Bullying

Enemy Pie (Reading Rainbow book)
$15.99
I was a school librarian for 7 years and this is the best read-aloud book on any library shelf. This book has wonderful characters that come alive and teach us all that getting to know someone, who we think is our enemy, can turn that enemy into a friend. Great book! Great message!

Bullyproof Your Child For Life: Protect Your Child from Teasing, Taunting, and Bullying for Good
$14.95
This is a worthwile book for those who care about their children, and how to deal with the potential bullies that their children will face in life.

Well written and easy to read, it makes for a good gift for close friends and family.

I'm only sorry that it stopped before it got to adult bullies!

Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools (The Guilford Practical Intervention in Schools Series)
$30.00
School bullying has become a major concern, probably not because there's any more of it now than before, but because we are more aware of it and the very real potential for long-term adverse consequences. This book stands out clearly in my opinion among the many related publications that are now available. In spite of what appears to be a common popular opinion, the authors do not believe that punishment of bullies is an effective intervention (good balanced positive psychology perspective!), and then go one to outline types of bullying, social-ecological problems associated with bullying (psychological correlates; and peer, familial, school, and societal influences), and social skills/information processing considerations. Without promoting any specific anti-bullying program (and there are many), they outline in a general fashion the steps for developing and implementing an effective anti-bullying policy. They discuss a number of legal issues, and I was surprised at the differences among the 50 states with respect to focusing on bullying (especially availability and comprehensiveness of state statutes). This is a very practical and down-to-earth guide to implementing and evaluating anti-bullying programs, and it deserves the careful attention of anyone who likes and works with kids (school administrators, school board members, counselors, teachers, psychologists, parents, and concerned community individuals).

Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain (Laugh And Learn)
$8.95
It can be toughest for parents to help kids cope with bullies and bullying in grade school, and this book particularly helped us deal with all sorts. Name-calling is probably the most common variety (indeed, even adults in public office commonly resort to this base tactic, when they lack substantive counters to valid criticism). But the potential barrage of bad behavior can also include exclusion and outright punching or worse.

This book helped our kids keep perspective during the worst of the playground battle years. Bullies can have a terrible effect, a message this book brings home in spades. It also has the potential to help not only the victims of bullying, but also those children so insecure that they become bullies to aggrandize their own weak self-images.

The end result is more respect for kids at both ends of the bully spectrum. this book helps teach children how to behave respectfully, and respond to those who do not. This is a great book, especially in grades two, three and four.

---Alyssa A. Lappen