Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean
-
- $4.99
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
Glee actress Jane Lynch takes a look at bullying head-on in her first picture book.
Marlene is the self-appointed queen of the playground, the sidewalk, and the school. She is small but mighty . . . intimidating! Known for her cruel ways, the little Queen of Mean has kids cowering in fear—until big Freddy stands up to her and says what everyone has been too fearful to say. In Seussian rhyme, actress Jane Lynch, clinical psychologist Lara Embry, and former children’s book editor A. E. Mikesell gently and comically depict the undoing of a bully and her efforts to reform. Tricia Tusa’s charming illustrations make the story an even more accessible conversation starter for all ages.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Glee star Lynch teams up with Embry, a clinical psychologist who is her former spouse, and writer Mikesell for a story about the turnaround of a mean girl. Though the tale's verse doesn't always shine ("She'd stand on a chair/ to gloom and to glare,/ making everyone feel really tense"), it has other virtues. Instead of an adult savior, a fellow student named Big Freddy figures out how Marlene's bullying works: "We cringe and we cower/ and give her our power/ because we all think/ she's in charge!" United in peaceful resistance, the kids call Marlene's bluff. And even after her reform, Marlene doesn't transform overnight: "Her kindness can slide/ and her tone can be snide/ because her change is so recent." Tusa (It's Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones) makes Marlene's huge pink hair bow a comic symbol of her malice. It sails provocatively above her head as she stares down a group of children, droops as she realizes her classmates are on to her, then wilts altogether. A discussion opener that provides those at the mercy of bullies with a new perspective on their adversaries. Ages 3 7.
