Don't Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin, Glin Dibley (Illustrator), Allen Shamblin, Allen Shamblin

From the Publisher

Do you wear glasses? Ever been picked last for the team? Afraid you’ll be called on in class?

Don’t laugh at me. Don’t call me names.

Have you laughed at someone else for the same reasons? Someone you thought was geeky or slow--someone different from you.

Don’t get your pleasure from my pain.

For anyone who’s ever been bullied--or been a bully themselves--it’s time to change your tune. This is not a book for whiners, but a new language that will give you the words you need to take charge and stop the cycle of teasing.

Filled with inspiration and celebration, Don’t Laugh at Me is the anthem for a new bully-free world. Read it, sing it, and cheer!

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Operation Respect “Don’t Laugh at Me” Project.

Publishers Weekly

Songwriters Seskin and Shamblin laudably sound a call for tolerance in this picture-book adaptation of a heartfelt tune that inspired, and has become the anthem for, a rapidly expanding educational program within an organization called Operation Respect (founded by Yarrow, of Peter, Paul & Mary). The text/lyrics focus on the ridicule suffered by a boy with glasses, a girl who wears braces and a wheelchair-bound child, among others, ultimately uniting the voices of the bullied in the verse "Don't laugh at me./ Don't call me names./ Don't get your pleasure from my pain./ In God's eyes we're all the same." Though the book's worthy message will likely strike a universal chord, young readers may be confused by the overly figurative sentiment "I'm fat, I'm thin,/ I'm short, I'm tall,/ I'm deaf, I'm blind./ Hey, aren't we all?" In earth-toned mixed-media artwork that blends watercolor, acrylics, wallpaper and other materials, Dibley (Tub Boo Boo) exaggerates the distinguishing features of his stylized characters, further bringing home the book's theme. His compositions use muted colors and crowd scenes to set off the ostracized subject; the boy "chosen last" on the playground becomes a shadowy outline under a basketball hoop as smiling kids crowd the foreground; a kid "slower than the others in my class" peers out of a sea of raised hands. A CD recording of the country-flavored song is included. Ages 6-12. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Starting as a song encouraging kindness to others, the tune has now become the anthem of the "Don't Laugh at Me Program" founded by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary. However, what works beautifully in a song is quite different in a book and should be shared with care. It is easy to discuss not laughing at difference if the differences aren't in your classroom. It is easier to sing about being fat, thin, short, etc., but breezing through this book without discussion would be foolish and the discussion could be volatile. Dibley's mixed-media artwork exaggerates the features of a boy with glasses and big ears; a girl with braces complete with headgear and a wisp of a body; a dark, slouching figure with no face "who's always chosen last"; a pencil chewing, chapped-lipped, uneven-eyed slow kid; a street beggar no one sees; and a kid in a wheelchair with a crash helmet. The last two lines-"I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall,/I'm deaf, I'm blind. Hey, aren't we all?"-drive home the message with a slam dunk. The words "Help stop bullying-buy this book & CD of the song!" appear on the cover. If only it were so easy.-Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

An admirable message but this is as didactic as it gets. The over-sized faces of the children and their wide-eyed expressions seem to emphasize the impact teasing has on a child’s emotions. Clearly from the title, one realizes that the message is meant to combat teasing and bullying through the use of literature and a rendition of the country music hit used by Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame) as the basis for his anti-bullying foundation of the same name. The CD, with the song written and recorded by authors and songwriters Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin, is included. The song was written specifically to aid all children to live in a kinder, safer, and more supportive environment; now the song lyrics have become the text for this rendering. All types of reasons are the subject for teasing: having braces or glasses, being chosen last, being "slower" than others in the class. The beggar on the street and those who are "different" all are subjected to stares and laughing. In his afterword, Yarrow points to the many schools and organizations that have joined Operation Respect: "Don’t Laugh at Me." This effort is, as Yarrow states, "part of spreading the message." Terribly didactic—but not all that offensive in its obviousness. Libraries will need to have the book and CD available for patrons who want to support this program. (Picture book. 4-9)

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