Bullying is all too common these days
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Peer pressure makes it so even the most pleasant person can become cruel to others for no reason. A person who faces a bully can do something rather than run and hide or maliciously fight back. Children will learn that from reading Mac Moonstone’s book, Tanks and Tractors.
Johnny the Tractor works hard to plow fields for the farmers until Tayna the Tank comes through and ruins the beautiful flower fields. She takes orders from her boss and directs other tanks to cause a mess of Johnny’s hard work. Rather than Johnny fighting back, he decides to do everything he can to protect the fields by putting up barriers. All the while, he does this politely.
The kindness and determination to save the fields make Tanya question what her boss directs her to do. When Tanya finds herself stuck in the mud, Johnny is there to help. Tanya learns a powerful lesson about how far kindness can go.
I enjoyed this bright and colorful picture book
The illustrations were fun, and the message regarding the effects of bullying was clear. Using tanks and tractors made the story fun; my son asked me to read it repeatedly. He loves big trucks, and this book was right up his alley. The added images of animals that live in the field added to the story of how others can feel about bullying, even though they aren’t the ones being bullied.
Tanks and Tractors is a well-written story for children and is a great starting point to help open the conversation about bullying. If your child is the bully or is the one being bullied, both sides will be able to understand how to handle this tricky situation, especially for the person who is the bully. They need to learn to go against peer pressure, and this is the lesson Tanya the Tank learns.
I encourage parents to share this story with their children to help combat the bullying epidemic our children face
Whether that is online, in person, physical abuse, or verbal abuse, kids need to learn this behavior is not okay. They must also know that the best way to react to bullying is not to entertain it. Fight back with kindness, and it will surprise you how the situation resolves itself.
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