Willow Finds a Way

February 1, 2013
Shy Willow stands up to a mean girl in her primary-grade classroom. Kristabelle is the boss of the class that Willow is in, and when she invites everyone to her birthday party, Willow is thrilled. But if a classmate won't sit at her lunch table or play what she wants at recess, she will cross them off her birthday list. Mateo won't give up his turn as Line Leader, so Kristabelle crosses him off; Julian won't wear pink when Kristabelle demands it, so the blonde, curly-headed girl crosses him off, too. Willow then bravely crosses her own name off, and so do all her friends, leaving Kristabelle alone. But Willow sits with the formerly mean girl when no one else will. Kristabelle apologizes to the whole class, and everyone comes to her party and has a fine time. The illustrations, brightly colored on white backgrounds, with figures sketched in the simplest of lines and dots, depict an ethnically mixed classroom of children. Putting aside the sexism inherent in only boys being blacklisted (or at least, the only ones willing to stand up to Kristabelle), it's all too easily resolved, even for the second-graders this seems to be aimed at. There is meanness and bullying at every level in schools, and it needs to be addressed in stories as well as in real life, but they must be honest stories in which the lesson does not outweigh the tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2013

K-Gr 1-Being invited to someone's birthday party is an honor, especially if it's someone who's popular like Kristabelle. Willow is thrilled to be on the initial guest list, but she becomes troubled as Kristabelle begins to remove names as children displease her. Willow knows Kristabelle's behavior is cruel and controlling but she just can't find the words or the nerve to tell her. Eventually, she finds the courage to remove her own name from the list, and the rest of her classmates follow suit. This leaves Kristabelle distressed since no one wants to come to her party. The students watch her struggle while learning an important lesson. She then destroys the list and invites all of them to the party. They happily reconsider after recognizing that she has changed her ways. Button has recognized a common childhood dilemma, trying to deal with a peer's controlling personality. She has crafted a story to help children acknowledge and express their feelings while in uncomfortable situations. Howells's artwork is simple and strongly emotional. The conclusion elicits a sigh of relief from readers as the tension in the class is eliminated and the party will go on. A good choice to prompt discussions about friendship, bullying, and self-confidence.-Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Willow's bossy classmate Kristabelle bullies the whole class, and anyone who doesn't toe the line will be excluded from her "fantastic birthday party." The teacher seems oddly unaware, but readers can root for Willow as she finds the courage to neutralize Kristabelle's threat without becoming vindictive herself. Simple, childlike illustrations, rendered in Photoshop, reflect the emotions involved in classroom politics.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)