These books about bullying for kids, chosen for National Bullying Prevention Month in October, help toddlers through teens handle bullies and stand up for others.
Physical, relational, cyber — all forms of bullying, all with a dire impact on young people. For 20 years, National Bullying Prevention Month in October has spotlighted bullying as an issue of grave concern.
One in five youngsters report being bullied, according to a study cited by the National Bullying Prevention Center in Minneapolis. Bullying can affect a child’s academic performance, motivation and physical and mental health—as it occurs and even after ending. Less well known is the effect on bystanders. While not targets themselves, they must still navigate a toxic environment and wrestle with feelings of helplessness.
This month highlights the need to “prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion,” says the center’s website, which features resources for educators, parents and other concerned adults.
The center notes that the most common form of bullying is relational: spreading rumors and mocking or excluding others. Cyberbullying is an especially virulent type of relational bullying. Social media and texting can help intensify the attacks, in reach and frequency. And for young people, there is often no respite, what with their near-constant access to cell phones.
Yes, prevention involves recognizing and calling out bullying—but also learning to self-advocate and to prioritize kindness and inclusion. These books model healthy ways of dealing with bullies and of evolving from mere bystander to ally for a bullied child.
Books about bullying for kids up to age 7
Bullying can start at a young age. Effective teachers and caretakers are alert to such behavior and intercede. But what to do when bullying occurs when grown-ups are absent or otherwise engaged? In this rhyming story from the popular Llama Llama series, the titular character demonstrates action a child might take. Gilroy, a young goat, makes fun of the other animal children in the classroom. Teacher quickly sets boundaries: “Calling names is not OK.” But during recess, Gilroy escalates his bullying. He mocks Little Llama and a fellow student, stomps on their toys and pushes. Using Teacher’s earlier words, the children tell Gilroy to stop, that this is not OK. They then walk away and inform Teacher, who removes the little goat from their vicinity but sits calmly beside him as he resets. Gilroy learns to modify his behavior and, with Teacher’s assistance, re-enters the play space. Through this helpful tale, youngsters learn how to behave respectfully and how to self-advocate.
Expressive ink-and-watercolor illustrations show the power of kindness in this wordless picture book. The art depicts Vanessa, shy and uncertain on her first day at a new school. On her solitary walk home, Vanessa is bullied by a tough boy her age—an interaction noticed by another girl. That night the girl wonders what she might do, how she might be more than a bystander. The next morning, she goes to Vanessa’s house and invites the new student to walk to school with her. As they travel, increasing numbers of children join them — talking, laughing and inadvertently keeping the bully from further intimidating Vanessa. There is strength not only in numbers but in simple acts of kindness. Back matter discusses how children “might help someone who is being bullied” and adults might further explore the story with them.
Never miss a weekend.
Get next weekend’s guide delivered to your inbox before Friday. Free family events, local picks and things to do across DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, curated for busy parents. Sign up today
Just Kidding
By Trudy Ludwig
Illustrations by Adam Gustavson
Tricycle Press/Random House, 2006, $15.95
This classic offers sage advice for youngsters ages 5 to 11 who are being verbally bullied through teasing. Vince frequently taunts D.J. and doesn’t stop even when D.J. tells him to or leaves the situation, visibly upset. Vince’s response is “I was just kidding,” but D.J. feels the cutting edge of Vince’s mean jokes. Talking and role playing with his dad and older brother prepare D.J. to deal with his bully and to reach out to a trusted adult. And he takes decisive action when Vince begins to bully another boy. This thoughtful, nuanced book includes a foreward for adults by bullying prevention consultant Stan Davis on how to listen to and respond to a bullied child. Backmatter written for young people lists “Teasing Do’s and Don’ts” and helpful resources.
In this sensitive, award-winning book, Zahra enjoys helping Kyle, a friendly boy with disabilities. She appreciates his generous spirit and sense of humor. But when two schoolmates shame her for her kind actions, Zahra distances herself from Kyle. She no longer wants to be associated with a kid whom others label as weird. Later, when she wants to apologize and resume the friendship, it is too late. She has moved to a different school. Because she cannot make amends directly to Kyle, Zahra decides she will reach out to others who may be new or need help. For this story, the first-person point of view is an especially powerful perspective. Young readers are in Zahra’s head, experiencing her emotions and privy to her decision-making process. As with the great classic “Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson, readers know what the unkind protagonists are thinking and feeling and witness up close the hurtful impact of their choices. In this way, young readers are encouraged to ask themselves: What might I do in a similar situation? How might I try to make amends?
Books about bullying for Tweens
Winner of a 2022 Printz Honor, this moving novel in verse follows Ellie, who is fat-shamed at home and school. Through therapy, though, and with the support of her father and a new friend, Ellie begins to face down the bullies. She learns to advocate for herself, refusing to meekly accept the strictures of her critical mother and pediatrician. Slowly, she starts to question the rules she has internalized, rules about minimizing herself, physically and emotionally. Author Lisa Fipps based this book on her own childhood experiences, and young people and adults alike will empathize with Ellie and cheer her hard-won victories.
Books about bullying for Teens
Set in Virginia, by Virginia native A.E. Kaplan, this coming-of-age novel has heart as well as humor. Tom Grendel has had enough! The quiet 17-year-old protagonist is fed up with the late-night partying of his teen neighbors. (Their mother is off on an extended journalism assignment.) Even though the noise triggers his PTSD-suffering vet father, the neighbors refuse to tone it down. Their stubbornness soon escalates to bullying, but Tom fights back with an arsenal of pranks. Kaplan cleverly modernizes and upends a classic text—the Old English “Beowulf”—making the original monster, Grendel, into sympathetic first-person narrator Tom. You needn’t be familiar with the source material to appreciate this lively novel, but the curious might check out Seamus Heaney’s robust translation (1999) and John Gardner’s poignant re-imagining “Grendel” (1971).
Mary Quattlebaum lives in Washington, DC and is the author of 30 award-winning children’s books, most recently “Queen Elizabeth II,” an early reader biography. She teaches in the graduate program in writing for children at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a popular school and conference speaker. maryquattlebaum.com
