The Bully
A Discussion and Activity Story
by Rita Y. Toews
Illustrated by Jon Ljungberg
The Bully: A Discussion and Activity Story by Rita Y. Toews
has a unique concept. It begins with a simple story of young Jason,
who is bullied at school, and how he finally tells his mother. The
rest of the book has a nine-question quiz for kids about bullying,
an activity section (a word search and dot-to-dot), a six-question
quiz for adults, and a resource page. There also are two pages to
record a child's thoughts and the parents' thoughts about bullying.
Accompanying this serious topic are Jon Ljungberg's cartoon-like
line drawings that show Jason's distress, but paint it with a little
humor. For example, when the bully takes Jason's lunch, we see a
cartoon balloon with his lunch bag sprouting wings.
The aim of this book isn't entertainment, but discussion and education.
It is intended for use by children and adults who care for children
in schools, clubs, churches, and in the home.
What makes The Bully: A Discussion and Activity Story so
arresting is its correct assertion that bullying is serious business.
It isn't just playful high jinx. It is sometimes the precursor to
criminal behavior. Toews' story is unique here in the United States.
We, as a society, have struggled with the concept of bullying, often
teaching our sons and daughters to either toughen up or fight back
physically.
Toews, who is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, shows us what Canada has
been saying on the subject for a decade: bullying is destructive
and children don't always have the tools with which to deal with
it. I found this book extremely refreshing. It is a good tool to
use to broach the subject with a child and would be ideal to use
to begin discussions with children in a number of teaching situations
(schools, church youth groups, scouts, youth clubs, etc.). I highly
recommend it.
|
The Book |
Birds
Hill Publishing (Canada) |
September
2004 |
Paperback |
0-9736224-0-7 |
Children,
non-fiction, self-help, story and activity book [Age Group:
5-12] |
The Reviewer |
Janie
Franz |
Reviewed
2005 |
|