The Recess Queen
Written by Alexis O'Neill and Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
The Recess Queen is an exciting book filled fun rhymes, inventive words, a great message and bright, colorful, expressive illustrations. As I was reading this book, at first I felt sorry for the children who were being picked on by Mean Jean the Recess Queen, who couldn't do anything without her permission. Even though the children in the story were not having fun, the story was still light, enjoyable and creative as the Author uses made up words such as "lollapaloosh" "kitz" and "kajammer." This made the story comical and therefore the topic of bullying wasn't made too serious or weighty. By the end of the story, I felt hopeful and empowered that the children all became friends with Mean Jean and that she stopped picking on everyone, all because one person reached out to her. The illustrations are bright, energizing and really caught my eye. The quirkyness of the pictures made me want to pay attention to detail, the fun expressions on the children's faces made the book exciting and made it easy to put yourself in the characters situation.
This book makes me think of particulur times when I was in elementary school when other children bullied me and made me feel like I couldn't do anything without their permission. It helped me remembered how isolated and helpless I felt when a boy in my class would take my lunch and say that he would tell the teacher I was doing bad things when I wasn't. I've never reached out to someone who was bullying others, but through reflecting on this book I remember times when I reached out to someone who was being bullied and I remember how great it felt to include them as one of my friends and make them feel special. This made the book more of a mirror to my own world because I could see myself in the story and in the different characters, such as the children being bullied and the new kid at school Katie Sue who reached out to Mean Jean.
The Reccess Queen caused me to think about how people treat one another, and about how just being friendly to people can change the way they look at the world. If we just let go of our predjudices and misconceptions about people and simply try to be their friend, then the world could be a much happier place. The book inspires me to be respectful and kind to others despite any pre-conceived notions I have about them.
The characters in the story are dynamic and exciting as shown through the illustrations. I particularly enjoy the character of Katie Sue because she seems quirky, fun, and doesn't really care what other people think of her. The setting is placed in the school yard during recess, an appropriate setting due to the fact that a lot of bullying happens during recess and lunch when a teacher is not intently watching the children. The tone is light and comical so that the topic of bullying will not be to overwhelming for children. The topic is approached in a fun way so that children can safely place themselves in the story.
Some ways I could incorporate this book into the classroom could include:
-to teach children about respect and being a friend to others
-to teach children that it is okay to stand up to a bully
- to talk about rhyme scheme
This book makes me think of particulur times when I was in elementary school when other children bullied me and made me feel like I couldn't do anything without their permission. It helped me remembered how isolated and helpless I felt when a boy in my class would take my lunch and say that he would tell the teacher I was doing bad things when I wasn't. I've never reached out to someone who was bullying others, but through reflecting on this book I remember times when I reached out to someone who was being bullied and I remember how great it felt to include them as one of my friends and make them feel special. This made the book more of a mirror to my own world because I could see myself in the story and in the different characters, such as the children being bullied and the new kid at school Katie Sue who reached out to Mean Jean.
The Reccess Queen caused me to think about how people treat one another, and about how just being friendly to people can change the way they look at the world. If we just let go of our predjudices and misconceptions about people and simply try to be their friend, then the world could be a much happier place. The book inspires me to be respectful and kind to others despite any pre-conceived notions I have about them.
The characters in the story are dynamic and exciting as shown through the illustrations. I particularly enjoy the character of Katie Sue because she seems quirky, fun, and doesn't really care what other people think of her. The setting is placed in the school yard during recess, an appropriate setting due to the fact that a lot of bullying happens during recess and lunch when a teacher is not intently watching the children. The tone is light and comical so that the topic of bullying will not be to overwhelming for children. The topic is approached in a fun way so that children can safely place themselves in the story.
Some ways I could incorporate this book into the classroom could include:
-to teach children about respect and being a friend to others
-to teach children that it is okay to stand up to a bully
- to talk about rhyme scheme
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