Loukoumi and the Schoolyard Bully

Katsoris addresses bullying in his sixth book starring Loukoumi, an anthropomorphic lamb who lives up to her sweet name (it's the Greek word for Turkish delight candy). After Loukoumi tells her friends that she's going to have a baby brother, a pushy alligator named Igor butts in and makes fun of her name. Following a leaden pep talk from one of her friends ("You shouldn't be a bully because it really isn't cool. You should be accepting of others. That's the golden rule"), Loukoumi counters Igor's meanness with kindness. In a speedy about-face, Igor apologies to Loukoumi, and her response crystallizes the story's obvious message: "It really is cooler to be nice." The author reinforces the theme of Loukoumi's sweetness in the story's conclusion, when her father says they will name her newly arrived sibling Lou, in honor of Loukoumi. The brassy digitally created cartoons have a TV cartoon vibe, but tend to be static and flat. A portion of the book's proceeds will benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. An audio download featuring celebrity narrators is available on the series' Web site. Ages 4%E2%80%938.