Never Tease a Sister, Cuz Teasing Isn't Nice...

I have two brothers, so I know all about teasing. It's annoying, sometimes downright aggravating. I've been on the receiving end many times; I'm afraid I've dished it out myself on numerous occasions. In Let's Talk About... Teasing, Joy Berry and illustrator John Costanza tackle this ticklish topic with practicality and humor.

Berry's text is straightforward and simple, and it reads more smoothly than in Let's Talk About... Being Selfish, another book in the series, which featured bullets on some of the pages, breaking up the flow of the writing. Teasing feels much more fluid because of this and the fact that there are two prominent characters throughout the book.

There's a little girl with a head of thick burgundy curls, which are often augmented by yellow bows. In the first half of the book, she's badgered relentlessly by a mirthful Weasley-haired boy who, as we find out at the end of the book, is her brother, though whether he's older or younger is hard to say. I would guess maybe a year older. He makes fun of her clothes, her food, her emotional reactions to movies, her inability to tie her shoes and ride a bike without training wheels. He is obnoxious.

The book reaches its turning point with the following illuminating notion: "If you want someone to stop teasing you, you must not become frustrated. You must not get embarrassed or become upset. To make sure that you do not do these things, you must ignore the people who are teasing you. Do not pay attention to what they are saying." Easier said than done, says the brother-badgered Erin. But at least it's worth a try...

In the rest of the book, the girl quietly observes her brother as he interacts with his friends, and in thought bubbles we see her contemplating whether she should tease him over one thing or another. But because she remembers how badly she felt when he gave her a hard time, she curtails her impulses, and in the end her restraint pays off with an improved relationship with her brother. At least for the afternoon.

I like the fact that this book has a definite story arc. It could be pulled off a little better, I think; we get the girl's thought process, but her brother doesn't seem to even know she's around throughout the second half of the book, so his gratitude to her in the end seems a bit out of the blue. Still, though he doesn't know how she struggled with her decision to withhold sarcastic or embarrassing comments, he's evidently noticed that his sister has not said anything mean to him even though he belittled her all morning. So it's nice to see that realization lead to a change in behavior.

Implementing the suggestions in this book is not always easy, but a little empathy can go a long way. Teasing is a step in the right direction.