I’ve been following the case of Phoebe Prince, the 15 year-old Irish girl who committed suicide in January of this year after enduring a months-long bullying campaign staged by her Massachusetts high school peers.
Certainly there are numerous articles containing “tips” on how to identify, cope with and prevent bullying. This booklist is intended to open up dialogue at various age levels on the subject.
For 4-8 year olds:
Hugo and the Bully Frogs
Written by Francesca Simon
Illustrated by Caroline Jean Church
Hugo is a little frog with a little croak. He lives in a deep, muddy pond. And he’s constantly tormented by Pop-Eyes, the biggest, meanest frog Hugo has ever met. Pop-Eyes snatches Hugo’s toys, calls him names, and drops him head-first into the pond. How will Hugo ever stand up to such a bully?
The Recess Queen
Written by Alexis O’Neill
Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
Mean Jean dominates the playground. She goes first at swinging, bouncing and kicking, and no one risks challenging her. Then a new kid arrives at school. Katie Sue doesn’t know that Jean is the reigning recess queen. So what will happen when Katie Sue decides to swing, bounce and kick first?
For Ages 9+
by Kathe Koja
Jinsen, known around school as “Buddha Boy,” is increasingly targeted in mean-spirited, violent bullying by the popular crowd. Read the full review here.
For Ages 15+
by Laurie Halse Anderson
After years of being bullied, Tyler considers using violence to make himself heard.
Read the full review here.
For Parents and Educators
The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander
by Barbara Coloroso
Coloroso discusses in depth the parts enacted in each incident of bullying (including cyberbullying): the perpetrator, the victim, the bystander, the adults, and the community context. This book emphasizes ways in which the cycle of bullying can be broken. Read the full review here.
For Deeper Reflection
Tikkun Passover Supplement 2010 (Click to link to the full text.)
“As we sit at the Seder table we need to discuss how ancient liberation for the Jews can inspire liberation today for all people.” So begins the Passover supplement.
How are the Seder and Jewish liberation relevant for non-Jews? Why is this Passover supplement included on a reading list about bullying?
This piece of reflection from Rabbi Michael Lerner calls the Jewish people—indeed, all people– to open “their eyes to the suffering of our brothers and sisters, the Palestinians,” to “the ways in which we…have been acting as Pharoah to another people.” Clearly, bullying is not a problem contained on school grounds.
In fact, bullying occurs on school grounds precisely because it happens on a larger scale in our communities. Prosperous nations bully developing nations, and powerful companies bully smaller businesses. Certain adults bully those weaker than themselves.
In all its manifestations, bullying is nothing less than a serious form of oppression. And so discussion of liberation can move us forward, closer to “communal vision of what messianic redemption would look like,” no matter what our particular faith tradition might be.
As Rabbi Lerner writes, “Instead of relying on domination, we know both from our holy texts and from our real-world experience that it is generosity, kindness, compassion, and caring for others that will be the key to our success and survival.”