Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

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.

Reviewed from library copy.