October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Being bullied can be a difficult period for a child. Thankfully, some picture book authors have addressed this issue in order to provide some ideas for coping with a bully.
According to youth.gov:
"The point of National Bullying Prevention Month was to transform a society that accepts bullying into a society that recognizes that bullying must – and can – be addressed through education and support."
Following, you will find five picture books that gently show children what happens when there is a bully.
Recommended Reads
Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
A great book for toddlers, the narrative of this book draws a simple but meaningful line between why the smaller bull is in a bad mood and becomes a bully to the other animals.
Young children may not be able to connect someone's bad behavior, in this case, Bully, to a previous event that made Bully feel bad. Because Bully feels bad, he in turn makes others feel bad, too. And so on and so forth. Finally, Goat calls Bully on his bad behavior. What happens next is heartwarming!
Young children will understand that sometimes, when we feel sad or bad, we might make others feel bad, too. But is this okay behavior? A very simply worded book with a powerful message!
Bully by Jennifer Sattler
Frog is not a very popular or kind animal.
Hogging the lilies to himself at the pond, Frog doesn't want to share the lilies with snail, dragonfly fly, or the bees.
Finding himself alone, Frog gobbles up almost every lily, until there is only one left. Meanwhile, the other animals have a plan for how they will deal with the bully. What do they do?
This is a great book for preschoolers, who will learn that the best way to deal with a bully is to work together to come up with a solution! Find this title on Link+.
Bully by Patricia Polacco
Lyla is a new student in her 6th grade class. She becomes fast friends with Jamie. Lyla soon comes into the scope of Gage, another student who is jealous of Lyla's good grades.
Gage appears to befriend Lyla, but pulls a prank in which Lyla is blamed by everyone for cheating on a test. Finding herself cyberbullied, Lyla and her family are at their wit's end. What should Lyla do?
Author Polacco never provides a solution to what Lyla should do, but instead leaves it up to her young audience to decide.
In this book for upper elementary students, kids must decide what they think about cyberbullying and what they would do in order to prevent it from happening. A great book for older kids who may be experiencing online bullying.
One by Kathryn Otoshi
One by Kathryn Otoshi is the book that teachers reach for when they are teaching about bullying.
Through simple, but powerful text, Otoshi shows children how just one person can change the mix.
Illustrating what it means to be a bystander, a bully, a victim, and an upstander with numbers, Otoshi demonstrates how children can overcome a bully just by standing up for what is right.
If you are looking for a book that shows children what to do when there is a bully, this is one of the best. This book is great from preschool and up.
Fill a Bucket by Carol McCloud
Author McCloud writes about buckets as receptacles for positive feelings.
In her Bucket books, McCloud shows children how they fill their buckets. She gives specific examples that young children can understand and follow. Of course, she also explains how bullies can take from our buckets. But is that fruitful for them?
Young children from toddlers to elementary school-aged children will be able to understand how they can fill their buckets in this book that gives them many ideas.
A great book to encourage upstanding, rather than bystanding!
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