Henry and the Bully

Children's Literature - Mary Bowman-Kruhm Ed.D.

Henry is a first grader. When he chases the soccer ball during recess, he runs into a second grader who then kicks the ball over the fence and taunts Henry. While shopping with his mother, Henry spots his bully, Sam, whose full name turns out to be Samantha, in a frilly dress, but Henry wins Sam's respect when he doesn't later take advantage of this information in front of their schoolmates. Young readers will snicker when the teacher, whose solution was only to keep an eye on the second graders, takes credit for helping solve the bullying problem. Beginning readers will find the clear sans serif font easy to read and the drawings colorful, with exceptionally well executed facial expressions. While youngsters can relate to Henry's concern over going to school and his worries about what Sam might do to him, illustrations showing a mouse, bear, rabbit, pig and dog approximately the same size seem to detract from the story; although Carlson's cartoon characters are engaging, illustrations of humans would have more effectively and realistically told this story than anthropomorphic animals. Reviewer: Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ed.D.

School Library Journal

Gr 2—When second-grader Sam, a poodle, begins to harass first-grader Henry and his friends, the young mouse does the right thing and tells his teacher. However, Sam continues to bully Henry at recess, and he feels sick with worry. Despite underwhelming adult involvement, Henry finds a creative way to stand up to his nemesis and they even become friends. The colorful cartoon illustrations are full of action and memorable facial expressions. This installment of Henry's adventures shows kids how to use their own ingenuity to solve a common problem.—Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ