Disappointing

Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully by Audrey Penn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


While I have heard of the kissing hand, I have not read the story. Chester Racoon and the Big Bad Bully seems to be from that series. Chester Racoon and his brother and sister are dealing with a school bully and are reluctant to go to school. Their mother reassures them and later tells them a fable of sorts about a rough stone that becomes beautiful once it has been smoothed. It implies that the animal children should befriend the bully and help him smooth out his rough edges.



While the story is nice and the pictures are cute, the storyline is disappointed. I agree that those who are being bullied should band together and not have to deal with a bully alone, I do not agree that every bully can be befriended.



The bully is predictably a badger and the teacher is predictably an owl. While a sweet idea, I have rarely seen this solution work especially when the teacher can’t get through to the students. I think this story falls short of even brushing the surface of this complex bully problem.



I received this book free from the publisher to read and give an honest review.





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