The Bully

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Terrible Tim is a Grade 3 goonster who is so pugnacious that a chair
with his name on it is stationed permanently outside the principal’s
office. Tim’s favorite target is Jack, a smaller classmate. Tim
continually beats up Jack and takes his lunch. First Jack tries running
and hiding from Tim, but the bully always finds him. In desperation,
Jack even tries fighting back, but just ends up going home with a fat
lip for his troubles. No amount of school discipline seems to deter Tim,
so Jack’s mother decides to take matters into her own hands. She finds
out where Tim lives and goes there to have a talk with his parents. To
her surprise, she discovers Tim at home all alone and hungry. The next
day, Tim is shocked to be voluntarily handed a lunch bag by Jack. After
a few days of steady meals, Tim is suddenly a gentle giant who
eventually becomes Jack’s best friend.

In an age when many adults advocate army-style boot camps for problem
kids and even putting children on trial in adult courts, this book seems
strikingly civilized. Before becoming a writer, John Koning was a
firefighter, and the theme of his story seems to reflect that
profession’s maxim—“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.” Sarah White’s comical illustrations add a light, entertaining
touch to Koning’s well-written story. Highly recommended.