King of the Playground by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

King of the Playground, written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and illustrated by Nola Langner Malone, is a great book to use to talk about bullies.  Kevin doesn't have much fun at the playground because of Sam, the bully.  Sam keeps threatening Kevin.  Kevin talks to his dad about it and his dad helps him see that Sam's threats are really rather silly.  Finally Kevin gets up enough courage to stand up to Sam and help him realize how silly his threats are and they end up having fun playing together.

Anna and I both enjoyed this book and it gave us a chance to talk about bullying.  I loved how the father in the story didn't jump in and defend his son, nor did he encourage him to be mean back, he simply helped his son see the reality of the situation and look for ways to change it.