Milwaukee Public Library
  Empty gray box
Search for: in:
 
Giraffe image copyright 2005 by Lois EhlertDealing With Bullies
As part of The Bully Project by Fox6 WITI Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Public Library has compiled a list of resources to help children, parents and teachers understand and address bullying. Please see The Bully Project for more information on the FOX6 project.
Facts | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Parents & Teachers

Facts About Bullying
  • Bullies will not go away if you ignore them.
  • If you do nothing about bullies, nothing will change.
  • “Kids being kids” is not an excuse for bullying behavior.
  • Silence sanctions the behavior.
  • Being bullied should not be an accepted childhood experience.
  • If you do not get involved, you become part of the problem.
Stories to Start a Good Discussion

Don't Sit on My Lunch! by Abby Klein.
When first-grader Freddy decides to try out for peewee hockey, his archenemy and school bully, Max, decides to also try out for the one slot left on the team.

Benjamin and the Word by Daniel A. Olivas (Spanish).
When Benjamin beats his friend James at handball, James calls him a name that hurts his feelings, Benjamin's father helps him sort out his feelings and figure out why James might have used the word.

The Ant Bully by John Nickle.
Lucas wears funny glasses and a strange hat, and the neighborhood bully is really mean to him. So Lucas bullies the ants, until they teach Lucas a lesson.

Bully by Judith Caseley.
Jack has begun picking on the kids at the playground and breaking their things. When Mickey talks to his father about the abuse, Dad tells him to use brave words like—“Stop! You’re hurting me!” Unfortunately this doesn’t work, but Mickey comes up with his own solution.

Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story About Bullying by Becky Ray McCain.
A bully on the playground is stopped by brave kids and caring adults.

The Wimp by Kathy Caple.
Clyde and Watson rip up Arnold’s homework, get him in trouble with the librarian and make Arnold’s life miserable, until Arnold reveals the real troublemakers to the principal.

Stories for older kids to learn from, identify with and enjoy.

A Goal in Sight
by Jacqueline Guest.
Aiden, having developed a reputation for being an enforcer both on and off the hockey rink, learns the value of controlling his anger when his bullying goes too far.

Blubber by Judy Blume.
After Linda gives her report on whales, the 5th graders start calling her “Blubber.” Then Wendy comes up with a How to Have Fun With Blubber list. Jill joins in on the mean pranks, until Wendy turns on Jill.

Jake Drake, Bully Buster by Andrew Clements.
Jake wonders why if everyone who works at school is so smart, how come they can’t get rid of bullies? Then Jake comes up with a solution which turns the Superbully into a regular kid.

Dear God, Help! Love Earl by Barbara Parks.
Earl’s been paying Eddie McFee a dollar a week so he won’t beat him up. He’s down to his last dollar and desperate for a way to escape Eddie’s fists. Then his friends come up with a very unique solution.

Informational books and videos offer new ideas, explanations and solutions to problems.

Kelly Bear Teaches About Bullying (Video & DVD).
Kelly Bear shows children that bullying is not only physical intimidation, but teasing, name-calling, gossiping, and excluding children from groups.

Bullying, Teasing and Put Downs: What Victims can Do (Video & DVD).
Raises questions for children about bullies and their victims, and provides tools for kids to handle bullying behavior in a safe and effective way.

Bullies are a Pain in the Brain by Trevor Romain (also on DVD).
Offers kids practical, easy-to-implement solutions for dealing with their own bully problems, such as work on building your confidence, staying calm, giving bullies lots of space, telling an adult, and more.

Bully Smart. Video.
The video demonstrates a variety of techniques to defend against bullying, using real kids as examples. Self esteem and confidence boosters are also demonstrated.

How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Laurie Krasny Brown & Marc Brown.
Simple text and lots of pictures show the many ways to find friends, make friends, and be a good friend to others.

Learning How to Appreciate Differences by Susan Kent.
Although the points are obvious—everyone is different, variety is a good thing, respect others, don’t ridicule strange customs, enjoy uniqueness—it never hurts to review and discuss them with children.

We Can Get Along: A Child’s Book of Choices by Lauren Murphy Payne.
A psychotherapist shares some simple suggestions on conflict resolution and peaceful behaviors.

Yikes! : A Smart Girl’s Guide to Surviving Tricky, Sticky, Icky Situations the editors of American Girl.
Provides techniques for dealing with embarrassing or frightening situations like forgetting your lines on stage or being threatened by a bully.

Books for Teachers and Parents

A Teachers Guide to Stick Up for Yourself!: A 10 Part Course in Self-esteem and Assertiveness for Kids by Gershen Kaufman.
Simple words and real-life examples teach assertiveness, responsibility, relationship skills, choice making, problem solving, goal setting, anger management, and more.

Tony Gonzalez: Catch & Connect by Tony Gonzalez.
From conquering a fear of bullying to building deep relationships with his extended family and civic communities, Tony demonstrates the power of recognizing and acting on what’s really important in life.

“Words Will Never Hurt Me”: Helping Kids Handle Teasing, Bullying and Putdowns by Sally Ogden.
Learn practical and fun methods to teach kids to handle situations that used to make them feel stressed and inadequate.

Emily Breaks Free by Linda Talley.
While on her daily walk, Emily goes along when Spike bullies a dog visiting from Georgia, until a more considerate dog named Emerson helps her realize that bullying is no fun.

Girl Wars: 12 Strategies That Will End Female Bullying by Cheryl Dellasega and Charisse Nixon.
Gossip, teasing, forming cliques, and other cruel behaviors are the basis of this bullying, which harms both victim and aggressor. Experts explain not only how to prevent such behavior, but also how to intervene should it happen, as well as how to overcome the culture that breeds it.

Don't be a Bully, Billy!: A Cautionary Tale by Phil Roxbee Cox.
Billy bullies his classmates, Lucy tells her family lies and Jack takes whatever he wants. See what happens to each of them in these amusing cautionary tales that warn of the perils of behaving badly.

Bully Proofing Your Child: A Parents Guide by Carla Garrity.
Help your child develop an effective personalized strategy for dealing with bullying to reduce the chances of him or her becoming a target for bullies.

Bully Proofing Your School: A Comprehensive Approach for Middle Schools by Marla Bonds & Sally Stoker.
A team of educators, psychologists and social workers have developed this comprehensive program designed to make the school environment safe for children both physically and psychologically.

Betty Stops the Bully by Lawrence E. Shapiro.
Nobody likes to be bullied or teased. Many children, like Betty, don't know how to make it stop. This story suggests sensible things to do when confronted by a bully.

And Words Can Hurt Forever: How to Protect Adolescents From Bullying, Harassment, and Emotional Violence by James Garbarino.
Using interviews with students and educators, the authors address a range of social problems including teasing, racial bigotry, rejection, and bullying facing today’s youth.

Bullies & Victims: Helping Your Child Survive the Schoolyard Battlefield by SuEllen Fried.
A thorough analysis of peer abuse among children that examines different types of abuse and suggests solutions.

Bullies: From the Playground to the Boardroom: Strategies for Survival by Jane Middelton-Moz.
Through interviews with bullies of all ages and with the people they’ve bullied, the authors suggest strategies to cope with bullying situations and avoid them altogether.

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Pre-School to High School: How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence by Barbara Coloroso.
An extremely helpful book describing a range of methods that parents and educators can use to identify bullying behavior and deal with it effectively.

Cliques: 8 Steps to Help Your Child Survive the Social Jungle by Charlene C. Giannetti.
Examines the subtle but powerful influence that peer pressure can have on children and offers parents ways to help their kids whether they are bullies, victims or observers.

Good Friends are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make and Keep Friends by Fred Frankel.
Ideas are presented for identifying and coping with teasing, bullying, meanness and stormy relationships.

Mom, They're Teasing Me: Helping Your Child Solve Social Problems by Michael Thompson.
A sensitive and straightforward book that focuses on the complex dynamics of social interactions and how parents can help children deal with social problems such as friendship skills, tattletales, racial bigotry and bullying.

Odd Girl Out: the Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons.
In a detailed portrait of girls’ bullying, the author states that the restraints society imposes on girls to vent their feelings leads to backbiting, exclusion, rumors and name-calling.

Small Criminals Among Us: How to Recognize and Change Children's Antisocial Behavior--Before They Explode by Gad Czudner.
Czudner helps parents detect anti-social behaviors in their children and gives preventive strategies.

Sticks and Stones: 7 Ways Your Child Can Deal With Teasing, Conflict, and Other Hard Times by Scott Cooper.
An introduction to methods and exercises that parents can use to coach children in how to deal with teasing.

Your Child: Bully or Victim?: Understanding and Ending School Yard Tyranny by Peter L. Sheras.
Reviews basic concepts related to aggression and the dynamics of a wide range of childhood abuse from physical and verbal harassment to online “flaming” and lists strategies to use against bullying.

 
© Milwaukee Public Library 814 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233 (414) 286-3000 | City of Milwaukee |
 To report technical difficulties with this Web site contact:
webmaster@mpl.org