"What if he looked for the good things instead? Instead of saying the first bad thing that popped in his head?"
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Tuffy Tufferson is a Bully by L.A. Wark Trafford Publishing
book review by Jenifer Kimble
This book explores the age old, classic tale of playground bullying. Almost every child and adult alike can identify with someone in their past or present who reminds them of its main character and bully, Mike "Tuffy" Tufferson. The book uses short rhyming stances to get inside the head of Tuffy as he pokes fun at everyone he encounters. Realizing he has no friends currently and none on the horizon because of his actions, Tuffy decides to focus on the good in people instead of tearing them down in order to relinquish his own perceived shortcomings. While not an overnight success, Tuffy learns the classic lesson that honey attracts more bees than vinegar and commits to righting his wrongs.
This is a well written, short, and easily digestible book on bullying. While the concept isn't new, the author does a good job of updating it to include real examples dominant in our integrated schools and classrooms by including children with different religions, talents, birth countries, learning challenges, etc. Cause and effect is clearly explained, as is an offered solution and recovery steps. Because no child should have to be bullied, and none should be made to feel inferior to the point of exhibiting bully-like behaviors, this book could easily become integrated into primary school counseling offices as a tool to help students understand and deal with feelings that either make them want to bully or that they face because they encounter their own Tuffy Tufferson.