Mr. Padilla clearly has very good intentions with this book. He's trying to help young readers deal with teasing. He wants them to come away with the idea that they're good, special kids, no matter what other children might say about or to them. This is a wonderful, laudable goal. On reading it, I strongly felt he missed his mark.

The book is written entirely from Johnny's 5 year old point of view. Capturing the voice of such a young person will always be a challenge, even more so if you're trying to capture the feel and texture of a young child's thoughts. Johnny's internal monologue is creepily mature. At times he seems to think like a child, and at others the author is clearly using Johnny as a vehicle for adult admonitions. The variability of his voice is jarring at best.

"Big Ears" isn't a nickname given Johnny by heartless classmates - it's his name, what he and his family call him. It doesn't bother him, until he gets his hair cut short right before school. "Look at my ears, they do stand out a lot, but I love myself no matter what."

When he goes to school, he meets his teacher. She's an elderly woman named Mrs. Wrinkles. The only other named character is the boy who joins Johnny to play after the other kids teased him. That boy is Charlie Freckles.

So, the only three characters with names are called by an outstanding physical trait. Johnny starts the book by acknowledging that his ears are a problem - he wouldn't have to state that he loves himself no matter what if he didn't think his ears were a problem. This clearly flags the identified physical traits as being problems. This tells the reader that the teacher's wrinkles and the other boy's freckles are also a problem, as well as any other outstanding physical characteristic a person might have. I find this counterproductive to the goals of the book.

When Johnny does get teased in school, he says he's upset, but he doesn't act like an upset 5 year old. For that matter, the other children don't much act like children, either. They barely exist in the book; they're more abstract ideas of children who tease people who look different than actual characters.

Johnny is able to feel good about himself, because he has a pair of heterosexual parents, and an extended family with whom he has a loving, close relationship. What about kids who have a different kind of family?

Johnny seems to revel in his victim-hood, as if having big ears, or wrinkles or some other outstanding physical trait is part of why he's special. Other people, the book implies, aren't special.

At one point, Johnny says that it's what's inside that important. But the whole rest of the book tells the reader that obviously different physical characteristics are what's really important. It also sets up an us/them division between people who tease, and the people who are obviously different and therefore get teased. I find that very problematical as well.

All in all, while the author's clearly trying, and means well, he misses the mark. He keeps the focus on the obviously different characteristic, making that the reason children tease. That's simply not realistic. Children get teased because it's part of how playground dynamics happen. And while having a supportive family is a wonderful resource for dealing with teasing, it's not the only one.

This is not a book I would pass along to or recomend for my own nephew ( )

A nice message, worded very nice as well. I'd be interested in knowing what children would think of this book. I can see it being read in front of a class to teach kids not to tease. ( )

It's exciting to experience a children's book about a child being different and bullied with the emphasis on the child feeling special rather than rejected. The premise is a good one. However, there are some problems.

Children do not learn to spell words in kindergarten. The target audience is ages 6-8, and the story may be a stretch for that group. There are eight pages of text with no illustrations. Johnny looks closer to a ten-year-old than a five--year-old. When teased by boys who follow him, Johnny reacts in a manner way too mature for a five-year-old. Most adults are not so wise.

Another good point is the naming of the characters. Mrs. Wrinkles, is the teacher. I would have liked to see a smile on her face. Charlie Freckles is a boy who becomes Johnny's friend. More good points are the themes: that everyone has differences in appearance that make them unique, and fighting and name calling are not the only solutions to bullying. ( )