COOL KIDS

A boy learns that being a bully makes him feel like a monster in Freeman’s debut picture book.

When incoming fourth grader Michael starts at a new school, he’s glad that his best friends will be in the same class. But after a few weeks, he misses playing football. Unfortunately, the kids who play the sport at recess are led by Ruffy Butchbang, the meanest, toughest kid in class. Michael decides that in order to play the game, he must get Ruffy’s attention and respect by being mean to his old pals. His plan works, but when he looks in the mirror, he sees a monster. Michael soon apologizes to his friends and realizes “he was a good kid and did not have to prove himself to anyone.” Soon, he shows Ruffy the error of his ways. Freeman uses short phrases that make the text accessible. However, they leave little to the imagination. Michael’s story is told directly and plainly, offering too-simple solutions to complex problems; merely explaining to a bully that they’ll feel better if they’re nice feels unlikely to work in real life. Jones’ textured watercolor illustrations depict diverse children with varying skin tones. However, some depict additional moments that don’t appear in the text, which can be confusing.

An earnest lesson from the reformed bully’s perspective with a too-easy ending.