A fresh & original twist on the common issue of bullying. Kids will relate. parents & teachers will appreciate the story's deft handling of conflict resolution (which happens w/o adult intervention)
Mean Jean was Recess Queen and nobody said any different. Nobody swung until Mean Jean swung. Nobody kicked until Mean Jean kicked.Nobody bounced until Mean Jean bounced. If kids ever crossed her, she'd push 'em and smoosh 'em lollapaloosh 'em, hammer 'em, slammer 'em kitz and kajammer 'em. Until a new kid came to school! With her irrepressible spirit, the new girl dethrones the reigning recess bully by becoming her friend in this infectious playground romp.
For more resources for Mighty Girls on how to respond effectively to bullying, visit our special feature on the Top Books on Bullying Prevention for Mighty Girls.
For an excellent resource for parents on addressing bullying among young girls, we recommend Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades.
Oh, would that all bullying problems could be solved so easily! Mean Jean is the reigning Recess Queen, pushing and smooshing, hammering and slammering the other kids whenever they cross her. And then one day a puny new girl shows up on the playground and catches Mean Jean completely off-guard. Not only is little Katie Sue not the least bit intimidated by the bully, she actually asks her to jump rope with her. In no time flat, Jean and Katie Sue are best buddies, and the playground is safe for all again.
Sure, it's simplistic, but there's a strong element of truth in this energetic rhyming story by Alexis O'Neill (Loud Emily). Bullies are people, too, and sometimes nothing is quite so effective as ingenuous disarmament.
Big, bold, funny acrylic and collage illustrations by Laura Huliska-Beith (The Book of Bad Ideas) bounce right along with the text. -- Emilie Coulter
Recommended Age | 4 and up |
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Author | Alexis O'Neill |
Illustrator | Laura Huliska-Beith |
ISBN | 0439206375 |
Publication Date | Feb 1, 2002 |
Publisher | Scholastic Press |
Language | English |