All About Bullying

This 'Little Wise Guide', written by a primary headteacher with 30 years' experience of helping troubled children, will support 7-year-olds and upwards in dealing not only with bullying, but also with the wider issue of misunderstanding due to lack of communication. 'Bully' and 'victim' are emotive labels that help no one, and much emphasis is given to a simple but effective concept of 'pats and zaps' -- positive and negative supporters of self-esteem. The importance of communication gives rise to the memorable (if twee) phrase 'Pats and chats stop zaps'. An interesting 'woolly ball' image is used to indicate that bullying is a complex situation in which people and their emotions become tangled and muddled -- like wool after a kitten has played with it. Some of the stories used to illustrate these muddles become a little tangled themselves, but emotional conflict within groups is like that. A 10-point plan for parents and black and white illustrations that make plain the feelings involved add to the usefulness of the book.