Just Kidding

by: Trudy Ludwig; illustrations by Adam Gustavson

Published by: Tricycle Press

Reviewed by Amy L. Loos

In Just Kidding, author Trudy Ludwig addresses the painful topic of teasing and peer exclusion.

How does a child handle teasing when the laughter stops and hurt feelings begin? This is exactly what D.J. must face when his friend Vince takes teasing too far. First it begins with Vince calling D.J. a loser, but then escalates the teasing by making fun of D.J. in front of their soccer teammates. The final straw comeswhen Vince moves from verbal taunting to physical harassment on the school bus. Feeling angry and frustrated, D.J. turns to his dad for help.

With coaching from his dad and brother, D.J. learns to diffuse Vince's attacks with humor and non-rebuttal. His dad reminds him that, "You can't say or do anything mean back to the teaser." But when those skills don't work, D.J.'s dad addresses the problem with his teacher, which ultimately causes Vince to meet with the school counselor in order to address the problem of bullying his classmates.

As a mother I've seen and heard the taunts that children use against one another. Too many times I've heard parents tell their crying child to "deal with it" or to "just ignore whoever is bothering you", but that advice doesn't lend itself to resolving the issue at hand. In fact, more times than not, children who tease, only increase their taunts when they're ignored

As parents and educators, it is important that we listen to the children in our lives and step in to protect them when others are abusive and purposefully hurtful. There is never an excuse for bullying and our children should not be taught to ignore or tolerate this behavior from others.

If you want an excellent book that addresses this sticky topic, I highly recommend Just Kidding. This straightforward story will open the door to the world of teasing, enabling parents and teachers to help put a stop to this negative behavior.

Armchair Interviews says: The skill sets shared in this book will help empower our children to interact with each other in a fun, caring and compassionate manner