The Meanest Thing To Say: A Little Bill Book for Beginning Readers, Level 3 (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Varnette Hon Eywood (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1997: The first three books in Bill Cosby's Little Bill series, which fall somewhere between Fat Albert and Fatherhood in sensibility, are designed to help kids cope with tough social situations. In The Meanest Thing to Say Little Bill must figure out how to avoid the challenge offered by the new kid in his class, "The Dozens," a duel of insults Bill doesn't want to join. With his family's help (which is free of preaching), Bill finds a solution.

Dr. Alvin F. Poussant, a frequent Cosby collaborator and advisor, adds a useful introduction to explain why Little Bill not only beats the game, but also goes on to befriend its instigator. (The publisher recommends the book for ages 4-8, but because the author is Bill Cosby, kids up to age 10 would probably accept the counsel offered by this volume and others in the series.)

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. Cosby turns his hand to writing, telling stories about situations that children often face. In The Best Way to Play, Little Bill, the narrator, and his friends get caught up in the excitement and marketing of their favorite TV cartoon, Space Explorers, and desperately want their parents to buy them the expensive video game. They become bored with it quickly, however, and realize that it's more fun to play Space Explorers outside. In The Meanest Thing to Say, Little Bill comes face to face with a bully. The Treasure Hunt takes him on a voyage of self-exploration. It seems to him that everyone in his family has a special quality. After a full day of searching, he discovers that his is "telling stories and making people laugh." These titles feature short chapters, making them appropriate for beginning readers?but they're also short enough to be read aloud. Honeywood's illustrations are bright and eye-catching, and show Little Bill and his friends and family as having distinctive personalities and characteristics. Each book comes with a letter to parents from a child psychiatrist about the subject matter in that book. While the writing is nothing extraordinary, Cosby has a good grasp of the issues and how the world looks through children's eyes. The primarily African-American characters also make these books welcome additions to easy-reader collections.?Dina Sherman, Brooklyn Children's Museum, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Cartwheel; Library Edition edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590956167
• ISBN-13: 978-0590956161
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,856 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Popular Characters > TV > Little Bill
  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Early Reader Series > Little Bill Books
  #27 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Peer Pressure

• This is item 12 in The Oprah's Book Club Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cosby tells "stories about situations children often face.", March 14, 2007

By	Soaring Heart - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The Meanest Thing To Say is not about saying mean things back to mean people. And it isn't even about mean people. What it IS about is children learning self-control, level-headedness and heart. When the new kid, Michael, calls Little Bill names, and says he has to think of the meanest things to say back the next day, Bill is frustrated and anxious. This comes up at home and his dad tells him to just say, "So?" to everything. Little Bill does this and it halts Michael. It takes two people to fight. But the moral of the story doesn't stop here. Bill observes Michael is a new student and maybe just needs a friend. So he invites him to play basketball with him and they become friends.

Unfortunately it is reality that children can be very mean and hurtful. As parents, we need to teach our children how to handle bullies and it's equally as important to teach them not to BE a bully. Also, just ignoring mean actions and words doesn't always work. Everyone has good in them and we all, ages 2-102 need to offer kindness instead of anger. Great job, Cosby! Thank you and please keep writing. Peace & Soar!o8E

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MY SON LOVES THIS BOOK/HE'S ONLY 2 YEARS OLD, August 25, 1998

By A Customer

MY SON WANTS THIS STORY READ TO HIM EVERY NIGHT....AND HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY WHEN HE IS TOLD SOMETHING MEAN...SO, I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR KIDS AND ADULTS!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Meanest Thing to Say, February 11, 2000

By	Sherall (LOS ANGELES, CA) - See all my reviews

I would like to thank Bill and Varnette for the great work they have done. My son was having problems reading until we bought this book at a Book Fair. My son is 8 years old and loves reading know thanks to the wonderful job that Mr. Bill Cosby has done. Also he was having problems with teasing at school. But know he realize that teasing someone is very mean and that is can hurt them in the long run. Once again I would like to thank Bill and Varnette for the wondeful job they are doing. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!