What to Do When You Are Bullied for Being Different

November 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-Each book begins with a broad definition of bullying, then zooms in on a particular type or scenario. Unfortunately, most titles take too long to get to the point. Students will be impatient wading through general information. When they finally do get to the main issue, they will be disappointed by the lack of specificity ("Bystanders have power, too. They can tell a bully to stop."). The author makes it sound as though bullying has a simple solution but doesn't address complex social dynamics or reasons why kids don't always do the right thing. Some suggestions make sense, such as capturing screenshots of cyberbullying, but there are very limited takeaways. Those who read the entire series will be discouraged by the repetition of basic information. Children featured in overly bright photo spreads are model perfect but poor actors: they seem to be smiling and joking in photos that supposedly portray disturbing incidences of bullying. Well-intentioned but weak offerings.

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