, here's a confession: Lucy is partly modelled on me."

She is me before I saw the world. I grew up in small-town, where everyone did everything the same. You never question how you do anything until you see it done differently. And your initial reaction will be, that's just wrong. That's how I was thinking. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening when I visited my parents-in-law for the first time in India. I've learned to be understanding and try to see things from different cultural perspectives. It makes your life soooo much richer when you learn from a culture that's so different to yours.

Developing Lucy's character and the meaning behind Toshi:

Initially, Lucy looked quite different. Instead of the beret, she had two pigtails. But as I identified with her and her journey more and more I gave her the blue beret, because that was my signature hat from when I was little. And Toshi is such a sweetie. He represents all the beautiful things I love about Asia with its myriad of cultures. Did you know that the name Toshi in Japanese has lots of different meanings, depending on the kanji used for it? My favourite is "purple ladle".

What readers & critics say