Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others - The Juice Box Bully

This book was used during a lesson on bullying for my 5th grade class. It was a great story that generated lots of conversation.
Many students had experienced incidents similar to those in the story.

Calling children "nerds," suggesting stealing, and using terms like dumb: this isn't something I would read in an early childhood classroom. The ending, where a male bully says he's sorry and the female victim says "no worries," and everyone laughs happily: that's a reason I wouldn't want to read it to an elementary classroom either.

This bully has moved in from another town. He would not play at recess
He squeezed a juice box o a girl's clothes
She vowed to to tell everyone
A student stepped in and worked out peace both parties

Long story short, boy bully name calls people, acts like a jerk, and bullies girl. Girl gets upset and threatens to tell other people what he did. Her (male) “friend” stands up for the bully instead and tells her she shouldn’t do that because it’s not nice (sounds like the old boys club mentality). Girl apologizes to bully for getting upset over being bullied. Bully is touched and apologizes for bullying her. Girl tells him “no worries” and that she likes her shirt better with juice stains on it. Everyone laughs. The end. Moral of story: it’s okay to bully other people but it’s not okay for them to get upset because they’re “stooping to your level” and instead they should just get over being a victim and befriend the bully instead. And this is why I will never read this shitty book to my kids.

My review and perspective as an elementary school counselor:

Bystander. If you've ever used a bullying curriculum then you've seen that word. Over the years I've REALLY struggled finding a decent lesson plan or book to explain this term to kids and what it means in the world of bullying. Maybe you've had this problem too. Well, look no further! Juice Box Bully is an awesome new book and has already made quite a presence in classrooms.

It's always rewarding to look at the students and see how much they're relating to a story. Lots for them to soak up in this one. The language is not overdone, it makes concrete sense. The story is centered around a new student, Pete, who is using bullying behavior the first day of school. The other students observe this and intervene with kindness and assertiveness.

"And, I'm not a bystander," Ralph said. "I don't stand by and let mean things happen."

Nothing greater then reading a book with EMPOWERED kids in it. "The Promise" is what empowers them to do the right thing when it comes to bullying. It's a pledge to stand up to bad behavior. The first line is, "I WILL speak up instead of acting as a bystander." Love it. One student asked me, "Do we have "The Promise" at our school?" We definitely have a pledge but it's not specific to bullying. Inspired me as the school counselor to get on it!

I also pointed out how, Pete, the new kid was using bullying behavior his first few days of school but kids didn't turn him into an outcast or label him for life. They all took "The Promise" and were committed to helping him become a caring classmate. They didn't judge him, even in the midst of a conflict.

So the next time I use the word bystander in a real life situation with kids, they'll know what I mean and remember their own promise. And that's thanks to this fabulous book.

The premise of "The Promise" in "Juice Box Bully" reminds me a lot of "The Secret" in that if we express our desires to be better than before, the universe will respond. Similarly for kids, making "The Promise" means that we start to care more when we see something wrong... such as bullying. So often, passive inaction can be the beginnings of what I call "the ostrich syndrome" of ignoring wrong-doings by others. This book teaches kids an important lesson in being actively scrupulous... and it echoes the wisdom of Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Hello fellow readers,

As a parent educator I frequently talk to parenting classes and school gatherings. The subject of bullying has come up more in the last few years than ever before, especially cyber-bullying.

This is a great book I carry in my arsenal and recommend to parents of kids who are feeling bullied. Easy to read and understand and can get some great conversations going with families or classrooms.

Cyberbullying has become such an issue that I started a blog at [...].com so that parents could find resources and help. Children can be very cruel and especially now that it is online. Many parents aren't even aware that bullying is going on since there are no outwards scars or bruises.

Thanks for the important job you do to raise kind, thoughtful kids who have respect for all.

Judy Helm Wright, author of Text Bullying - Is Your Child Being Bullied Online (77 Ways to Parent Series)

Interesting topic that children can relate too. We should teach our children not to be bystanders when they see someone been bullied. Remember they have the power to reduce bullying in schools by speaking up.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Author to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

This book is excellent.
As an educator and a mother I see the bullies bullied too many times.
This book teaches children that they can HELP the bully rather than labelling him thus continuing the cycle of abuse.
It has become very en vogue to "name call" with the word "bully". This is not okay. There are actually authors out there writing stories that mock the bully and leave the bully alone and angry. This is not the answer. The bully deserves our empathy. Children can work together to empower each other. They can stand up for each other, stop the behaviour, AND help the bully.
Bob Sornson gets it and now he is helping children, parents, and educators get it too. :)

I bought this book along with The Grumpy Bull. Both have excellent lessons on this much needed subject. I gave The Grumpy Bull 1 more star only because of the illustrations. Bullying begins with judgment...we need to stop our actions there!

With all the bullying going on today at ALL ages, this book is the perfect way to invite discussions on a very real problem. The clever title is perfect for young readers and the story is written in a style which children can relate to. The topic is something every child is certainly interested in. I love the way "bystanders" are addressed as part of the problem and I especially like "The Promise" the kids make, to help stop bullying. There needs to be more books like "The Juice Box Bully" on the shelves in schools, homes, waiting rooms and libraries. I would highly recommend this book!

Love this story for classroom guidance. I read the story then go over the promise at the end and let the class decide if they want to take the promise into their own classroom. Great to teach kids about the power of bystanders.

Kids witness bullying everyday in the yard, school, playground and all around them. They haven't the experience which will lead them to handle a bulling situation successfully. In fact, many kids don't recognize that they should interfere and bring this behavior to an immediate halt. This book will help prepare and show the way for kids to stop bullying and convert the bad behavior into a better behaved citizen.