This Picture Book Shares Skills to Stop Bullying

An entertaining but educational book designed to help children stop bullying.

I admit my first draft of THE BULLY AT DOGGY DAYCARE had a much sweeter bully. It was hard even for me to imagine a Golden Retriever as a mean dog. However, my dogs and I were attacked in our neighborhood by two Goldens. I did not want to use a stereotypical breed as the bully such as a Pitbull, a Rottweiller, a German Shepherd, or even one of the toy breeds with the Napoleon Complex. It is just too easy to fall into those stereotypes,and not all bullies look the part.

Personally I had three years of my life traumatized by bullies. Girls can be especially mean because they hurt with words and by isolation. When I moved as a five year old, all the neighborhood girls on my new street either ignored me or said unkind comments. To a five year old that is confusing. What is so wrong with me that they would be so mean? It took a year for them to accept me. It was sort of an intiation. I withstood this for a full year because I was taught to turn the other cheek. I was a polite, very quiet child. Many times it is the shy child that is bullied.

In fifth grade there was a boy who made merciless fun of me, so I came home everyday in tears. I have full lips. People now think they are sexy, but in the 60’s they were considered ugly. Thin was” in.”It was the Twiggy Era. This boy called me “Toilet Lips” and had many of the kids making fun of me. To get him to stop I finally had to admit what he was saying to my parents. It did stop, but it did not feel good asking them to fight my battle.

Seventh grade was the absolute worst, and middle school can be hellish for so many kids. It was one reason it was my favorite age to teach. They need people who listen to them. One very popular girl was jealous of me and told all the other girls if they were my friend she would not be their friend. I spent the entire seventh grade year alone. Bullying also occurred daily on the bus by an eighth grade girl. She just terrorized me. Again, I tried turning the other cheek. I never told anyone about either of these bullies. I felt embarrassed. I thought something was so terribly wrong with me that kids could not accept me.

Finally one day I couldn’t take anymore. I snapped. I yelled at her on the bus and asked her why she was so mean to me? Was I that ugly? What was her problem? You could have heard a pin drop. The entire bus was silent as the shy girl finally yelled “STOP.” She never bullied me again.

Afterwards I thought why didn’t someone tell me to stand up to a bully? Being sweet and polite or ignoring a bully just did not work.

THE BULLY AT DOGGY DAYCARE gives kids the message that you must confront the bully. You must tell them to stop. It can be a friend like Isla the Chihuahua is to sweet Daisy, the Labrador. I wanted to use the dogs to convey my message to my readers. I felt it would be more entertaining and less threatening . If a Chihuahua can stand up to a large dog like Rosie, a child can stand up to an older student. We need to empower kids by giving them the skills to stop bullying whether it is in school, in the neighborhood , or on social media.