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Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying
Straightforward and simple, this story tells how one child found the courage to tell a teacher about Ray, who was being picked on and bullied by other kids in school. Faced with the fact that "nobody knows what to do" while Ray is bullied, the children sympathetic to him feel fear and confusion and can only hope that Ray will “fit in some day.” Finally, after Ray misses a day of school and the bullies plot mean acts for his return, our narrator goes to a teacher. The children then invite Ray to play with them, and, with adult help, together they stand up to the bullies.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 5, 2018
This is a short picture b0ok about bullying. It is a story about a kid named Ray who is bullied at school. The narrator starts off covering his ears and turning a blind eye to Ray being bullied, but after a while, the narrator decides they have to do something. The narrator goes to his teacher and tells her that the kids have been bullying Ray when no one is around. The teacher and principle come out to recess the next day and catch all of the bullies in the act and their parents are all called.
The themes of this book are bullying and standing up for what is right.
My personal response to this text was that it does a very good job of showing how at first most children just want to ignore bullying and pretend it is not happening. Many children are fearful for what might happen to them if they were to tell on bullies, and in turn the bullies get to keep up their inappropriate behavior because of the fear they have instilled in everyone. I like how this story was not unrealistic and did not have one main character be the hero right off the bat, with absolutely no fear. In this story, the narrator IS fearful to tell the teacher of what has been going on and it takes him a while to make the decision that bullying is not OK and that something needs to be done. I remember when I was in grade school having the bullying discussion, once (maybe twice), and our teachers would act out a situation and show us what to do. Personally, I thought this was a bit cheesy and, of course, TEACHERs would stand up and stop bullying, however it seemed like a daunting task for little old me to accomplish. This book was a great way to show that anyone can stand up and make a difference in the bullying culture.
I recommend this book because of how prevalent bullying is in school age children. This book was written in 2001, so it depicts the "classic" bullying on the playground. Even though the bullying in schools has now morphed into not only physical, but cyber as well, I still think this book serves as a good mirror for children to use about the overall topic of bullying. I like how this book drew the attention to the people that saw the bullying and what action they should take, rather than expecting the victim to take action by themselves (something I find a bit unrealistic). This book takes the hard stance that bullying is NOT OK, and it will not be tolerated by anyone that comes across it. I wish this book had been a little bit longer, in order to get the reader a little bit more invested in the story, but nonetheless I believe that this book is a wonderful conversation starter with children about any sort of bullying they experience.
The themes of this book are bullying and standing up for what is right.
My personal response to this text was that it does a very good job of showing how at first most children just want to ignore bullying and pretend it is not happening. Many children are fearful for what might happen to them if they were to tell on bullies, and in turn the bullies get to keep up their inappropriate behavior because of the fear they have instilled in everyone. I like how this story was not unrealistic and did not have one main character be the hero right off the bat, with absolutely no fear. In this story, the narrator IS fearful to tell the teacher of what has been going on and it takes him a while to make the decision that bullying is not OK and that something needs to be done. I remember when I was in grade school having the bullying discussion, once (maybe twice), and our teachers would act out a situation and show us what to do. Personally, I thought this was a bit cheesy and, of course, TEACHERs would stand up and stop bullying, however it seemed like a daunting task for little old me to accomplish. This book was a great way to show that anyone can stand up and make a difference in the bullying culture.
I recommend this book because of how prevalent bullying is in school age children. This book was written in 2001, so it depicts the "classic" bullying on the playground. Even though the bullying in schools has now morphed into not only physical, but cyber as well, I still think this book serves as a good mirror for children to use about the overall topic of bullying. I like how this book drew the attention to the people that saw the bullying and what action they should take, rather than expecting the victim to take action by themselves (something I find a bit unrealistic). This book takes the hard stance that bullying is NOT OK, and it will not be tolerated by anyone that comes across it. I wish this book had been a little bit longer, in order to get the reader a little bit more invested in the story, but nonetheless I believe that this book is a wonderful conversation starter with children about any sort of bullying they experience.
March 5, 2018
This book is about a bystander. A little girl is watching one of her classmates get bullied every day. She didn't know what to do so everyday she would close her eyes and her ears so she couldn't see it or hear it. One day the kid getting bullied, Ray, didn't show up to school. The bystander knew she needed to tell the teacher what was going on. The one small step Ray's classmate took made such a difference in Ray's life.
The theme in this story what to do as a bystander when seeing someone get bullied.
I really enjoyed reading this book because there is so much bullying in the world today at all ages. This book does a very good job of putting into simple words what to do as a bystander. This shows very young kids that no one should be getting bullied, and if you see it, you should say something.
I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. This book is a very good reminder that no one deserves to get bullied, and sometimes people getting bullied need help to stop it. This book could be used as a very good resource for teachers teaching young children to tell someone if they see bullying.
The theme in this story what to do as a bystander when seeing someone get bullied.
I really enjoyed reading this book because there is so much bullying in the world today at all ages. This book does a very good job of putting into simple words what to do as a bystander. This shows very young kids that no one should be getting bullied, and if you see it, you should say something.
I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. This book is a very good reminder that no one deserves to get bullied, and sometimes people getting bullied need help to stop it. This book could be used as a very good resource for teachers teaching young children to tell someone if they see bullying.
April 23, 2020
i appreciate how it was addressed in this read, i think bullying is something that needs to be take seriously ... teachers, friends of the one who is being bullied/hurt, parents, all folks need to come to their aid ... help out ...as well as the one who is doing the bullying needs to realize that one does not need to do this ...it needs to stop and help them to grow and understand ... start at an early age ... none of that "oh kids will be kids" no ... we need to come to an understanding and get it fix immediately ... so that when they grow up they will continue to be kind and good citizens of the world ... we don't need adult bullies. we need to realize that folks are different, and that is good. no one is meant to be just like you ... so stop thinking they will be ... differences are good. be you.
March 23, 2023
Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying
by Becky Ray McCain
A bully proofing book showing how telling adults about a situation that you can not walk away from is important. The adults are able to help the student and his friends cope with the problem. Showing solutions for helping students advocate for themselves.
by Becky Ray McCain
A bully proofing book showing how telling adults about a situation that you can not walk away from is important. The adults are able to help the student and his friends cope with the problem. Showing solutions for helping students advocate for themselves.
October 26, 2020
While many books deal with the topic of bullying, this one provided practical solutions to the problem. While the story and illustrations weren't particularly exciting, it did serve as a good discussion starter with my kid on what to do if she sees someone being bullied.
December 13, 2018
This book covers the topic of bully prevention, and how to respond, and what action to take when encountered by a bully or someone using bulling tactics on others.
December 11, 2020
I think this book is a good example of why kids should not bully one another.
February 5, 2022
An older book but still carries a good message about how to act when someone is bullied rather than being a bystander. Simple and straightforward.
July 19, 2022
Was pretty good for the time, but it's outdated now. Removing from our school library.
Read
February 22, 20262/16/26
October 18, 2016
I can see myself using this book at the beginning of the school year when students are just finding their place in the classroom. It is a tale of a brace child who stands up to bullies, an admirable feat. This is definitely in my classroom library.
February 3, 2016
Summary: Becky Ray McCain's Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying tells of the courageous act by a student in an effort to stop the tormenting of another classmate named Ray. Ray is constantly bullied and none of his classmates knew what to do. One day Ray does not show up to school and the narrator overhears the bullies' plans for when Ray returns. Finally, the narrator decides to speak up and tell a teacher. The teacher and principal contact the parent's of the bullies and from that day forward the bullying stops.
Theme: Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing.
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Personal Response: Nobody Knew What to Do is an extremely straightforward children’s book that truly exposes the harsh reality that is bullying. I personally connected with this book because as a child, I was bullied. I was picked on and tormented for years and did not instantly have the courage, like the narrator, to say anything. I truly did not know what to do. I did not know who to turn to or how to get help. The bullying finally ended one day when I came home sobbing, I had, had enough and I turned to my mother who then contacted the school.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book for children in first grade to fourth grade. This book is extremely serious and truthful. The illustrations are extremely realistic and may be a bit much for children younger than the first grade. However, with that being said, this book addresses a serious global issue and children do need to understand that they need to speak up and that they can confide in their elders.
Theme: Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing.
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Personal Response: Nobody Knew What to Do is an extremely straightforward children’s book that truly exposes the harsh reality that is bullying. I personally connected with this book because as a child, I was bullied. I was picked on and tormented for years and did not instantly have the courage, like the narrator, to say anything. I truly did not know what to do. I did not know who to turn to or how to get help. The bullying finally ended one day when I came home sobbing, I had, had enough and I turned to my mother who then contacted the school.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book for children in first grade to fourth grade. This book is extremely serious and truthful. The illustrations are extremely realistic and may be a bit much for children younger than the first grade. However, with that being said, this book addresses a serious global issue and children do need to understand that they need to speak up and that they can confide in their elders.
November 20, 2019
This book is about a student who saw his classmate Ray being bullied but didn't know what to do. At the end of the book, the students realize that they need to work together to end bullying. I would read this book out loud to my students because it's important that they know that being a witness to bullying requires them to stand up for that person. Not saying anything is just as bad as being the bully.
November 21, 2013
Paint is the medium that is used to illustrate this text. The images are not distorted at all and are made to look very real. I believe this is because this book takes a serious approach to bullying and how it needs to be stopped in our schools. Some of the images are not very pleasant as they show a student named Ray being bullied.
The book doesn’t use repetition at all and has a very serious tone all the way through. I think this would be a good book for students to read because it shows the seriousness of bullying. In the book the students don’t know what to do to help Ray, but eventually they tell a teacher. This is good to bring awareness to students of what they are to do if they see a student being bullied.
At the end of the book the author has a page dedicated to stopping bullying in schools. She gives ideas to help schools put into practice a zero tolerance policy, and encourages principals, teachers, and parents to do what they can to prevent bullying.
The book doesn’t use repetition at all and has a very serious tone all the way through. I think this would be a good book for students to read because it shows the seriousness of bullying. In the book the students don’t know what to do to help Ray, but eventually they tell a teacher. This is good to bring awareness to students of what they are to do if they see a student being bullied.
At the end of the book the author has a page dedicated to stopping bullying in schools. She gives ideas to help schools put into practice a zero tolerance policy, and encourages principals, teachers, and parents to do what they can to prevent bullying.
December 17, 2011
This is an amazing book to use to get on the topic of bullying and what students should do if they see someone bullying another. It's about a little boy who ends up seeing and hearing the bullies pick on a new student. When the new student refused to show up to school the next day he heard the bullies talk about what they were going to do to the kid when he returned. He decided enough was enough and talked to his teacher about what was going on.
September 6, 2013
This book was really well written for school-aged children on what to do to help those who are being bullied and why you should help them. Bullying is a huge problem, and while some-to-most schools today now have bullying prevention programs (some are better than others), back when i was a kid in school these programs didn't exist and the teachers, principals and even parents didn't listen and left the students to deal with it. It is very important to teach this concept.
December 15, 2008
This story is very good, not great. It's a little preachy and doesn't tell the story in a very engaging way. But it is a great discussion starter, and our girls shared their stories about episodes of bullying or kids being mean on the playground, and that made the story great. It was a way to get our girls to share their experiences and to talk about the best way to deal with mean bullies.
April 22, 2013
Title: Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying
Author: Becky Ray McCain
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Date: January 2001
Genre: Diversity/Fiction
Strength/Aspect of Special Interest: This story confronts the issue of bullying head on, and allows students to have their own conversations on the topic.
Author: Becky Ray McCain
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Date: January 2001
Genre: Diversity/Fiction
Strength/Aspect of Special Interest: This story confronts the issue of bullying head on, and allows students to have their own conversations on the topic.
August 16, 2016
This is a very well-written, almost poetic book about real school bullying and the fear and uncertainty this can cause in the kid bullied and the kids who witness the bullying. A powerful lesson, that telling a teacher can cause a plan to be made to end the bullying. Bullying is NOT okay. Great book for schoolkids.
July 13, 2008
This book is a very quick easy read to use in a classroom or as a parent to start a dialog about bullying. It would be great for classroom management to start with high expectations against bullying and to gage a problem that has already started. Check it out!
January 7, 2008
AR 2.7 -- 0.5
Read
July 28, 2009Awesome read to help your child understand bullying from both sides. Very well addressed by the author!
December 13, 2011
A good lesson book. Not a great read-aloud, but great if there is a family or class having a bullying issue.
January 14, 2015
AR BL 2.7 and .5 pts
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February 26, 2016Project Cornerstone Asset Year 1 Book 5
Want to Read
October 24, 2009Teaching about bullying.
June 14, 2016
What a wonderful story about standing up to bullies: doing the right thing and how to do it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews