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. A recent, most disturbing book, The Prize, by Marilyn LaCourt, who is a counselor, asserts that telling an adult about being bullied only exacerbates the problem and that the only way to stop it is for the children to work it out amongst themselves. This is a dangerous message, because it teaches children that notifying an authority is a bad thing and that dealing with a situation yourself is character building. What happens when these children become adults? Do they grow up to believe that the police or other legal channels can't help them and that they must take the law into their own hands?

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.