A Boy, his Bear and a Bully

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       October 7, 2021

 

Author  Katie Flannigan. Illustrations PJ Reece

Distributor:      EK Books
ISBN:                 9781925820898
Publisher:         Exisle Publishing/EK Books
Release Date:   September 2021  

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The front cover of A Boy, His Bear and a Bully shows a small boy bending over his teddy. Behind him looms a menacing figure of a much larger boy complete with skull and crossbones on his shirt. This sets the tone for the story. Open the cover and the end pages are black, with some scary images.

The story begins on a cheerful note, showing Scott and his bear, Buttons. They are off to school. Buttons helps Scott to feel brave. Scott’s friend Rosie is shy, and both are afraid of Duncan. Duncan is just mean. He tears paintings and teases the children. Oh dear! Buttons has gone missing, and Scott is worried about him. What will it take for Scott to face Duncan and ask for his teddy? Well, perhaps the dress up day at school will help.

Scott is not sure what it will take to “Find his brave.” For many children this becomes an issue. Finding the right words to use and the confidence to face up to a bully is hard. For Scott, wearing a dinosaur costume helped. He was able to shout, “Stop Duncan, I don’t like it!” With a little teacher intervention, the situation was saved.

Action must be taken in situations like A Boy, His Bear and a Bully. The more discussions we have about unfriendly behaviour with children, the more they will be able to assess a situation and behave appropriately. Bullying is not acceptable at any age.