Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Book Review: Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully

Book Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Rating: ★★ ★   

Synopsis:

Freckleface Strawberry loves the Early Bird program at school because it means extra time on the playground–except when it rains. Rain means indoor playtime...and facing the school bully Windy Pants Patrick in a bruising game of dodgeball. Ignoring him seems the safest thing, but what's our freckled heroine to do when she's forced to confront the bully alone? Beat him at his own game, of course. A funny, inspiring story about an all-too-common problem that kids, parents, and teachers will easily relate to.

Review: 

I picked Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully up at the half off sale day at Goodwill. (You don't have time to read books at a store, especially on that day.) I thought the drawings were cute and that it would go well with a bullying unit or if the subject should arise in my future classroom. Today I sat down and read the books. The drawings continued to be cute and the writing wasn't terrible. I liked that the book made going to school and going to before school programs sound like fun and not like something a child should dread. Freckleface Strawberry has a few problems that kids can identify with. Some kids are scared and hate dodgeball, something I believe they shouldn't be forced into playing. She also is afraid of a kid because the kid is a "bully" and throws too hard. (I'm not entirely sure if that qualifies him as a bully or an over zealous boy. We all know those boys who throw too hard and they don't do it to be mean.)

However, Freckleface is forced to confront her fears, and by confront I mean cower on the ground. She finds out that it doesn't hurt that much, which is slightly contradictory to the fact that the kids who do play are scared of him when they get out and this is repeated every day they play. From that we'd take it that he always throws hard, unless he took pity on poor Freckleface Strawberry.

Overall, the drawings are cute and it might be a book children enjoy. While I say let kids enjoy it, I also say that it doesn't really have a teachable plot or lesson hidden within. It's slightly disappointing that she didn't have a real chance to address the bully and to stand up for herself.

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