Bully

"You used to be a mouse," said Mickey to his ex-friend Jack. "And now you've turned into a great big rat."

Maybe Jack wasn't a rat, but he certainly was a bully. And he made life very uncomfortable for Mickey.

Mickey's parents had some helpful ideas, but Mickey found that it was easier to talk about loving your enemies than actually to do it, and brave words were often just words.

But then something happened that surprised Mickey as much as Jack. And the unexpected result was that the ex-bully was once more a friend, and Mickey had good reason to be proud of his problem-solving technique.

Parent Council Reviews

In this engaging story a young boy who wants to learn how to handle a bully gets different advice from a variety of people without results. He finally discovers that he can handle the bully best by being friendly and using humor. This story is one that many children can identify with and it gives several different options for resolving the situation. The illustrations are colorful and add even more humor to the story. 2001, Greenwillow Books, $15.95. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer: S. Latson SOURCE: Parent Council, September 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 1)

Judith Caseley says, "When I was a little girl, I fell in love with Abraham Lincoln. I was drawn to the kindness and melancholy I saw in his face. My sister Jean and I prayed to a framed portrait of him that hung on our bedroom wall. To this day, when I see Lincoln's likeness on the wall of a school auditorium, my heart lifts with gladness or my eyes fill with tears. I remember the fierce secrets we told him, the joys and sorrows that were for his ears only. It was a private act of communion, and we called him A. L."

Judith Caseley is the author-artist of such favorite picture books as On the Town: A Community Adventure; Bully; Mama, Coming and Going; and Dear Annie. She lives on Long Island, New York, with her two children.