A young girl does not realize how detrimental being a bystander to bullying can be until she experiences being bullied herself. From then on, she knows to "say something". This book is a wonderful reminder that are many ways to address bullying, whether it be standing up to a bully, comforting the person being bullied, or telling an adult. If I had the power, I would require all elementary schools have this book in their classrooms. ( )

"A child who never says anything when other children are being teased or bullied finds herself in their position one day when jokes are made at her expense and no one speaks up." Teachers Choice Award winner
book jacket

Peggy Moss is a former civil rights prosecutor, a sought-after speaker on the subject of Bullying Prevention, and the author of three award-winning books for children. She is a mother and an educator.

"Lea Lyon is an award-winning children's book illustrator who has made a childhood dream come true. Her six published picture books, five of which have won awards, address topical social issues such as bullying, children with disabilities, same-sex marriage, and religions of different cultures." A former public school teacher, she earned an MBA and worked for a time in the corporate world.
author's website

At the school, there are some children who pick on other students. A girl sees the other kids getting picked on but she doesn't say anything. One day, she has to sit alone and the other children start to pick on her. They say such mean things that it made her cry. She sees other students that just sat there and did nothing like she did with those other students. Her older brother made her realize that when you see something happening you have to speak up. The character definitely changed her perspective on bullying and possibly realized that bullying is also when you don't speak up and say something. ( )

I think this book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers to teach children about bullying and how to handle a situation where you see someone being bulled. It gives realistic situations and also offers responses on how to respond to bullying. It allows all parties to have an open discussion about bullying. ( )

Summary: This book focuses on a school where some of the children are known to push, tease, ignore, and bully other students. The girl in the story sees this happening, but she says she would never do these mean things herself. She continues to be a silent bystander and ignore what's going on. In the end, she realizes that by being a silent bystander, she is part of the problem.

Reflection: I thought the message in this book was great: Silent bystanders only add to the problem of bullying in schools. This story would be great for jump-starting conversations between teachers and students about how teasing feels and what they can do about it when they witness it happening. ( )