The Recess Queen - Anti-Bullying Story for Kids
About this Story
“Kindness, Friendship, Inclusion”
“The Recess Queen” basically captures every playground dynamic ever! 👑 My nephew’s teacher reads this to their class during conflict resolution lessons, and honestly, it works like magic. Alexis O’Neill teamed up with illustrator Laura Huliska-Beith to tackle bullying in the smartest way possible.
A fresh and original twist on the common issue of bullying. Kids will relate, while parents and teachers will appreciate the story’s deft handling of conflict resolution (which happens without adult intervention), according to reviewers. Mean Jean literally rules the entire playground with her “push ’em and smoosh ’em, lollapaloosh ’em” attitude until tiny Katie Sue shows up.
What makes this different from other anti-bullying books is how realistic it feels. Katie Sue stands up to her with a cheeky, “How DID you get to be so bossy?” and just invites Mean Jean to jump rope. No adults. No big speeches. Just one kid choosing kindness over fear.
Huliska-Beith’s collage illustrations are absolutely perfect - you can literally see Mean Jean’s face transform from scary to surprised to genuinely happy. The rhyming text has this amazing rhythm that makes reading aloud actually fun instead of preachy ✨
Here’s what gets me: Bullies are people, too, and sometimes nothing is quite so effective as ingenuous disarmament. It shows kids that mean behavior often comes from loneliness, not actual meanness.
The book earned multiple awards including being a Junior Library Guild Selection and made the Los Angeles Times Children’s Bestsellers List twice! Teachers love how it handles conflict resolution naturally without heavy-handed lessons.
Perfect for ages 4-7, especially kids dealing with playground politics. You can grab your copy at or check out all the rave reviews on Goodreads where parents share their own “Mean Jean” stories! 🌟
Book Features
Format: Paperback, Hardcover, eBook
Language: English
Suitable Age: 4 - 8 years old
Reading Levels: Preschool - 3rd Grade
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