Bullying, bullies, how to cope with bullies? If there is one recurring theme with parents, caregivers, and teachers of children with special needs, it is the problem of bullying. What message do we want to send to our children about bullying and being bullied? Author Howard Binkow’s beloved character, Howard B. Wigglebottom, teaches youngsters strategies to deal with bullies.  Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies by Howard Binkow and illustrations by Susan F. Cornelison is another picture book in the successful Howard B. Wigglebottom series. I highly recommend this book! It is sure to be a hit during story time at school and at bedtime at home. It is a book your family or students will want to listen to often.

About the Story

In this book, Howard, the rabbit, has such bullying problems he cannot fall asleep. A little voice in his head kept repeating, “Be Brave, Be Bold, a teacher must be told.” He was afraid if he told he would be called a tattletale or a snitch. For a long week, Howard used his own tactics to stop the Snorton Twins from bullying him. Nothing worked! The Fist-Punching, Name-Calling, Worm-Whipping, Tongue-Wagging, Foot-Stomping bullying continued. Finally he figured the voice in his head had been right all along. He told his teacher who set things in motion to stop the bullies. Howard felt brave and bold that he had told his teacher. He felt okay. He felt safe as he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

About the Book

Howard Binkow came up with a marvellous story to help kids cope with bullies. Susan F. Cornelison’s illustrations make that story come to life. The large, colourful characters with their comical facial expressions will keep youngsters’ eyes glued to the pages. Independent readers will understand  and enjoy the story much better because of Ms. Cornelison’s creative rendition of the characters.

The Howard B. Wigglebottom series has lots of kid-friendly features that will keep them choosing these books time and time again. Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies is written in a child friendly font just the right size for young readers. Important words are bold and larger and some are in capital letters. For variety and to fit perfectly with the adorable illustrations,  some pages have the text centered instead of always aligned left. There is a good balance between text space and illustrations. The pages are all very eye-catching and well organized for beginner readers. The vocabulary used is appropriate reading for children aged 4 to 8. Here is the text on one page:

“The Snortons felt big and important when they made others feel small and scared. Howard was tired of feeling small and AFRAID all the time.”

Parents and Caregivers can use the suggestions at the end on the “Lessons and Reflections” pages to start discussions  about bullying. The author explains the different ways a child can be bullied. He wants children to know, “Telling is not wrong or bad. It’s the best thing to do! Be SMART, BRAVE and SAFE. Tell a teacher right away.” There are even ideas to encourage children to report bullying.

In Nova Scotia, the Halifax area schools were provided with copies of Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies to encourage students to talk about bullying and strategies they could use if they or someone they know is being bullied.

At the end of the book, to help make our schools safer, teachers, parents, and therapists are invited to share what they do to prevent bullying. These tips will be posted on the existing list of bully resources at www.wedolistem.com  On this site:

• Listen to the Be Brave, Be Bold Song.

• Print bullying guidelines, resources, lessons and posters.

• Enjoy free animated books, games, activities and E Cards.

• Email the author.

Some of the Awards Won by the Howard B. Wigglebottom Series

•  Best Home School Product of the Year for Children Award

• Learning Magazine Teachers’ Choice for Children’s Books Award

• National Parenting Publications Honors Award

• US Booknews.com/ Best Children’s book of the Year Finalist

• Independent Publishers Annual Award Winner

• Art Directors Association of Iowa Award of Excellence

• I Parenting Media Award Winner

• USA Book News Award Finalist; Children’s Picture Book Awards

• Nautilus Book Award Winner

About the Author

Howard Binkow was born in the 1930′s in Detroit, Michigan.  He received a B.A. at the University of Michigan. Mr. Binkow has dedicated his life to helping young children become better listeners, learn important life lessons and feel good about themselves. He is currently living in Sarasota, Florida. He has four children and ten grandchildren. He is  CEO at We Do Listen Foundation. His twitter username is hbwigglebottom.

Read Special Needs Book Review’s interview with Howard Binkow.

Read Special Needs Book Review of Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons: A Fable About Belonging

You can also connect with Howard B. Wigglebottom Books on TWITTER and/or FACEBOOK!

FREE Available at We Do Listen.org are free animated versions of the Howard B. Wigglebottom series of books.

Buy the Books

Folks in the United States can buy books at  We Do Listen.org

Buy  Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons: A Fable About Belonging

Buy Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies  is also found Amazon.com   Amazon.ca and most places books are sold.

Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons: A Fable About Belonging is found Amazon.com  Amazon.ca

The list of  Howard B. Wigglebottom books:
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen (about how to be a better listener)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart (lesson: be yourself)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies (how to deal with bullies)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows (about when parent’s fight)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns It’s OK to Back Away (dealing with anger issues)
Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Monkey on His Back (a tale about telling the truth)
Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Power of Giving: A Christmas Story (the importance of sharing)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad (the importance of moderation)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons (a fable about belonging)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship (lesson: winning isn’t everything)

Related Reviews

• Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons: A Fable About Belonging
• Interview with Susan Diamond: Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed
• We Do Listen Foundation News Spring and Summer 2013 – Howard B. Wigglebottom Series
• I Believe in You: A Mother’s Message to Her Son with Learning Differences