Illustrator: Andy Hoang
Category: Children's fiction, 24 pages
Genre: Education, Social Skills & School Life
About the Book
Sophia experiences verbal and social (also referred to as relational) bullying from her classmates during recess. Whenever Sophia attempts to play with a group of students from her fourth-grade class, she is rejected; Amber also calls her an inappropriate name. Only when Sophia takes action by confronting her bully with a letter does her victimization finally end. Want to know what Sophia was being called and how her classmates treated her? Read Sophia Writes to Her Bully and find out what her letter is all about!
Social exclusion is a form of bullying experienced by some children. When it occurs, they feel isolated, alone, and humiliated. It is important for parents to be informed and talk with their children about all types of bullying (e.g., verbal, physical, social/relational, and cyberbullying) so they are better equipped to intervene or prevent their child from bullying others or being a victim of bullying.
My Review
Sophia Writes to Her Bully is Very Simplistic. With easy to read pages and colorful illustrations, the author offers a complicated message in simple terms for families to discuss. While the bullying that Sophia endures is presented simply and straightforwardly--and a positive resolution comes quickly and easily--there is a larger message for families: bullying needs to be confronted. For families seeking to introduce a form of bullying--and a possible solution to the problem--this book is great option for that. Unfortunately, I felt a little let down that the resolution came so easily--because, realistically, this isn't the case for most children experiencing bullying.
The Book Mentions Some Great Resources for Children Facing Bullying. In just a few pages, this book does show families and children that help is available--and should be consulted. Sophia discussed the problem with her teacher and a parent--and both of those options should be a child's first stop in handling bullies. Simply knowing that there is an adult ready to listen and offer advice is something that kids sometimes overlook. Additionally, the book offers organizations and tips for parents and children (and educators) dealing with bullying.
Would I Recommend Sophia Writes to Her Bully? I think this book is a great starting point for parents or teachers to introduce an aspect of bullying--and a few resources for help. The book gives a quick, simple, happy, positive outcome a little too quickly to a much more complicated problem, I think--but, it gives parents and teachers a starting point to launch the "what if" sorts of questions. What if the bully had responded differently? What if this one solution didn't work? I would recommend it for use with other books and other resources for parents and teachers seeking to educate and support students facing bullying--and those young bullies who may not realize the impact of their actions.
To read reviews, please visit Dr. Mildren Peyton's page on iRead Book Tours.
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Meet the Author
Dr. Mildred Peyton is the President and Founder of Peyton Consulting, LLC. Dr. Peyton established her consulting firm, which was initially geared towards school bullying services, in March 2016. She was inspired to create Peyton Consulting and become a children's author on bullying after completing her doctoral research study entitled, "Exploring the Meaning of School Bullying Among Parents of Victimized Children."
During her undergraduate internship in 2002-2003 at Salisbury Middle School in Wicomico County, Dr. Peyton and her team developed and facilitated a mentoring program, providing one-on-one conflict resolution and mediating skills to students who were identified by the program coordinator with ongoing needs of behavioral issues. One of the key/primary areas Dr. Peyton and the other mentors focused on was educating and addressing bullying issues with bullies and victims. And in her graduate program, Dr. Peyton also facilitated a school bullying focus group in 2005 at Maryvale Elementary School in Montgomery County, to teach participants about bullying behaviors and how to avoid bullying others. She also attended several bullying workshops to learn about the latest studies while working with the students. Her passion on this topic followed her even as she served as a member on the Committee on Hate/Violence at Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, in 2013. There she developed a brochure for students and parents for the annual bullying symposium and, provided rich knowledge and skills on this topic throughout the year.
Today, the company has expanded its services to target workplace bullying as well. With the experiences of others and Dr. Peyton's personal experience with adult bullying in the workplace (which caused her to resign from her employer in 2016), she believes attention, guidance, and solutions are also critical in this area. Dr. Peyton holds a Ph.D. in Human and Social Services with a concentration in Social Policy Analysis & Planning. She has a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and Sociology and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Peyton is committed to using her knowledge and skills to influence positive change among students and adults.
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