Excuses!: Survive and Succeed with David Mortimore Baxter

Name: Excuses!: Survive and Succeed with David Mortimore Baxter
ISBN: 9781434291240

by Karen Tayleur, Brann Garvey

For the child who struggles with owning their mistakes, this book humorously explores the pitfalls of making excuses and the power of taking responsibility.

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About This Book

A parent should reach for this book when their child has started making creative excuses to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. "Excuses!" introduces David Mortimore Baxter, a boy whose small fibs about homework and tardiness spiral into a giant, unmanageable lie involving a stolen trophy. Through laugh-out-loud humor and relatable school-life scenarios, the book explores themes of honesty, integrity, and the guilt that comes with dishonesty. Perfect for early chapter book readers aged 7-10, this story provides a gentle, funny entry point for conversations about the importance of telling the truth, showing that owning your mistakes is much easier than managing a mountain of excuses.

Honesty & Integrity Humor Shame & Guilt School Life Resilience & Perseverance Peer Pressure Friendship & Social Self-Confidence & Identity

What Parents Should Know

Moral AmbiguityMild

Protagonist consistently lies and makes excuses, though this behavior is the central problem to be solved.

Sensitive Topics

The core topic is dishonesty and the resulting feelings of guilt and anxiety. The approach is direct but highly comedic, treating the lies as absurdly funny rather than signs of a deep character flaw. The resolution is hopeful and straightforward, reinforcing the value of honesty in a secular, social context. There is no moralizing; the lesson is practical about the benefits of telling the truth.