Four Great Books On Bullying You Will Want to Have

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Yesterday was anti-bullying day.

Tomorrow is too.

And today as well.

It's always a good time to raise awareness about bullying.

And I mean raise awareness in our families first.

I was reminded of how important it is to read and talk about bullying after watching this short anti-bullying video "To This Day" by bullied poet Shane Koyczan.

I watched it five times until I was able to really absorb its message.

One professor commented after watching the video:
 I played "To This Day" to my psychology class. My students sat weeping - weeping with pain and with gratitude to you for telling the story of so many. I heard stories today - so many stories. Forget the lecture... these stories matter. These stories are paintings of ourselves. Than you for your remarkable work... for being remarkable, beautiful you. You make the world a better place.


Let's do our best to remove this evil from our schools and kindergartens.

Let's read aloud books to make kids aware about the scourge that bullying is.

Let's get involved.

These are the four anti-bullying books that I want in our home library so I can read them aloud with my kids.

One of them we already have, in fact.

But the remaining three I just ordered based on my research. 

Do you recommend any other great anti-bullying books for our home library?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Wonder by Ed Palacio front cover

Augie, a homeschooled fifth-grader enters "real school" for the first time and has to face a new reality. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, he has a very visible facial deformity. But it still doesn't mean that he is not just an ordinary kid ... who seems extraordinary to everyone else. 

I hope that my twins will learn from this book about how special everyone is and that beauty isn't only skin deep. But, most of all, I hope that they will learn to empathize


My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig

My Secret Bully is a story about how a little girl Monica is bullied by her own friend Katie. This is not a story about physical bullying, instead it is a tale of emotional bullying - and how confusing it can be for children on the receiving side. 

I want my kids to be able to identify situations when they are being emotionally bullied by "friends" who try to take advantage of them through name-calling and manipulation. 

I like the fact that Monica's mom comes up with a strategy that her daughter can implement. Instead of an eye-for-eye solution, she tells her daughter to confront her friend with a deliberate strategy that is based on describing the situation and vocalizing it. 

For example, Monica could say, "Does it make you feel good to say mean things to me in front of other people?" 



This is one several original and exciting "If You Had To Choose, What Would You Do" books penned by Sandra McLeod Humphrey. 

I can't wait to start reading them aloud with my kids! 

They are practically compilations of numerous simulations of real-life situations with open endings that invite readers (parents and children) to discuss what would be the best alternative or response to a challenging situation. I already reviewed this fabulous book series.  


Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig, front cover

This seems to be a very approachable book that discusses the bully issue from a different standpoint, thus expanding the field of discussion. 

The more my kids learn about bullying, the more they will be able to protect themselves from bullies. But also - I want to prevent my kids from becoming bullies. 

I love that this book gives tips and strategies on how to deal with bullies and how to deal with hurtful bullying behavior. 

Power to the little people! 




    19 comments:

    1. I'd like to recommend "Just Kidding" - by the same author of "My Secret Bully"

      http://www.amazon.com/Just-Kidding-Trudy-Ludwig/dp/1582461635/

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    2. My shorties really like One by Kathryn Otoshi. It deals with bullying at a very basic/little kid level.

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    3. Hi, R.A.D.! I know about bullying first hand -- the entire class tormented me for two horrid years. In my case, the "teacher" would do the instigating. Miserable creatures -- I have no sympathy for them!

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    4. Hi Lynn,

      Many thanks for your recommendation - it looks fabulous, just checked out a preview. A book about emotional bullying among boys - that is a great topic.

      I love that the book points out that the words "just kidding" are no excuse for bullying. Thanks for your advice, I will include this book on our reading list!

      It seems that all of Trudy Ludwig's books (http://amzn.to/Z386nZ) are a fantastic source of information on peer aggression!

      Read Aloud Dad



      Re: @6174fc9fbefe841ee9ae7f1e6ddd23e7:disqus

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    5. Hi Mary,

      I just checked out a preview of One (http://amzn.to/YcZQ70) and it blew me away. What a combination of hard-hitting message and creativity. Fabulous picture book for kids indeed :-)

      Thanks for the advice, I've never read Kathryn Otoshi's books before, but will check out her other books too (like Zero - http://amzn.to/15WQ4KF) !

      Thanks for your advice - my kids will appreciate her books!


      Read Aloud Dad


      Re: @twitter-1068564060:disqus

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    6. Another great book on bullying is I am Jack by Suzanne Gervay: https://u1914.myubam.com/p/1593/i-am-jack It is required reading in many of the schools in Australia.

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    7. Hi Gina,

      Thanks so much for sharing your poignant story. It sounds like a truly horrible experience and the fact that the teacher was part of the bullying campaign makes it even more unbearable.

      I am concerned about my kids becoming the target of bullies one day - it can make a child's life living hell. Your words just reinforce how important it is for us to help them with the tools to find a way out of such a nightmare scenario.

      Read Aloud Dad



      Re: @twitter-17625521:disqus

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    8. Sandra's book is very good. I gave it to my grandson.

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    9. I've also read Sandra's book. She is a good friend of mine.

      You might want to check out my book that promotes friendship skills for children, like accepting differences, having empathy for others, being helpful, etc.

      Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Building-Character-With-Izzy-Other/dp/1453835318/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362195005&sr=8-2&keywords=danny+pettry

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    10. I second One. It's clever, powerful, and great for young readers.


      :) Lauren
      365 Great Children's Books

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    11. Hi Jody!


      Thanks so much for this book tip! It seems to be a really interesting book and a great read aloud - I read the synopsis!

      I am learning about so many great books on bullying from these comments, thanks so much! I may include this one in our library too!


      Read Aloud Dad


      Re: @twitter-23592534:disqus

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    12. Hi Danny,

      Thanks so much for your great book tip! Yes, Building Character With Sam, Izzy, & Many Other Dogs - seems to be a great way of engaging kids to interact with others in a responsible way! Thanks for including the link!



      Read Aloud Dad


      Re: @dannypettry:disqus

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    13. Hi Darlene,


      Thank you very much for sharing this! Yes, I find that Sandra's books are fantastic as they open many doors - and as a parent you never know behind which door is the problem that is worrying your child at any given moment!

      These books are in fact great door openers.

      Read Aloud Dad


      Re: @8310eb5503078d5f7dcae477607de4bd:disqus

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    14. Emma @ My Book CornerMarch 3, 2013 at 12:19 AM

      This is a great list, and an important one. Thanks for helping to highlight the issue.
      I'd highly recommend two brilliant picture books by Aaron Blabey. Both deal with confidence, and being happy with being YOU - regardless of the reaction of others. Stanley is very short - and that leads to problems at school, until Eleanor arrives who is very tall. They team up .. http://www.mybookcorner.com.au/listings/721-stanley-paste.html

      The second is Sunday Chutney - the main theme is being yourself. It's lovely. http://www.mybookcorner.com.au/listings/720-sunday-chutney.html

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    15. Hi Emma,

      Many thanks for your great book advice and for taking the time to leave links.


      Indeed, confidence and happiness are the flip side of the medal that give kids the necessary strength to resist or simply sail through bullying incidents.



      Of course, it is impossible to protect children from everything so - being happy with oneself is of critical importance.

      Thanks for these great book tips! Much appreciated.


      Read Aloud Dad


      Re: @d98b40f2c6eb9e6d7700e6505dc2a7c5:disqus

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    16. Thanks for sharing these books. I pinned this post to a Pinboard I have dedicated to resources about bullying.

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    17. Hi Jen,

      Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!

      I am very grateful to you for including my post in your Pinboard on bullying resources, much appreciated!

      If you can leave a link in these comments to your Pinboard, please do it - so that we can explore the resources that you recommend!

      Read Aloud Dad

      Re: @a4091441ef549342eb42dcfd67ab2d12:disqus

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    18. Thank you for sharing this post. To be completely honest, I have not read any of these books. The thing is, bullying was never really vey pervasive in our locality or in school, and I am glad for that. However, this is still a major issue faced by millions and everyone should be really aware of it. Reading these books, I guess, is a great start!

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    19. Hi @DUI evaluation,


      Many thanks for the comment - its truly great to hear that bullying is not a significant problem in your school!


      As you say, reading these books can help to keep the problem in focus.


      Read Aloud Dad

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