Millie Mae is a seven year old child, with the normal fears (anxieties) most children have. My purpose is to first, let children know that it is normal to have fears, and second, to let children know they have a “voice” and they must use it to speak about their fears. Someone will listen and help; whether it is a parent, aunt, uncle, sibling, teacher, or as in Millie’s case, Squeaky, the tree frog who lives in the tree outside her bedroom window.
In this book, Millie has been being bullied at school, by a girl in her class. Secretly she fears if she tells anyone, she will be thought of as stupid for allowing it, or the bullying will get worse. Finally desperate, Millie confides in Squeaky. To Millie’s relief, he listens and does not judge her. Squeaky is a balance of comic and seriousness that allows Millie to express her confused, sad and angry feelings about being bullied. To prepare Millie for her next encounter with the bully, Squeaky guides her through some very comical role playing. You won’t believe what happens the next day, when Millie Mae is bullied again.
This book shows the importance of speaking up for yourself immediately to a bully to avoid becoming a target. It also addresses the fact that many bullies are acting out, and also have been bullied. It does not depict the bully as a bad person, but a person with a problem.
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