Shoshana Moscovitz

How Eric Stopped Being a Bully Shoshana Moscovitz

Kirkus Reviews -  "A worthwhile attempt to address an important topic."

In How Eric Stopped Being A Bully, you will encounter the same kind of bully you feared in school, but this time, the tables have turned. This insightful book teaches kids about the power they hold within their own hands and encourages them to speak up, tell an adult and communicate their feelings about the bullies bothering them in school.

As the story unfolds, a power failure in the civic library unravels to a series of problems. Some students escape but others are trapped in the dark - Eric, a bully, is one of them. How will the kids resolve this? It will take courage and teamwork to overcome their fear of the bully.

With colorful material and a myriad of insights, this children's book is a powerful symbolism of the simple things that people can do to change the atmosphere of school classrooms, cafeterias and hallways.

Readers will definitely be delighted to find out how all the children worked hand in hand in putting a stop to Eric's bullying ways!

The communication and teamwork between the students, their parents and the school administration is an important element of this story. The book encourages children to communicate about being bullied and to talk with their parents when bullying problems arise.

In the story the kids show remarkable courage and bravery as they try to rescue their friends and to save the bully. It's the children themselves who are the real heroes in this story and they have important lessons to teach us about forgiving a bully.

Not every bully story has such a happy ending. Bullying is a real problem in our schools today. Our kids are faced with bullies from as early as pre-school age. Everyone is worried about it and many initiatives are underway to ensure a bully-free environment for our kids and our schools:

KEY RESOURCES ON BULLYING ISSUES

"Bullying : Facts for schools and parents." Cohn, A. & Canter, A. (2003)
 National Association of School Psychologists
 nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/bullying_fs.aspx

"Big. Bad. Bully." Marano, H. E. (1995)
Psychology Today
psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/big-bad-bully?page=2

"Bully Free Program." Allan L. Beane, PhD (2009)
 bullyfree.com

"Bully Police USA"
 bullypolice.org

"Feeling Safe: What girls say."
Girl Scout Research Institute (2003)
girlscouts.org/research/pdf/feeling_safe.pdf