Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies

Howard B. Wigglebottom

by Howard Binkow

Synopsis
Howard B. Wigglebottom is a young rabbit who is bullied at school and finally decides to tell his teacher.

Howard the bunny is being bullied at school by the Snorton twins. Even though his intuition tells him to tell the teacher about it, he chooses different strategies. Howard tries ignoring, avoiding, making jokes and getting back at the bullies. Nothing works and things get worse. He finally tells his teacher. She takes action and makes him feel okay and safe. This 32 page illustrated book was created in response to requests by teachers and comes with a lesson and resources to deal with bully issues. This is the third in the Howard B. Wigglebottom series.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Animals

Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

University of Michigan graduate. Our Foundation is dedicated to helping young children become better listeners, learn important life lessons and feel good about themselves. Currently living in Sarasota, Florida.

Reviews

[Yuan · Rating 3 out of 5]

[As an incoming first grader] I like how Howard finally solved the problem by reporting the bullies to the teacher. At first he tried to keep it a secret because he didn't want to be called a tattletale. He thought of many ways to run away from the bullies, to please the bullies, and to even kick the bullies to the outer space in his imagination. Teachers can be trusted at school. I am surprised Howard did not tell his parents about the bullies. I would tell my mom and dad right away if someone bullies me.

[As a mom who's helping an incoming first grader to read and write] I think this is a great book on encouraging children to stand up for themselves at school. It also reminds me, as a parent, of the importance to set aside time to chat with my child, to understand her world, and to offer help or guidance if needed.

[The Badger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made this part of my K-1 classroom guidance curriculum on speaking up about bullying. There's a mantra that Howard tells himself: Be brave, be bold, a teacher must be told!

We put that up in the classroom to remind the kids to speak up

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up for our guidance counselor to use. I will probably look for the other titles featuring Howard, because this one did a good job of showing a way to deal with bullies.

[Katie Wilkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story about being brave enough to tell when someone is bullying you. The story demonstrates how its not just one instance of someone being mean, it is harmful events that happen over time. I must admit, I am a fan of the Wigglebottom series and the books are a hit with my second grade students.

[Fahula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to show how children can use a number of strategies before seeking help from bullying behaviour. The back matter of the book has good discussion points, as well.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howard is being bullied at school and although his inner voice is telling him to tell the teacher, he resists and thinks up a number of ways to trick or joke his bullies but eventually his unsuccessful efforts leave him tired and hungry. Interestingly, his turning point comes when he sees the bullies hurting each other and realizes they must be stopped, not just for his sake but for theirs as well!

He finally has a good nights rest when he feels safe after telling his teacher and knowing the bullies will be stopped.

There are wonderful points at the end of the book to deepen the discussion after the story.

Bullying can take on many forms, some more subtle than others. I would be careful to use this story if exploring what a bully might do and behave like or if it's suspected that a child might be bullied in this very apparent way.

Something not pointed out in the book is to do inner work with the child that's being bullied. Often, their own thoughts and feelings may be attracting a bully into their lives. Looking into the child's inner world and working on self esteem may improve the situation. Of course, having the school or parents deal with the bullies is also a must, just no necessarily the complete solution.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Brave, Be Bold, A Teacher Must Be Told. This easy phrase reminds children that telling a teacher about a problem is okay. Howard is a bunny that is being bullied. He is afraid of telling his teacher because he does not want to be a tattle tale. he does every thing he can think of to distract the bullies but it does not work. Howard finally finds his courage and tells his teacher. This cute story gives children that simple phrase "Be Brave, Be Bold, A Teacher Must Be Told" to help them over come the fear of being a tattle tale. This book is a great way to each about bullying. It is also a great teaching tool if you have children that tattle on everything. It helps define the line between tattling and telling.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howard the bunny is bullied at school. He comes up with all sorts of ways to stop the bullies like avoiding them, ignoring it, joking around about it, and trying to talk to the bullies but nothing worked until he told his teacher. There is a repeating phrase, 'Be brave, be bold, a teacher must be told'. Howard was scared to tell a teacher because he did not want to be seen as a snitch or what the bullies might do to him. The back of the book offers a lessons and reflections section to further build on the topic of bullying.

[Slayermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice story! Little Howard B. Wigglebottom is laying in his bed Sunday night and worrying about the next day of school because he knows he's going to get bullied by the Snorton Twins. Even though the little voice in his head is saying "Be Brave, Be Bold, A Teacher Must Be Told" he can't seem to bring himself to tell the Teacher.

I like that it has two pages of lessons and reflections in the back of the book about bullying.

[Diana (Bever) Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has some great learning moments in it. The authors did their research well and included helpful questions to ask your children in the back. It's a great way to apply what we're learning to our everyday lives. We've used it to discuss strategies against bullying at school and elsewhere. They've also included resources to combat worrying on their website: www.wedolisten.com.

[Jerriev]

Howard is being bullied at school. Even though his intuition tells him to tell the teacher about it, he chooses different strategies. He finally tells his teacher and she takes action and makes him feel okay and safe.

Good way to start a discussion about what bullying is and the right way to deal with it. This if for grade k-3.

[Sharmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may be for younger kids but I think if you read this to older students they would also relate to how Howard felt about the bullies that were bothering him. It's a touching story about what to do when you are being bullied and could be useful to read during morning meeting time.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard the bunny is always bullied by the Snorton twins. In the back of his mind, he always hears a voice inside his head saying, "Be brave, Be bold, a teacher must be told," but he chooses to ignore this voice until one day when he feels brave enough to confront his bullies.

[Olivia Bretting]

This book is about how Howard is getting bullied and how he knows the right thing to do but it is hard. Howard learns some lessons about bullies and how to handle them. This is a great intro to students to let them know that it is okay to talk to the teacher about bullies.

[A. Somers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to teach about bullying.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter's daycare is doing a big project with this book and the others by the author to follow. Great learning lessons for kids!!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the cutesy title, this is an excellent book about bullying. And I like how it has a message to empower kids to speak up and tell someone if there is bullying going on!