Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Years (Review and Giveaway)

Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-proof Girls in the Early Grades

List Price: $14.99

Paperback: 304 pages  

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 17, 2010)

Language: English

From the PR Firm: Recent headlines detailing disturbingly cruel instances of bullying have raised the concerns of parents, educators, and counselors alike. Millions of children each year are affected by bullying in schools -- whether they are a target, a bystander, or mean themselves -- but until now, attention has been limited to teens. Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Years is the only book to address the pervasive problem of social cruelty, relational aggression, and bullying in elementary school. Focused squarely on the issues and needs of girls in the yearsbefore adolescence, the book tackles this growing problem head on, dealing with meanness where it starts.


Using real-life examples, tips for working with your daughter's teachers, and a refreshingly straight forward four-step approach, developmental psychologists Michelle Anthony, M.A., Ph.D. and Reyna Lindert, Ph.D. tackle the topic of "Mean Girls" and bullying with their easy-to-use, practical plan for parents, teachers, and counselors. In the book, they address why meanness happens, and what to do about it˜whether your child is a target, bystander, or is slipping into meanness. Positive and helpful in tone, each chapter also includes valuable and insightful "Tips for Girls" which offer advice, activities, and reading suggestions for girls facing any number of sticky social situations.

"Our simple four-step plan gives parents and teachers the tools they need to be a knowledgeable guide at the perfect time when girls value adult input, in the years before peer influence takes over and pushes caring adults away. Observe, Connect, Guide, and Support to Act: Once you have this plan, you know what to do next in almost any situation," says co-author Dr. Michelle Anthony.

· Step 1: OBSERVE the social situation and your daughter with new eyes


· Step 2: CONNECT with your child in a whole new way


· Step 3: GUIDE your child with simple, compassionate strategies


· Step 4: SUPPORT HER TO ACT more independently and face the social issue

My take: Unless you were living under a rock, you know that October was National Bullying Prevention Month (among many other notable causes for October like Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness).  Let me tell you, when I heard about this book, I couldn't wait to read it.  Why?  Well not only was I bullied for years as a child and so have a keen interest on heading this off for my own children, my own daughter has been the victim of a bully at school.  So has my son.  And they go to a Catholic school - ironically one big reason I sent them there is because I was trying to avoid them going though the hell I went through in school.  Goes to show you, bullying can happen ANYWHERE.  And there are no easy answers.  So I read this book thoroughly so I can help arm my kiddos against the bullies of the world.  I love the step by step process this book takes to help you, help them.  Rather than teach you how to take care of the problem, this book teaches you how to help your child (or student) empower themselves!  And all throughout the book, there are boxes with "Tips for Girls" and "Tips for Teachers" to use as well.  Ironically, I started the step by step process with my son this week as we strategized how to face a bully, so if you have boys, I recommend this book for you too.  Great, great book for anyone with young kids.    ★★★★★

The giveaway: One lucky winner will win one copy of Little Girls Can Be Mean (US and Canadian addresses only please).

To win: Visit and come back here and leave me a comment telling me why you want to read this book (winner will be chosen at random by random.org).  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Good Luck!

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This post was written for Media Masters Publicity who provided the item for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary book.