Bullying and fear tactics
342616
The pictures are beautiful.
  The storyline is awful.
  It is entirely about intimidating the mouse into sharing the strawberry he picked.  The 'big hungry bear' is simply a tool being used to manipulate the mouse.  The narrator doesn't even TRY to get the mouse to share the strawberry, he leaps right into lies and manipulation.
  We want to get rid of the book, but hesitate to even give it away - we'll wait till we are near a fireplace and burn it. No child should be exposed to this sort of thing.  The only possible value for this book is if it is used to help them talk about some adult in their life who has been pressuring them and manipulating them.  Read it to them, and say "Do you have anyone in your life like the narrator?"
2429689
Staci Schwartz's latest book, Billy the Baaadly Behaving Bully Goat, handles a serious problem with a gentle touch. With clever rhyme and engaging illustrations (also done by Staci), she gives a 360 degree look around bullying - the bully, the target, and the bystanders (adults and "kids"). As with humans, the solution to goat bullying is respect for all and a healthy dose of empathy - engagingly conjured with magic and help from Billy's family and peers. A great book for sparking classroom and bedtime conversations!

Lorna Blumen
Author, Bullying Epidemic: Not Just Child's Play
Author, Girls' Respect Groups: An Innovative Program To Empower Young Women & Build Self-Esteem!
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3836988
This is an excellent book to help young children learn what to do when someone is being bullied.  It clearly showed how a child can easily become part of a "click" of students who lure someone in by being "kind" and then bully others.  I love Patricia Polacco's books and this one is no exception.
3949957
Oh how I hate bullies! I don't want to be bullied, as well as my loved ones, especially my younger brother and sister! This book is really helpful. It helps us spot bullying, how to prevent it and take action to stop it. A must-read.
899860
I am taking a class and signed up for Cyber Bullying. This book is fantastic!  It tells you all about the traditonal forms of bullying and then compares it to cyber bullying. The research was an eye opener. Perfect book for parents and how they can intervene should cyber bullying take place against a child of theirs. Also what educators can do. The school is a mighty force in protection and education regarding bullying.

I am always anxious to start reading. I would recommend this book to anyone. Cyber bullying is getting out of control.
1671917
It is a great story for young school age children getting over whatever fears they may have. However, how much better it would have been if Herman did something to teach children what they should do in bullying situations. That may be to ask for help from school teachers, or counsellors or speaking to their parent(s) or even an older friend or relative about the situation. We are left with the only way is to get over your fear is to stand up and fight the bully. In many schools, when it is all said and done, both the bully and the child being bullied are suspended from school for fighting no matter the reason.
964028
The author, Suzanne Marshall, wrote a wonderful book for children on the theme of bullying, trust, friendship, stereotyping and self-esteem. This book would be very useful for teachers to use in school too! The issue of school bullying is a major growing concern today among kids and this book helps address this matter. I would definitely recommend this book for children, parents, and teachers. The beautiful photography of the dogs wonderfully capture the story as well.
2434518
Good book for starting a conversation about bullying and what steps they can take it they witness or experience it.
2584713
Bullying has been around probably have long as there have been more than two people on the planet the strong pick on the weak, because they are feeling insecure about themselves and they must prove physically, that they are in charge, and no matter how hard we try to avoid it at some time or another, everyone will have to deal with a bully, and it used to be that these problems were mostly confined to the schoolyard, some verbal assaults and occasional fistfight but at the end of the day. You got to go home and get away from your tormentors and then their negativity. Home is supposed to feel safe and warm and secure. However, children these days don't even have the opportunity to get away from their bullies after school, because although the Internet does allow people to share information and stay connected at a more rapid rate than humanity has ever known. It also allows the police to keep bullying, long after the school day is over by posting demeaning comments in e-mails and on social media websites. So it is more important than ever that we teach children how to deal with bullies and the negative reactions that they create.

This book will do just that it will explain all of the various types of bullying tactics. The difference between boys and girls when it comes to bullying, effective ways to counteract the negativity of bullies, such as using humor to diffuse the situation and even how to spot the difference between friendly heating (which happens to most children) and outright bullying. There's also advice on how to talk to your child if they are being bullied, and even what to do if your child is the one doing the bullying and last but not least there is even a section on what adults can do, should they find themselves being bullied in the workplace or other daily environment. Cyber bullying has become an epidemic, and we need to teach children how to negotiate to its minefields, and this book is a good place to start.
4217162
This book contains 52 chapters and within each there is an idea, words of wisdom by famous person and question answer section. The wide gamut of ideas are ideal for those wanting more information about dealing with various types of bullies such as physical, verbal, psychological, and extremely importantly- cyber bullying. The one flaw that bothered me a bit was the lack of flow between chapters- one chapter did not relate to the next. Otherwise, a good resource to have!
3689099
Confessions Of A Former Bully is an amazing book. This book is about Katie a former bully who learns the error of her ways. She bullies everyone at school. No one wants to be her friend because she is so mean to everyone around her. Mrs. Petrowski, Katie's teacher, shows Katie how her behavior affects the people around her. People who are bullied get stomachaches and headaches. Even bystanders are affected by bullying. Trudy Ludwig, the author of this book, gives some very helpful advice for dealing with bullies. For example, if someone says something mean to you, change the subject. You can also act silly or goofy, turn an insult into a compliment, or just agree with them. Most bullies feed of the rising anger in their victim. If you don't act mad, bullying is not fun anymore. If you agree with them or act goofy that really throws the bullier for a loop. I wish I had this book when I was a kid because I got bullied all the time. I'm going to have my first child in about 3 months and I'm definitely going to read this books to my child when he gets older. Trudy's books will give your child helpful tools to deal with hurtful bullying behavior. Thanks for your wonderful books Trudy!
3902399
I found this to be an easy to read, relatable story that I'm sure will help many middle-grade age children feel more comfortable talking about bullying and how to effectively battle against it.

For a few years now, Tori and her group of friends have been the main target of popular girl Kylie and her clique. When new girl Ginger (real name Virginia Eve) transfers to Tori's school, at first Tori and her friends feel relief. Ginger proves to be so socially inept that it takes the heat off of Tori and her friends for a time. Ginger (and of course Rue makes the girl a redhead!) doesn't have the cool clothes, she eats pickle and PB sandwiches at lunch, she struggles to control her body odor and she tends to yell things as she's talking even when she doesn't mean to -- but the thing about Ginger is she still tries to make friends, she tries to put herself out there, even if she's bound to get shot down and have her heart broken.

Tori witnesses Ginger suffering bullying at the hands of Kylie and Co., thinks maybe she should help Ginger out. Tori's friends say "heck no! that'd just put the heat back on us!" so Tori goes along with what her friends want until she just can't stand the feelings of guilt anymore. Though it does put her and her friends back on Kylie's radar, Tori invites Ginger to join their circle, convinced she is doing what is right. Tori and the girls then learn how to combat bullying via Lydia, the assistant of Tori's father. Lydia has battled bullying all of her life because of her dwarfism, so she has a tip or two to teach them -- one rule being to become a "tribelet", finding strength in numbers and being able to divide and conquer the bullies when they aren't in a grouping of their own.

Along with the tribelet lesson, there are many more that young readers can take away from this book to put into effect into their own school situations. Another element I really appreciated about this story was the fact that it addressed the reality that bullying can come from numerous different sources, sometimes that source being our closest friends. We don't want to think it's bullying when it's someone so close to us but it can happen. This story helps identify what different kinds of bullying can look like. I also liked that it got into pointing out how oblivious to the situation parents and teachers can be; how teachers can side with the popular kids just because the teachers too find the bullied kids "weird" and somehow justify their inaction with "the kid brought it on himself / herself by being weird"; how adults can still experience bullying in the workplace (case in point, Tori's dad's fears that he could lose a big contract -- which means a loss of much needed household income -- at work if he doesn't "play by the rules") and how even teachers themselves can be the bullies.

While I didn't find the plot in this first book particularly riveting, I do think it brings up a lot of good starter points for discussion. I've already read the second book and can tell you that it's worth it to try out this trilogy. As an adult, I found reading the second book, which is told from Ginger's POV, really brought to light a lot of commonalities between Ginger's story and my own school experiences, making it more impactful (at least to me) than the first book.

Rue definitely brings up a lot of important points to shed light on within the topic of bullying, so I highly recommend this trilogy as a strong starting point with your child.
1808165
This story shows the powerful opportunity that parents, students, teachers, and administrators have to influence the school bullying environment. Innovatively classifying two types of bullying, Ms. Bernard uses her extensive knowledge of adolescents to present new, practical ideas for schools. This candid and knowledge of realistic perspective is refreshing; a must-read for students, parents, teachers, and administrators alike.

--Caitlin, MS, MPH
3411897
an interesting story that suggest letting adults confront your bullies.

pretty cool in its descriptions of an athlete using his fame to address bullying in schools.

a nice story to discourage bullying.  not sure how practical based on my geeky kid years.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
2202546
Great story about bullying.  I thought my middle schooler might be able to read it, but the content is more suited to a high schooler.  Great read for parents!  Gives you an insight into why kids don't speak up about bullying:  fear, shame, intense worry, anxiety, depression.. And the signs that go with those symptoms.
1452664
<div id="video-block-R33NRYAY53DXF4" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/C1YrHC4G7BS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/21SAfDwlnLS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;Bullying is widespread and more so than what many parents think.  But there are even more clear and present dangers against our children.  Bullying needs to stop but also keep a keen eye to all forms of child predators.  As a parent, I know how important it is to protect my children.  This book is a must read and very important.
3213834
Jodee Blanco is a tremendous writer.  Her conversational style in Please Stop Laughing At Me... is comfortable and allows the reader to jump right into the story alongside her.  While I find it hard to believe that everything she wrote was EXACTLY the way it happened all those years ago, it is obvious that the torment she went through during her childhood was insurmountable.  I can't say that I was ever the victim of bullying or that I was a bully myself, but I have been in that complacent observer category, upset of other's bullying but unable to stick up for the victim.  I think this book is a good read for bullies and observers (like myself), to show them what the victims are really going through.
While the descriptions of her victimizations were striking, I think the most effective and helpful part of the book was the final chapters, when Blanco returns to her high school for a reunion.  Although I find some elements a little farfetched and Hollywood, I do believe that Blanco's bullies really didn't realize how harsh they had been to her.  This last part is what I feel would be where the victims of bullying should concentrate when reading.  It shows that their tormentors may not even realize what they are doing to them, and--in a silent way--encourages them to stand up for themselves when a situation occurs.
I would especially recommend Please Stop Laughing At Me... to those in the education professions--teachers, principals, aides--because they are the ones who witness children and young adults interacting with their peers the most often.  Blanco's advice to these administrators that she gives in this book is not what many people would think at first, but is sage advice from a bullying survivor.  Blanco tours schools, giving riveting presentations to students on the effects of bullying, providing them with advice and hope.  Her website has more information about her touring schedule and how to contact her.  She is a real-life Cinderella story!