Written by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Christian Robinson
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2014
Hardly anyone noticed young Sally McCabe.
Sally is the smallest girl in her class, but because she’s so small, most of her classmates tend to overlook her. But while they’re ignoring her, she’s paying extra attention to them. She notices little things like the number of keys on the janitor’s key ring, but she also notices when Tommy is tripped by a bully. She sees flowers and animals and she also sees Kevin get pushed off the slide. She even notices when a classmate is suddenly taken away by his father at a Parent-Teacher Day. She pays attention to the way that people react when bullies mistreat them and it reminds her of bulldozers running over flowers. So one day, she steps out of line at lunch, raises her hand and declares that she has seen enough of people treating each other badly. At first, no one knows how to react and then another student joins her and raises his hand. Soon everyone, even the Principal, joins in the protest. After that, the kids in her school are a little more patient and kind to each other and in the happy days that follow, they remember that this big change was brought about by a small girl.
Justin Roberts is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter but this is his first picture book, based somewhat on his song, ‘Billy the Bully.’ The message in this book is admittedly a little heavy-handed, but it’s an important message, especially for kids who are small or shy and not used to getting a lot of attention. I really like that the book focused so much on Sally’s perceptive nature and the fact that she saw so many things going on all around her. There’s even a page where Sally sees a boy being bullied by his father and while not directly addressed here, it’s an important subtext for kids to notice and speak up if they see. And I like that all she does is stand up and speak her mind.
Bookshelf favorite Christian Robinson once again proves his mastery of colored pencils, giving us illustrations of kids that manage to show a wide range of emotions in a few dots and lines. I don’t know how he does it, but the way he draws children is just so expressive and engaging. I love his bold colors and backgrounds that feel both professional and childlike at the same time, which is what I imagine makes them so appealing to kids. His art makes me want to draw and I think that’s probably what every illustrator would love to hear.
And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that if you see something, you should say something.
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