Although she plays a notorious bully on TV’s Glee, Jane Lynch takes an anti-bullying stance in her first children’s picture book, Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean. The book, which is now available, is written to teach kids ages 3 to 7 how to stand up to the bully at their school.
The titular character of the book is the self-appointed queen of the playground, the sidewalk, and the school. She used intimidation and other bully tactics in order to instill fear in the rest of the kids so that she would be in charge and have all the power. However, one day, Freddy stands up to her and calls her out, saying what the other kids are afraid to say. Spoiler alert: Marlene ends up seeing the error of her ways and tries to change, although she struggles to be nice 100 percent of the time.
Written along with clinical psychologist Lara Embry and former children’s book editor A.E. Mikesell, Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean features rhyming reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, allowing kids to easy remember the story and lessons that go along with reading it. It’s an adorably funny tale of the reformation of a bully. The illustrations, by Tricia Tusa, are uniquely charming, and bring bright colors and big images to this story.
A great thing about the prose of this story is that it gives you the perspective of both the bully and the other kids. It shows Marlene changing her ways, but she doesn’t go from bully to perfect angel overnight. She struggles with her transformation, and although she is much nicer, it takes her a bit to learn to become a good friend. This point will teach kids patience when it comes to kids being bullies, and shows that they can change and be forgiven for their not-so-nice ways. Most importantly, it teaches all of these lessons about bullying in a way that is kid-friendly, and approachable for little ones. The age range of 3 to 7 is the perfect time to start teaching kids about the effects of bullying and how to deal with it.
