Pepita and the Bully; Pepita y la peleonera

Pepita is back! And though she likes her new school, she has decided that –after three days-– she isn’t going back. She’s sorry too, because she likes her teacher, Miss Chu, who has black eyes and a sunny smile. She likes her bright, colorful classroom. And she especially likes the playground. But she does not like Babette, a mean-spirited girl who makes fun of Pepita’s name, her braids, and even her dog, Lobo. And so she has decided that she doesn’t want to go back to school. That night at supper, Pepita tells her family about her decision and Babette s bullying. Her parents encourage her to try again, and advise her to be kind. Her brother tells her not to fight, because bullies like to fight. So against her will, Pepita goes back to school. Babette immediately starts to attack Pepita with unkind comments. In spite of her best intentions, Pepita simply can’t be nice to someone as nasty as Babette. To Pepita’s surprise, it turns out that Babette knows how to dish out hurtful comments, but she doesn’t like to be on the receiving end!

Ofelia Dumas Lachtman once again pairs with illustrator Alex Pardo DeLange to introduce children ages 4-8 to an important subject through the antics of plucky little Pepita. Kids will learn –along with Pepita– how to deal with overbearing kids.