What If Bunny’s NOT a Bully?

PreS-Gr 2–Gerti the Elephant and a group of her school friends gather in the schoolyard and watch as Bunny approaches. Elephant tells the others to stay away from Bunny since she is a bully. While Elephant is insistent that Bunny is a bully, Kitty starts to question how one even comes to be called a bully. She asks: Is it something you can catch like a cold? Was Bunny born that way? Kitty’s series of questions provide the catalyst for the group to consider that everyone makes mistakes, and when someone else becomes excluded, they become the bully. The story is an important lesson in forgiveness and recognizing when the role of bully has been reversed. Button’s story adeptly captures the nuances of schoolyard politics. Battuz’s illustrations are bright, colorful, and charming. Though Button tells the story in simple rhymes, the text offer an opportunity for deep reflection in a way that is accessible to children.