Lucy and the Bully
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Lucy, a lamb, draws so well that all of her classmates want her to make pictures for them—all except Tommy, a bull, who torments her by "accidentally" knocking over her paints, breaking her model blackbird, and threatening her if she tells on him. Lucy keeps her mouth shut, but her mother notices the ripped storybooks, broken pencils, and her child's increasingly sad expression. Finally, Lucy tells what happened and is horrified when her mother calls the teacher. But the next day, it's Tommy who is sad and chastened, and Lucy actually feels a bit sorry for him. When she sees him drawing "a very good porcupine," the jealousy behind his bullying comes out, and she asks him to draw one for her, setting the stage for his apology and a new friendship. This simple story puts bullying in kids' terms, showing a positive world in which the adults are in control; one wishes that all situations were handled so well. The animal characters are conveyed through bright colors and thick strokes, and their expressive faces garner empathy for bully and victim alike. Overall, an appealing story on a timely topic.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.