Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully: A Freckleface Strawberry Story    by Julianne Moore & LeUyen Pham Order:  USA  Can Bloomsbury, 2009 (2009) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch In this second picture book about the adventures of a little girl with red hair and freckles, the reader discovers how the indomitable youngster tackles a classmate who loves to intimidate his fellow students during a dodgeball game. 'Windy Pants Patrick is big. Windy Pants Patrick is fast. Windy Pants Patrick throws the ball TOO HARD!' Seemingly no match for the dodgeball intimidator, Freckleface still decides to take Windy Pants on. The last child left standing in a game one day, Freckleface takes a hit right on her head, but doesn't react as the other kids usually do. She doesn't cry, moan or groan. In fact, she puts on a brave face and acts like she didn't feel a thing. She asks, 'What? Did the ball get me out?' Then she roars at her adversary and scares him by shouting, 'I'm a monster, and I don't care!' Windy Pants Henry doesn't know how to respond, but he is certainly surprised by the little girl's actions and how she stands up to him. The story ends with the two children becoming friends and playing nicely together. The message of this picture book for children between the ages of 3 to 8 is quite clear: If you are not afraid and stand up to a bully, he (or she) will back off. It would be a better world if that were always the case, but mom and dad know that isn't always true. On the other hand, parents can use this book as a jumping-off place to discuss what techniques might work when dealing with someone like Windy Pants Henry. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews