September 2020 Publisher’s Choice

“The Playgound Bully”

by Rosemarie Cole

Reviewed by Anita Finley

“The Playground Bully” by Rosemarie Cole

When I received Rosemarie Cole’s small and beautifully illustrated book, The Playground Bully, I thought it was only for children, and although it looks like a children’s book, after reading it myself, I realized how it definitely is a primer for teens and parents. It is a quick read with obvious lessons about the harm that bullying can do, especially to young children.

The author is deeply passionate about this behavior and she writes about it by using small children in a classroom, all behaving on a scale from 1 to 10. There seems to always be one child who has bullying tendencies and unless it is brought out to the child and the parents, it might continue into adulthood. The teacher in this book works with each child and uses positive psychology to show them how kindness and generosity makes them feel good. I am sure everyone who reads this book will appreciate how it is applied in real life.

If you have young children or grandchildren, this is a perfect gift. The colorful pictures will encourage the young readers to read each page. The words are large and easy to read. I wish I had this book when I was a young parent. I had one child who seemed to pick on my other two and it was a constant battle to make her understand that it was harming her brothers.

Reading the book made me curious about why bullying has become a very “hot” topic in schools and so I began to research it. I have added to this review what I found. It is an important subject and I see adults who are bullies. When people have power, they can either be caring, gentle human beings or bullies. I see this now in politicians, police, school administrators, businessmen and even in social situations. If only they read Cole’s book in their young years, it might have made a difference in their actions today. I also believe that children repeat what their parents exhibit, so the lessons continue. “Understanding how and why a bully uses aggressive behavior is key to knowing how to handle the situation. “A common reason that a kid is a bully is because he/she lacks attention from a parent at home and lashes out at others for attention. This can include neglected children, children of divorced parents, or children with parents under the regular influence of drugs/alcohol.

Rosemarie Cole

“Older siblings can also be the cause of the problem. If they have been bullied, they are more apt to bully a younger sibling to feel more secure or empower themselves. “Very often parents are bullies, are angry, or don’t handle conflict well. “Kids usually bully because they learn this behavior at home. It is learned behavior which can be unlearned. “Some kids are just more aggressive, dominating, and impulsive by nature. It doesn’t always mean that they are bullies.” Let us do our part to be an example of kindness and fairness.

About the author:
Rosemarie Cole is an avid prayer warrior and mother of three. She loves her family. She is the author of two prayer books, a children’s book “The Playground Bully” and marriage booklets “Romance 31.” She lives in Florida with her husband and children.

(Purchase The Playground Bully at rosemariecole.com)