Bully

by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Bully doesn't have a kind word for any of his friends. When the other animals ask him to play, he responds in the way he's been taught:

Chicken! Slow poke! You stink! Laura Vaccaro Seeger's bold, graphic artwork, along with her spare but powerful words, make for a tender, hilarious, and thoughtful tale.

A Neal Porter Book

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction, Storytime, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2013

About the author

Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honors for both 2009 and 2008, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book. Her books include First the Egg, The Hidden Alphabet, and Dog and Bear, among others.

Raised on Long Island, New York, Seeger began drawing at two years old and never stopped. For as long as she remembers, she wanted to write picture books. She received her B.F.A. degree at the School of Fine Art and Design at SUNY Purchase in Westchester, New York, and then moved to Manhattan, where she worked as an animator, artist, and editor in the network television business.

Seeger lives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, with her husband, Chris, their two sons, Drew and Dylan, and their dog, Copper. She loves painting, surfing, tennis, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. She takes long walks at the beach every day and paints in her studio every night.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/laurav...

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeger has created a very different style of book from her recent Green and First the Egg. Here there is a bull who doesn’t know how to make friends. He’s been bullied by the other bulls and when asked to play by some other animals responds in the same way. He puffs himself up and calls them all names until one little goat stands up to him and calls him a bully. Then he realizes the way that he’s been acting. He returns to his regular size, no longer puffed up and cruel, and apologizes to them. Luckily, they are still willing to play with him.

Still done in her ultra-simple style, this book has only a few words. Most of the bullying is conveyed by the artwork and the bull’s posture and size. He becomes so dominant on the page while he is bullying others that it is impossible to see anything but him. The illustrations are done in flat color and thick lines with handmade paper as the background.

Really capturing the feel when you are being bullied, this book also shows that if you are bullying others, you can self-correct and still be friends. The simple style and direct message make this more appropriate for very young children ages 2-4.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cycle of bullying starts on the endpapers in which the bull that becomes the book's main character is shunned by another bull. The bull then turns on a group of smaller animals that invite him to play. When a brave goat calls it like she sees it, the bull changes his tune.

A simple story that uses artwork to effectively convey the feelings that accompany bullying. The way the bull increases in size as his words become louder and the animals become more meek really affected me. This is a must read for PreK-2.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do young bullies really know that they are bullying? In this very simple picture book, the little bull is mean to other animals, calling them names, until the goat steps up and calls him a bully - twice. After he thinks about it, he apologizes and all is forgiven. A very clear cut message for the youngest readers.

Themes: bullying/name calling, bystanders can make a difference, forgiveness,

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bully doesn't have a kind word to say to his friends when they ask him to play. Chicken! (to the chicken) Slow poke! (to the turtle) Pig! (to the pig). Goat decides to stand up to Bully and Bully realizes he's being mean to his friends.

I liked it, didn't love it.

[Valerie Barnhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening: We have been discussing social situations that deal with "above the line" and "below the line" behaviors. As the title indicates, this book is about a bully. Let's see how the bull feels about his behaviors.(discuss behaviors that are considered bullying) Do you like your name? (pause) Have you ever been called a name that you didn't like? (pause) Share with your table partner about how name calling can make you feel.

What is the complication in this story? What problem does the bull face? How could you react when someone calls you a name? As we read the book, what changes do you see in the way the characters are pictured? Are these changes typical of a bully? How do these pictures show us the changes in our characters? In this book, the writer uses other elements to show the feelings of the characters. The amount of actual words in the book is very few. What other elements of the story show the feelings of the characters?

Opening Moves: Ask students to think about the writer's style and typical theme, draw attention to the writer's or illustrator's craft, "What happens to the bull as he calls others names?", invite personal connections, prompt sharing of personal experiences with bullying, develop the skill of finding story elements in the story (such as climax & complications).

The book gives excellent visuals for students who are lower level readers. The students came make associations from the size of the bull and other characters in the book to how they feel. This fits my groups of lower level readers perfectly. They can associate with the name calling because many times they are ones who are called names for their disabilities. How did that make them feel? I would also want them to see that the power is shifted at the end of the book. The bully feels insecure, friendless, and has no power when the others walk away. The book fits the text set and would be a great addition for the lower level students to have an active part in reading with the class.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two-page spread before the title page really summed up the whole book--bullying hurts. I started to feel depressed just looking at the sad face of the little bull. The rest of the book, however, points out another fact about bullying--people who are bullied can become bullies themselves in order to make themselves feel better and/or to make others feel as bad as they do. Seeger tells this story very effectively with facial expressions, body language, and few words. The book gets the message across with a punch, and, fortunately, ends with good feelings. All ages will get the message here. Highly recommended!

[Becky Shaknovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny! Very few words in this book, but the tone is implied from the characters' facial expressions. Interesting mixed media illustrations!

This is a good concrete example of bullying happeneing because the bully doesn't feel good about themself. Also illustrates (no pun intended) for children how we can sometimes take things out on someone else, when that someone else has nothing to do with our bad feelings... and teaches the right thing to do when this does happen (Be sorry; Say you're sorry).

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooh, a first rating. This story is about a bull who bullies the other barnyard animals. Eventually said bully is called out by an assertive goat, the animals are quick to forgive, and all turns out well in the end. While this story just wasn’t it for me (it is *very* sparse on text, told entirely through 1-word speech bubbles), it seemed to speak to my 4-y.o. on a visceral level, and he insisted I read it twice, so it has earned its 3 stars.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple picture book for young readers about bullying, standing up for others and forgiveness. Kids love to read and respond to situations that are unfair; since most of them have had their own experiences where they felt they were treated unfairly. Parents and educators can open the door to this important topic very easily with this story.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple book about bullying.... I like that Bully is a bull and he doesn't really know he is being a bully until it is pointed out to him, then he says sorry. I like that part. Most bullying books are about how to deal with bullies, this book is for kids who ARE bullies! Very easy to read! Good message!

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shall I admit that this book made me get a bit teary while I read it in my office? It's just kind of a perfect little gem, where everything comes together and everything is perfectly planned and it's just so cute! The emotions that she manages to convey in her relatively simple art amazes me.

[Franki Sibberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the word play/choice in this one and how the tone made all the difference. Great for beginning of the year conversations.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using interesting visuals, and ordinary name-calling (like "chicken" for a chicken) this is a powerful picture book about bullying. The tides are turned on the bully when a goat finds his voice!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for young kiddos to teach about bullies and kindness.

[Nicole Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bull with an attitude. He is rude to other animals and the animals are scared of him. One of the animals calls him a bully and it makes him think about how he is acting. He decides to say sorry and asked if they can play. Cute book to teach about being nice to others.

[Brandi M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Opening: Today we are going to read a book called Bully. I want you to look at the cover and think about what we will be reading in the text. Would anyone like to share their book prediction with the class?

We will be reading about a bull who acts like a bully. This text has very few words, but contains illustrations that add to the meaning of the text. I want you to notice the illustrations and how they change throughout the book.

One thing we will be discussing during reading is how to make inferences. An inference is when we put information from the text together with information in our heads in order to form an idea about someone or something. As we read Bully, we will stop and discuss how we think the characters are feeling based on the text, illustrations, and your own experiences.

2. Opening Moves: Prompt predictions based on title, draw attention to the writer's or illustrator's craft, guide students to use a particular strategy: making inferences

3. Rationale: I had some issues with students being mean to one another this past year and would like to begin next year discussing bullying and acceptance of others. This picture book is simplistic in nature but lends itself to deeper connections as students make inferences about how each character feels throughout. I would use this book with my students to allow them to make inferences about how bullying makes everyone involved feel and this would help me introduce the topic. This story also supports my district curriculum as it lends itself to making inferences which is a comprehension strategy we teach.

4. (2013, July 11). Horn Book Magazine. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#

[Tammi Peterman]

Opening: The book we are going to read today is Bully. Take a look at the cover what do you think this book is going to be about? [children respond]

Look at the bull's face on the cover what does it tell you about the bull? [children respond]. Let’s take a look at the end paper which is a blank or decorated paper at the beginning or end of a book. Now we have 2 bulls with very different facial expressions. What do you think is going to happen? [children respond]

Let’s listen to the story to find out what happens to Bully. Pay close attention to the facial expressions on each character as we read and we will discuss them as we read. Also pay close attention to the bull and how he changes throughout the book.

Opening Moves:Asks children to think what the text will be about, Draws attention to illustrations

Rationale: I selected this book because it is a great introduction to bullying. While most students should be aware of what bullying is this book does a great job of illustrating how bullying in its simplest form can effect people. The piece does not get too specific about the various kinds of bullying such as cyber bullying, emotional bullying etc. but it serves as a great introduction to make students aware of bullying and how it can make people feel. The illustrations really make this peace powerful because they really show that name calling can really hurt someone's feelings. This is a great piece to introduce the bullying theme to students.

[Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sparse text (a mere 18 words with a few that repeat) mix with bold effective art to explore the complex issues of bullying, taunting, standing up for others and forgiveness.

I must say that I really appreciated the attention that was put into the book design. Having the bullying start on the endpapers gives the reader the context in which to place the bull that becomes the book's main character (in the end pages he is bullied/shunned by another bull). During the pages of the book, this same bull does unto others what was done to himself - he turns on the group of smaller animals who invite him to play. The way the bull increases in size as his words become louder and the animals become more meek is quite affective. Finally, he meets his match in a brave goat, who calls the bull on being a bully, which deflates the bull. The bull returns to his normal size, reflects and ends up asking the other animals to play.

The simple story uses artwork (bold black lines and flat colors define the images of the animals, which stand out against the textured, ivory-toned backgrounds) to effectively convey the feelings that accompany bullying.

(Pre K-Grade 3)

[Mercedes Enciso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeger, L. (2013). Bully. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

The book Bully is about a young bull who was told to go away by bigger, older bulls. Hurt, the younger bull started responding the same way when other farm animals asked him if he would like to play. “Slowpoke!” he would yell to the turtle. With each insult that the young bull gave, the bigger and scarier he would get. That is until, the goat stands up to the bull and calls him a bully. It is then that the young bull realizes the goat is right and, so he apologizes and returns to his normal size. I thought this book had a fun way of showing good reasons not to bully your peers. This book is a great way to teach children to be nice and give compliments instead of insults. It introduces bullying at a young age and shows that bullying is never okay. In the classroom, you can have children write one positive thing about their classmates and hand them the compliment.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's modern, stylized illustrations capture the emotions of the young animals involved perfectly. Readers will empathize with the little bull as he's rejected by his parents, and may understand why he passes on his hurt to others. What they may not understand is why he changes his behavior. In a book with so few words (there are more in this review's first sentence than in the entire book), each one has to count, so when the little goat responds to the bull's insults by calling him a bully it could be taken to mean that he called him on his behavior, or it could be taken to mean, "insult back". This is clearly intended to be a launching pad for discussion about bullying with young children, so that ambiguity could be ok, but it could also be dangerous.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's always a reason behind bullying, and this book not only shows how one bull's mistreatment of another causes him to make fun of the other animals but also shows the consequences of being mean and hurting others. As a rabbit, chicken, and turtle offer to play with the bull who's been rejected by another bull, he refuses and calls them names. Each page shows him growing in size as he picks on all the nearby animals. When a goat finally calls him on his bullying behavior, he has a great awakening about his actions and makes a change. I really enjoyed this simple but effective story that would be a perfect way to introduce a class discussion on bullying. I also liked how the animals are all forgiving of the bull and still willing to play.

[Pita-eater · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I thought, "Oh, a bull that's a bully -- cute." (Plus, the author's second name - Vaccaro - reminded me of the Latin word for cow - vacca. She must know something about cows, eh? This should be a good read.) Then, I opened the book and proceeded to read one of the most vapid children's book ever. It's not often that I wish I could unread a book, but this is one of them. The story is simplified so much that there is no plot left. And, there is no explanation for why the animals would forgive the bully for being so cruel to them, let alone any consequences. What a waste.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that everyone is writing something about bullies. Although this is brightly illustrated with few words, it teaches a good point. A bull-y runs around calling other animals names when they offer to play—a pig is a “pig”, a turtle is a “slowpoke”, and a chicken is a “chicken”, a goat finally stands its ground and calls the bull a BULLY! The bull-y backs down, seeming to realize that it’s being a bully by its actions and everyone is much happier. The book will start many conversations I would imagine, about how easy it might be to fall into the bully trap, and how easy it might be if one stood up and said, “don’t do that” to a bully. I liked it.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This simple story shows how bullying might get started. Bull is told to "GO AWAY!" by a bigger bull, so he turns around and starts bullying Rabbit, Chicken, and Turtle when they ask him to play. Fun word play ensues as Bully insults each animal according to their characteristics. When they all DO go away, Bull feels badly. Kids will laugh at the humor, but will understand the implications of bullying. Good conversation starter for the beginning of the year for young children. This is my last summer #bookaday!

[babyhippoface · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm in the minority, but I wasn't impressed with Seeger's newest book. It just seemed...a little too obvious, maybe. It's not really didactic, but it's certainly not subtle. But then again, perhaps her intended audience is PreK and Kindergartners? That's the only group I can think might like it without seeing it as just too "in their face" with its message. A teachers of kids that age could probably lead a pretty good guided discussion about it.

[Great Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a larger bull yells at brown bull, he takes his upset out on the other farm animals driving them away by shouting and name calling. Goat calls him on his behavior in this thoughtful tale with minimal words. When brown bull calms down, he apologizes for his behavior and rejoins his friends. Reviewer 5.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bully is a bull, the name calling is calling a pig a pig, a chicken chicken, telling a skunk he stinks. The simple text and bold colorful artwork would work well with opening a discussion with the toddler set about name calling and being mean. The fact that the bullying is so easily remedied is the stuff of fantasy and older kids who know real bullies will find it too young.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GREAT little book! The eye-catching illustrations and sparse wording would make for a great discussion starter for preschoolers who may need to talk about bullying (what it looks like, how it hurts others, and why not to). The play on words here is cute, and I think this book is definitely worth of the pre-K shelf.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good place to start a conversation about bullying and I like the "choose kind" message. However, when our counselors discuss bullying with our students, they emphasize that bullying involves repeated statements or acts.

[Michelle Nero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...was hoping for more of a story, but I guess simplicity will have to do. Not sure how easy it is to call out a "bully" and for that "bully" to turn around and understand his hurtful choices. Still need to ponder this one . . .