School Library Journal - Bully

Life is pretty good for a bullfrog named Bully. He lives in a beautiful pond that is filled with fragrant water lilies. Some of the insects living in the pond find the taste of the flowers simply delicious and others enjoy their magnificent scent. Unfortunately, Bully wants the lilies all for himself. Nothing can sway his attitude—no matter how hard the others try to plead their case. He has no problem telling the snails and dragonflies to leave the lilies alone and then kicks them out of the pond. Once the insects and creatures have left, selfish Bully begins to eat as many lilies as he wants. He makes himself a lily crown and uses the precious flowers as a mattress. He is such a glutton that in the end there is only one lily left. The former inhabitants of the pond must do something to make things better—and they do. This story is a great way to emphasize many important messages to young children. One essential lesson is a little kindness can go a long way. The illustrations in this book are captivating. Bully is definitely large and in charge of the pond. His physical size dominates the page. Even though he is selfish, some of Bully’s antics and expressions are entertaining. The text is minimal but the pictures speak volumes. VERDICT A good read-aloud choice to reinforce lessons about kindness, perfect for one-on-one or group sharing.