Alley Oops

by Janice Levy, C.B. Decker (Illustrator)

This story relates the painful and embarrassing aftermath of name-calling and bullying from the perspective of the bully. J. J. Jax has been tormenting an overweight boy named Patrick, calling him Pig-Pen and Porky, to the point that Patrick is now afraid to go to school. Learning of his son's behavior, J. J.'s father lectures him to stop bullying Patrick. When that approach fails, Mr. Jax tries another tack and shares an experience he had as a youthful bully and the consequences he recently faced as a result of his actions. Touched by his father's words, J.J. reaches out to Patrick in a school arm-wrestling contest and experiences the "alley oops" moment of empowerment and self-esteem that comes from doing the right thing. Snappy dialogue highlights the harmful, lasting effects of bullying and the importance of finding common ground toward conflict resolution. Believable contemporary illustrations bring the story to life with expressive body language.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Levy, Janice Alley Oops, illustrated by CB Decker. PICTURE BOOK. Flashlight Press, 2005. $18. 9780972922548

J.J. Jax has been picking on the new boy Patrick at school. When he gets home, his dad is mad at him and tells him a story of a boy that he used to pick on when he was in school. J.J. After dinner J.J. finds Patrick and is first mad at him because he tattled, but the boys quickly start commiserating with each other and find a points of mutual interest.

The idea behind this book is great – looking at bullying from the eyes of the bully. But, its short format leads to lots of questions and holes for me as an adult reader. There is not enough space in a picture to cover all of the ground presented here and do it well. It even steals the Cherokee proverb about having two wolves inside us without any kind of attribution anywhere!

EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Flashlight Press through Edelweiss+.
Readers learn about bullying from the bully's side. They meet a young boy who has been bullying a new classmate. His father shares a story from his childhood when he was a bully also. He meets the boy he bullied and the boy will not accept his apology. This is a hard lesson his dad has to live with and he shares that with J.J. J.J. confronts the boy he has bullied and learns they have some common ground. I'm not fond of the ending as J.J. backs off when he sees what will matter to him.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

JJ's father has something to say after the father of another boy comes to tell him that JJ has been bullying his son, Patrick. He shares a story of what happened to him years after he bullied another kid, and sends JJ to apologize. When he does, JJ learns that he and Patrick have more in common than he would have imagined. One being that they both like arm wrestling. He also learns that Patrick is extremely strong! But the real strength is in the bond they form together.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

J.J. is bullying the new kid at school. His father finds out and tells J.J. about the kid he used to bully. That kid is all grown up and is a police officer; the officer told J.J.'s dad that he felt bad about himself for a long time and that it was too late to late to say "I'm Sorry". Good jumping off point starting a discussion about bullying.

[Makkena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to teach children the consequences and issues of bullying.

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

J.J. bullies Patrick by calling him names regarding the fact that he is overweight. J.J's father tells J.J that when he was younger, he was also a bully but he now looks back and regrets it. J.J. hangs around with Patrick and realizes that they actually have a lot in common and become friends. This book is different from other books focused on bullying because it centers around the perspective of the bully. It shows the bully learning that bullying is wrong and it shows that there is really no point of it because in the end, J.J. and Patrick had a lot in common, and they really should have been friends the entire time. In terms of my essential question "How should we respond to bullying?", this book can help bullies realize that bullying is hurtful, but also unnecessary and shows they could be missing out on a friendship. The book is also useful for students who may be bullied because in the book Patrick does not hold a grudge, and he sets a good example for other to follow that they should not hold grudges once a bully backs down and starts being nice.

[Terry]

This is the story of a bully named J.J., and how he manages to change his negative behavior to accept the person he once ridiculed. In Alley Oops, the issues of playground bullies and aggressive behavior are told from the bully's perspective. I highly recommend this book. Levy presents the topic in comprehensible language with a gratifying, realistic solution.

To read our full review (complete with the kids' opinions!) go to The Reading Tub®.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

alley oops by janice levy
used for bully proofing in a school i work at... It has a mixed message, yes it does talk about bullying, but the the bully goes to the boy he was bullying and yells at him for turning him into his parents for what he did. They find a connection in a common issue, wrestling... they begin to arm wrestle.
I looked closer and the good dog bad dog aspect of the story and learned that the kid would have missed out on an amazing friendship if he had continued to fight with Patrick.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy is given a lecture about being a bully by his father. After being told about the detrimental effects of bullying upon both the bullied and the bully, the boy goes out and befriends the person he was previously tormenting. The boy learns that just because someone is different (in this case overweight) doesn't mean they are bad. And they can actually be a good friend!

Good illustrations.

[Jodi Santora · Rating 2 out of 5]

A read-aloud for bullying. A boy gets in trouble for bullying a new student at school, and his father tells him a story about how he was once a bully and regrets it. The bully then meets the boy he bullied and decides thane wants to be his friend. I don't love this book, because it doesn't discuss the necessity for apologizing for being a bully.

[Christine Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Alley oops explores the painful and embarassing aftermath of name calling and bullying, from the perspective of the bully. It's a story about hurt and anger, empathy and hope, resilience and ingenuity..."--Jacket.

[Abbey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alley Oops is a great book to read for Problem Solving. Janice Levy does a great job of depicting a situation between two boys that most everyone can relate to, except she changes the "stereotypical" person that we picture as a bully. I will buy this book for my classroom for sure.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grades 2-5. Book told from the bully's point of view. GREAT to use when talking to a child about their bullying behavior.