Publisher's Weekly Review
The latest Hopscotch Hill School title from Valerie Tripp, Teasing Trouble, illus. by Joy Allen, focuses on Hallie when she loses her two front teeth. Well-meaning class clown Spencer's jokes hurt her feelings. Miss Sparks sits the pair down to discuss how "words can hurt and words can help." (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Gr. 1-2. When Hallie loses her two front teeth, her classmates are cheerfully supportive, with one exception. Spencer, who prides himself on his jokes, teases Hallie repeatedly, until she becomes angry and lashes out, calling him a big, mean bully. When the teacher intervenes, Spencer learns to think before he jokes, and Hallie vows to speak up promptly when she feels hurt. At the end of the book, an eight-page section entitled Dear Parents offers practical advice on teaching children to show consideration for others, to use humor in positive ways, and to deal with bullies. Unlike most books in which one child bullies or teases another, this lively telling offers both children's points of view. Allen captures the body language of primary-grade children in a series of brightly colored illustrations. Though real-life schoolyard problems are seldom resolved so neatly, kids and parents may find hope as well as some useful tactics in this appealing book from the Hopscotch Hill School series. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist