Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig

Title:  Just Kidding
Author & Illustrator: Trudy Ludwig & Adam Gustavson

APA Bibliographic Information: Ludwig, T., & Gustavson, A. (2012). Just kidding. Toronto: CNIB.
Genre: Fiction
Lexile: 590L
Published: 2012

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Summary: 

This book is about a boy named D.J. who gets constantly bullied by one of his peers named Vince. His bully always makes him feel like he isn't wanted on anyone's team, he makes fun of him for being a goalie and pokes him on the bus.  Whenever Vince is caught he tells people around him that he was "Just Kidding".  D.J knows that Vince is not kidding and is doing all this to harm him negatively. D.J. tires to resolve this issue by standing up for himself but he has no luck. He then tries to use the advice that his dad and brother by ignoring Vince and agreeing with what he says but it doesn't work either. Finally, he seeks help from the teacher and counselor who help him resolve this problem. 

Who Would Enjoy this book? (Targeted Audience) :

The targeted audience for this book would be students from the age of six to nine-year-olds.  Its a book targeted to students or children who are learning about bullying and ways to resolve this problem. Teachers can read this book aloud to their students to teach them about this subject or they can have their students read it on their own if that's what they wish to do.  This would a perfect book not only to create awareness for young children but it would really help those kids who are getting bullied. It could also be targeted for those children who are bullies and might not realize it because they think its only playful teasing. Even if students are not learning about bullying they would still really enjoy reading this book because the plot is very engaging. 

Evaluation Of Text: 

I would rate this book at five out of five stars for the following reasons. The illustrations are very well done because they allow the reader to make conclusions based on the characters facial expressions. In the text, we can find a lot of dialogue between the bully and the victim which allows the reader to get a more personal understanding of their situation. The text also does a great job focusing on the purpose of the book which as I mentioned before is to teach about bullying but at the same time, the author gives us a great story to read.  

Reader Response Activity: 

Role Playing Activity: 

For this activity, I would have the students get into a group of three and try to roleplay similar situations to the ones that D.J encountered. They would have the choice of taking the role of the bully, the person getting bullied or the adult.  I would then ask them to see if they would have reacted the same way towards getting bullied or would they have done something different.  This an activity that will allow them to get up from their seats and work with their peers.  You can also have them right down the situation that they have come up with and how it was solved. This would also be a great time for each student to do a small reflection on why they believe that bullies feel the need to pick on other kids (this is talked a little about at the end of the book). This could be a choice for those students who would rather work by themselves.