Review by Booklist Review
First-grader Jessica is a worrier, and her biggest worry is the class bully, Brenda, who makes fun of how she looks and what she does. All alone in the cafeteria, Jessica comes close to tears, and at home she cannot sleep. Then a classmate and her friends support Jessica and tell her to stand up to the bully, and Jessica talks it all over with her mom. What should she do? Tell the teacher? Mock the bully? Finally, she does stand up to Brenda, who slinks away. The book's title is an overstatement, and the solution may be a bit simple; if only handling bullies was always so easy. But the universal scenario will open up discussion and encourage kids to develop coping strategies. With simple dialogue and big, ink-and-watercolor cartoon-style illustrations, this book captures the drama and familiar feelings sadness, loneliness, fear, and sometimes triumph that come with facing up to bullies.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Jessica, who first appeared in Margaret Cuyler's 100th Day Worries (2000) and Hooray for Reading Day (2008) is back in this new episode (2010, all S & S) in Jessica the Worrier series. In this story, the girl's worries are exacerbated by Brenda the Bully, a jealous classmate who berates Jessica whenever she does something well. Jessica takes the teasing to heart, changing her clothes, hiding her homework, quitting kickball, even eating alone to avoid criticism. The constant worry affects Jessica's sleep and causes her to feign illness to skip school. At her mother's urging, Jessica tells the teacher about her bullying problem, and Brenda calls Jessica a tattletale. The solution to the problem comes from Jessica's new friend, who tells her that people need to stand up to bullies. Jessica finds the courage to say that "bullies never win!" The fact that this causes Brenda to back off seems somewhat implausible, but it is only one of several solutions that are presented to deal with bullying. Cuyler introduces the video, confesses to being bullied, and advises youngsters to seek the help of adults if Jessica's solution doesn't work for them. Arthur Howard's charming watercolor illustrations come to life in close-ups and panning that create a sense of movement. Randye Kaye's fine narration gives each character an age-appropriate voice. The teacher's guide offers a brief summary, objectives, and questions for discussion. Jessica's experience will generate some good conversations about bullying.-MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Jessica the worrier, star of three previous books, is back. This time she's fretting about Brenda, a bully who teases her and calls her "Toothpick." She's intimidated for a while, but one day she answers back--"Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win!"--and Brenda is rendered speechless. The expressive illustrations underscore Jessica's transformation from slumped and discouraged to jaunty and confident. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Worrier Jessica's previous problems with finding 100 things, remembering fire-safety rules and reading aloud all seem trivial in the face of Brenda Bailey, the bully of the first grade (Hooray for Reading Day, 2008, etc.). The quintessential girl bully, "perfect" Brenda doesn't steal or fightshe teases and belittles. Downtrodden Jessica changes everything about herself to try to get Brenda to stop. Ignoring her doesn't work, and the threat of telling the teacher only provokes the moniker of tattletale. In the end, Jessica comes up with a reply that she hopes will put an end to the abuse. While readers do not find out if Brenda has been defeated, it is plain that Jessica's actions have boosted her self-confidence. Howard's pen, ink and watercolor illustrations masterfully capture Brenda's "perfection," including the ugly face of jealousy and meanness that she so often exhibits. Body language speaks volumesas Brenda heaps on the abuse, Jessica seems almost to shrink. With messages on many different levels for both the bully and the bullied, this has a home on library shelves. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
