Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs [Hardcover]

Karen Gedig Burnett (Author), Laurie Barrows (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Simon is having a bad day; a bad hair day. First his sister gives him a strange hair cut, then his friends tease him. Simon doesn't know what to do. Lucky for him he runs into Grandma Rose. After listening to his sorrowful story she helps him learn an important life lesson; how to handle teases and put-downs. By comparing teases to fishing hooks she tells him a tale of how fish learned not to bite. With fanciful characters such as Harmony Hippy Fish, Freddie Fang, Max the Mouse Fish and more, Simon learns that he, too, can swim free from the teasing hooks that people toss his way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Simon experiences a "bad hair day" after his sister cuts out portions of his hair to remove some chewing gum. When his friends tease him, the boy rushes home in tears. He finds consolation when his Grandmother Rose tells him "a fish story" that illustrates the pitfalls of providing an easy target for teasing by "biting the hook." Simon's self-esteem returns, and he rejoins his friends and withstands their comments by following his grandmother's sage advice. Burnett concludes with useful information for adults about teasing and instructions for using the book. The "sticks and stones" theme is patently obvious, and is presented in a didactic and patronizing manner that glosses over the real emotional turmoil children experience. The grandmother's wisdom and Simon's transparent gullibility also contribute to the condescension. The full-color illustrations are of average quality. Notwithstanding the positive theme of the book, the story is too contrived to make it plausible for bibliotherapy.
Paul Kelsey, East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

All children experience the taunts and teasings of other children. Karen Burnett is an elementary school counselor with more than 20 years experience and has written a wonderful picturebook story (charmingly illustrated by Laurie Barrows) that offers an intriguing, entertaining, and proven technique that kids can employ when feeling hurt or confused as a result of teasing by friends, peers or siblings. Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-Downs helps children to recognize they have choices and through the use of a fishing analogy, Burnett shows them how to "swim free" of feeling helpless, trapped, stuck, or powerless and able only to hit back or run away. Simon's Hook is recommended reading for boys and girls ages 6 and up, and a "must" for all school and public library collections. -- Midwest Book Review, October 1999

Simon's Hook has been selected to receive The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval. -- The National Parenting Center November 1999 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Gr Pub (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966853008
• ISBN-13: 978-0966853001
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT STORY AND EDUCATIONAL TOO!, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs (Hardcover)

Simon's Hook - A Story About Teases and Put-Downs is a great book for any child. BUT it is also a teaching tool with a highly original story and wonderful images. Children learn several ways to deal with teasing - from ignoring the teaser to changing the subject to avoiding situations, etc. (We don't want to give away the whole story). And the story is so good that children will pick it up again-and-again just to read - yet we know they are learning how to cope with teasing at the same time! Simon's Hook is a great addition to any family, school or library. From The Science Spiders Newsletter.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandma Rose to the Rescue, May 22, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs (Paperback)

When Simon is teased by his friends, Grandma rose compares teasing to fishing hooks and shows Simon how he doesn't have to get caught up in the mean game his friends are playing. Simon's Hook is an excellent way to teach children to be more resilient.
The cover (not yet shown today) has a red background and Simon is sitting on a hook under water as if it was a swing. Fish swim about and all the characters are fanciful and smiling.

The basic story includes a "bad hair day." When Simon's sister can't find her gum, she finds that it is in Simon's hair. Unfortunately she has to cut off a lot of his hair to get the gum out. This story will be very familiar to children. I remember this happening to me when I fell asleep while chewing gum.

Simon is doing quite well while wearing a hat, but when he falls and his hat falls off, all the children start to call him lawn mower head. As he runs home he accidentally runs into Grandma Rose. Simon tells her what happened and tells her about the teasing.

"But why do you bite? "
"Bite?" cried Simon.
"I didn't bite anyone!"

After going into her garage, Grandma Rose returns with a fishing line. A piece of paper is attached to the end of the hook and a cat is trying to bat at the paper. By waving the paper around for the cat, Grandma Rose shows how the cat bats at the paper. Then, she dangles the paper in front of Simon. Then Simon catches the paper too.

"You're not a free fish anymore."
"But what else can I do?"

Then over a glass of lemonade and a few cookies, Grandma Rose tells Simon a fish story. The next two pages are filled with fish thinking, saying things or biting at pieces of paper with put downs and teases written on them.

I had to laugh because some of the fish are quite adorable (the "peace" fish named Harmony Hippy Fish is a hoot) and the entire story is rather cute. At the end of the book all the fish are drawn in one picture and their names are listed next to them. The shark is of course called: "tiny." They also have some witty comments that one could consider to be a snappy retort. At the bottom of the ocean we see an Instead of Biting do this sign. It lists five ways to avoid getting caught by teasing.

There are pages and pages of fishes saying various things that are quite amusing. Even I was laughing out loud at a few of the fish stories.

When Simon returns to the park he has a new attitude and his friends enjoy his new witty remarks. He no longer takes them seriously and can enjoy the attention.

Karen Gredig Burnett writes highly creative books and Laurie Barrows knows how to draw the characters Karen is talking about. So, together they create a magic all of their own.

If your child is struggling with teasing, this book will empower them and show them that they can laugh at difficulty and embrace change. I might even start using a few of the witty comments in this book when my husband teases me. This book is definitely not just for younger kids. It can also empower adults and teenagers.

Also look for:

Katie's Rose
If the World were Blind
The Magical, Marvelous Megan G. Beamer

~The Rebecca Review

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for kids!, January 10, 2006

By 

A teacher and a Mom (San Juan Capistrano, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs (Paperback)

This is a great book that empowers kids to deal with children who tease them. So often adults tell children to walk away...that is a difficult thing to do...especially for children who are learning so many life skills. "that's not fair they said that", "They are so mean". So often the kids want to tell on them to get them in trouble...to find justice in the "wrong" behavior. This focuses on what the child can control and not what they can't control.

This book has helped my daughter a lot! She is a child who gets her feelings hurt quite a bit. This has helped empower her and, overall, made many of the teasing children stop teasing her.

I highly recommend it!