About the Author

TRUDY LUDWIG is a nationally acclaimed speaker and an award-winning author who specializes in writing children's books that help kids cope with and thrive in their social world, including The Invisible Boy andMy Secret Bully. She has received rave reviews from educators, experts, organizations, and parents at schools and conferences around the US for her passion and compassion in addressing peer aggression and friendship issues.An active member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Trudy also collaborates with organizations like the Committee for Children and ConnectSafely.org, and has served as content advisor for Sesame Street Workshop. Trudy's books have won theMom's Choice Gold Award, theIBPA Gold Benjamin Franklin Award, and the NAPPA Gold Medal, and alsobeen recognized as NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Books for Young People.Visit her at trudyludwig.com.

ADAM GUSTAVSON has illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including the award-winning The Yankee at the Seder, also published by Tricycle Press. Accolades for Adam's books include the IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and a Sydney Taylor Honor. Adam received an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and has taught illustration at Seton Hall University, The University of the Arts, and Passaic County College.

Reviews

Review, Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2011:
"...anyone suffering the oxygen-depleting windbaggery of the neighborhood boaster will find solace here."

Gr 1-3-Focusing on a subject not often written about for children, Ludwig's story may be helpful to youngsters dealing with braggarts. Tyler and Jake are friends, but lately Jake boasts that he can do everything better than Tyler. Tyler doesn't feel good about himself when he's around Jake and wonders why he should even try to get better at basketball or math, for instance, as Jake is always going to best him. When Tyler opens up to his uncle and explains why he's so unhappy, Uncle Kevin explains that some people are like puffer fish that make themselves look bigger than they really are; this can sometimes backfire as the larger they get, the more they push people away. That Tyler talks to an adult and then finds a friend with whom he can share and learn new skills are positive and satisfying elements to the story. Well-executed paintings are appealing and portray the characters' emotions clearly. The book offers information for adults, including a foreword, an author's note, questions for discussion, and a recommended reading list.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.