Bullied provides a positive message and a hope for school-aged children.
Billy and Bella are a couple of typical school bullies. They relentlessly pick on anyone different than them, including foreigners and a boy that they taunt is “like a girl.” As the story progresses, it shows how the once bullied students make a success of their lives beyond the walls of the school.
The opening page of Bullied provides a definition of bullying. The book itself, however, dynamically illustrates bullying in a manner that a dictionary never could. The variety of students being tormented conveys many of the elements most commonly exploited by bullies, and anyone who has ever faced being mocked by a bully can certainly relate to at least one of them. The bullies’ words and actions are delivered in an impactful manner. For example, there is a girl that wears second-hand clothes, and Bella throws rags on her and laughs, “Oh look– your favorite brand!” The illustrations enhance the emotions of the students and situations. While a couple of the pages show the extremely dire consequences that bullying can have on others, overall the book has a positive message. The students that stay true to themselves find success in their lives, and even the bullies eventually have a delightfully unexpected change in their perspectives.
Scott Langteau brings attention to an important topic in a way that truly has the ability to improve, and possibly even save, young, fragile lives. Using emotive examples, Bullied provides a positive message and a hope for school-aged children that are persecuted for nothing more than simply being themselves.
