Don't Laugh at Me (Reading Rainbow Book) [Hardcover]

Steve Seskin (Author), Allen Shamblin (Author), Glin Dibley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Book

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.

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582460582
• ISBN-13: 978-1582460581
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Bullies
  • #50 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Social Skills

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for the Elementary School Classroom, January 8, 2003

By 

Leslie Solomon "Loped up with K Kids, Back in... (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Laugh at Me (Reading Rainbow Book) (Hardcover)

I used the accompanying CD to read-aloud the book and my first grade students were immediately drawn in and enthralled with both the book and the music. The least sensitive child in my class who is the first to call other students names was listening with a peaceful and loving expression of compassion and serenity on his face. Listening to the song launched some wonderful discussions when I asked students to recall and share about their feelings when someone called them names, and then to recall and share about their feelings when they called someone else names. I was overwhelmed when one of my students realized and shared that the reason that she called people names was because she was angry with them. We were able to use this as a springboard for conflict resolution and ways to share our feelings without hurting someone else's.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Read for children and adults, February 21, 2004

By 

K. Bosworth (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Laugh at Me (Reading Rainbow Book) (Hardcover)

I recently bought this book for my three grandchildren. It was an instant hit as it taught them about the pain caused by laughing at people. It is a must read for children as well as adults. We all forget how hard it is to be the square peg in the round hole and little reminders like this book keep us compassionate, tolerant, and kinder.
The CD that came with the book was an added surprise that I found to be heartwarming.
I highly recommend this book, especially when used in a classroom.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids are counting on us, and this book will help, December 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Don't Laugh at Me (Reading Rainbow Book) (Hardcover)

I first heard the song "Don't laugh at me" through Challenge Day, and the impact of the song on the young people present was huge. I was delighted to find that there was a book version of this uplifting message. The fact that the lyric-writer uses words that stereotype in his message is not an indictment of those who may [or may not] fit that category - it's an indictment of those who name-call and stereotype. My 5 year old understands the deeper meaning of the song/book in a way that, sadly, many adults fail to. If we listen to our children, they will tell us what we need to know, that teasing and name calling is wrong and they are counting on us to intervene. That's the true intention of this darling book. As a "secular" parent, I am not at all turned off by the suggestion that "in God's eyes we're all the same/someday we'll all have perfect wings." It can simply be an analogy that each of us perfect in the eyes of any loving parent or friend.