The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby

I loved The Cosby Show growing up! "How long til we get there?" was always answered by the number of Cosby Shows. I learned a lot of things from this fictitional family and Mr. Cosby has taken his credibility to picture books.

The series of chapter books involve some sort of lesson that Little Bill learns. This book tackles the common enough topic of mean kids. There is a mean person in almost every situtation. We as adults, have hopefully learned how to successfully deal with them. Children, as we know, are not always good at letting things lie. As a kiddo on the playground, if someone calls you a name, the typical response would be a quick comeback. This of course leads to hurt feelings and possible physical retaliation. Little Bill is confronted with this and feels pressure to come up with a good comeback. Little Bill's family quickly demonstrates how futile it is to try to keep pace with a meanie. "So?" becomes the response that helps stop the name calling at recess.

For kids, it is extra hard to let someone say bad things about them because they want to defend themselves. We adults hopefully know that that only fuels the fire and keeps things tense. Cosby tackles this difficult topic in a way that is easy for kids to understand because it is relatable. Helping kids recognize different options for a sticky situtation like this can be invaluable. I like how the illustrator Varnette P. Honeywood incorporates multiple races and cultures in her depictions of Little Bill's life. I think she uses cut paper to make her illustrations, which gives them added interest. We need more culturally aware and positive literature for our kiddos to read.