Bullies
in Children's Literature
Bullying is a very important issue that I feel educators, students, and
parents need to be more educated about. Having been teased for two
years in junior high school, I know just how horrible it is to be made fun
of and called names. Being bullied creates a lot of stress on a child
because they are more worried about what will be said about them rather than
having fun. Parents, teachers, and students can use this website as
a starting off point to learn about bullying through children’s literature.
Picture Books
Best, Cari. Shrinking Violet. New York: Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2001.
Violet is always being bullied by her classmate Irwin. However when
she comes to his rescue during the school play, he discovers Violet is not
as bad as he had thought she was. I chose this book because I feel
children can learn that just because someone is mean to you, does mean that
you should be mean back. In other words, two wrongs don't make a right.
Berenstain, J. & Berenstain, S. The Berenstain Bears and
Too Much Teasing. New York: Random House
Incorporated, 1995.
Brother Bear constantly teases his sister and sees nothing wrong with
it because he was just having “a little fun”. However, Brother Bear
learns that teasing is mean when he is teased by his classmates for being
the principal’s pet. He even sticks up for the new student at his
school when other students call him, “Massive Milton”. I chose this
book because it can teach children that bullying others may seem funny,
however once they are bullied themselves they actually realize it is mean,
rather than funny.
Couric, Katie. The Brand New Kid. New York:
Scholastic, 2001.
Lazlo is a new student at Brookhaven School and he feels very left out
because all of his classmates tease him. One day, a girl named Ellie
saw Lazlo’s mother crying and decided to befriend Lazlo; and to her surprise
she thought he was very nice. I chose this book because I feel children
can relate to Lazlo as they begin attending a new school.
Johnson, Julie. Bullying and Gangs. Brookfield: Cooper
Beech Books, 1998.
This book introduces children to bullying, it explains anyone can be
a bully as well as anyone can be bullied, and the differences between good
and bad gangs. The book has four main characters who tell their own
person stories about bullying. I feel younger readers will enjoy this
book, the text is very simple and has very colorful illustrations.
Larson, Kirby. Cody and Quinn, Sitting in a Tree.
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998.
Cody is in the second grade and is constantly teased by the class bully,
Royce, because he is friends with a girl named Quinn. One day, Cody
becomes so upset because he is teased that he ends up hurting Quinn’s feelings.
Cody decides to apologize to Cody and finds a way to get even with Royce.
Mauser, Pat Rhoads. A Bundle of Sticks. New York:
Atheneum, 1982.
Ben has always been beaten up by the fifth-grade bully and never defends
himself. He is not one for physically fighting because the thought
of it makes him sick. Ben does not know what to do because his mother
does not want him to fight and his father tells him to fight back.
Ben’s parents end up sending him to learn kajukenbo, an oriental form of self-defense;
not only does Ben learn self-defense, he also learns to stick up for himself
and not to be afraid. I chose this book because I feel students need
to learn that fighting is not the answer to solving bullying problems.
I also feel students will learn that martial arts is not always about fighting,
but rather defending oneself.
McCain,Becky Ray. Nobody Knew What to Do. Morton
Grove: Albert Whitman and Company, 2001.
This story is aobut a boy named Ray who is picked on by his classmates.
Narrated by a boy in Ray’s class, the boy notices how everybody picks on
Ray, they call him names, steal his lunch, and push him to the ground.
One morning Ray did not come to school so the boy told his teacher what had
been happening and asked for help. When Ray came back to school the
next day the boy invited Ray to play with him on the playground and there
the bullies started walking towards them, and so did their teacher and principal.
I picked this book because I feel younger children will learn to go
to an adult for help when they are having trouble with bullies.
Lester, Helen. Hooway for Wodney Wat. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.
This is book is about a rat who could not say his R’s correctly and
because of this, everyone in school made fun of him. One day, Camilla
Capybera joins Rodney’s class and torments everyone in Rodney’s class.
Then one day, Rodney outsmarts Camilla and becomes the class hero.
I chose this book because I feel some children are tormented by the way
they speak, and I feel they can relate to Rodney.
Paterson, Katherine. The Field of the Dogs. New York:
Harper Collins Publishers, 2001.
Josh has recently moved to Vermont with his mother and stepfather, and
not only is he upset because he had to go to a new school, but he is constanly
picked on by the school bully. While walking his dog Manch, he overhears
Manch and his other dog friends talking about a pack of bullies who are
threatening a fight. Josh then fjinds a solution to both of thier
problems.
Thomas, Pat. Stop Picking on Me. Hauppauge:
Barron’s Educational Seris, Inc., 2002.
This book is explains about bullies as well as the feelings and worries
children might have when they are bullied. I chose this book because
I feel it does a wonderful job explaining the feelings a child may have
when they are bullied. I also chose this book because it has a few
questions for the reader, for instance, “What sorts of things do you do
when someone bullies you?”.
Chapter Books
Kliphuis, Christine. Robbie and Ronnie. New York:
North-South Books, 2002.
Robbie and Ronnie are good friends; Robbie is overweight and Ronnie
is skinny. The two friends stick up for one another as a bully names
Dennis teases them. One day at the pool Dennis picks on the two boys
and they learn that the best solution is to get help from an adult.
I feel this is a good book because it deals with students being picked on
because of their appearances and it seems to me this is why most students
are picked on.
Howe, James. The Misfits. New York: Atheneum,
2001.
Bobby, Addie, Joe, and Skeezie have been best friends for as long as
they can remember. The four friends have been teased by their classmates
ever since elementary school, but once they enter seventh grade, they have
decided to fight back. The friends decide to create a political party,
“No-Name Party”, to run against the popular kids in the election for student
council. They show everyone in their school that name-calling can
hurt people feelings and there is more to a person than the names he or she
is called. I feel this book can teach children to look past the names
people may be called and focus on the person.
Harris, Mark Johnathon. Solay. New York: Bradbury
Press, 1993.
Melissa is very unhappy at her new school because the popular girls tease
her because her clothes are not stylish and because she gets good greades.
One day, an alien named Solay from the planet Zironia visits Melissa.
Melissa is so happy to have a friend that she decides to hide Solay in her
house. The friendship she has with Solay gives her more self-esteem.
I chose this book because I thought it is a very cute book that teaches
students about bullying and ties into fantasy.
Biography
Blanco, Jodee. Please Stop Laughing at Me…. Avon: Adams
Media Corp., 2003.
Having been teased from elementary to high school, Jodee tells her story
about being bullied in school. I feel this is a terrific book because
it really shows the reader what it is like to be teased.
Folktale
Morimo, Junko.
The Two Bullies. New York: Crown Publisher, 1999.
This is a folktale about two giants, Ni-ou and Dokkoi. Dokkoi
decides to leave Japan and go to China to challenge Ni-ou to a fight.
However they both become very intimidated by their opponent’s size and
decide not to fight. Since that day, when people in China lift up
something heavy, they say, “Ni-ou!”, and the people in Japan say, “Dokkoi-sho!”
I chose this book because I thought the story behind the phrases the Japanese
and Chinese say was very good. I also thought the illustrations were
very good, the giants were depicted as overgrown sumo-wrestlers.
Professional Resources
Fried, P. & Fried, S. Bullies and Victims.
New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1996.
This is a guide parents and teachers can use which can help them understand
school bullying. There are many suggestions as to how to deal with
bullies, differences between physical, verbal and emotional abuse as well
as other information that would be beneficial in trying to stop bullying.
I chose this book because I feel it is a very good resource for parents because
it not only explains about the victims of bullying, but it also explains
why children bully others.
Thompson, Michael. Mom, They're Teasing Me: Helping Your
Child Solve Social Problems. New York:
Ballantine Books, 2002.
This book gives parents suggestions about how to help thier child deal with
bullies. It also gives suggestions as to how to approach their child's
teacher and principal.
Helpful Sites
Elmhurst Public Library
Statistics
Addressing Bullying
Behaviour
Created by
Alicia Anos
