Janice Levy

A bully learns his lesson from arm wrestling Hammer Hand Man!

IT'S HERE ....FLASHLIGHT PRESS....

order autographed copies from the author at janice@janicelevy.com

"Playground bullies and aggressive behavior are frequently addressed in today's parenting magazines. Author Janice Levy offers a completely new take on the subject with her latest book, "Alley Oops," which is told from the bully's perspective.

The book tells the story of a bully named J.J. and how he manages to change his negative behavior to accept the person he once ridiculed. The story line is easy to follow for any child age 5 and above.

J.J.'s personal journey from name-calling snit to an embracing friend of the overweight kid in school helps readers understand how unique we all are without sugar-coating the topic of bullying. Levy presents the topic in comprehensible language with a gratifying, realistic solution.

I highly recommend her book, "Alley Oops," for its insight, educational value, and straightforward treatment of an age-old problem."

Christine Louise Hohlbaum,author of Diary of a Mother and SAHM I Am, Tales of a Stay-At-Home-Mom, http://www.diaryofamother.com

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

No one should be bullied. Everyone should be free to go wherever they want without having to be afraid. This book is a great resource of information to all those coping with situations concerning bullying, including teachers and parents.

Title: Alley Oops

Author: Janice Levy

Illustrator: C.B. Decker

Publisher: Flashlight Press

ISBN: 0972922547

This story is told from the point of view of the bully, J.J. Jax. He's in a lot of trouble again. It seems that he's been bullying Patrick Montgomery, the new boy at school.

Patrick is overweight. J.J. has been teasing, taunting and calling him names like, "The Big Oink," and "Porky." Patrick has been having nightmares and is afraid to go to school. He's afraid that J.J. is going to hurt him.

Patrick's father has gone to see J.J's dad. Mr. Jax is furious when he finds out what his son's been doing. He tells J.J. a story about when he was young. J.J. hates these stories and is angry.

J.J. jumps on his bicycle and pedals furiously over to Patrick's house. He confronts Patrick. Patrick is frightened at first, but then begins telling J.J. things that annoy him. Before they know it, the boys are talking. It seems they really have a lot in common. You will be really surprised at what happens next.

Author Janice Levy uses quick, sharp dialogue that will have you flipping pages like crazy.
Illustrator C.B. Decker's life-like illustrations bring the story to life.

Mary M. Alward, February l8, 2005,Suite l0l.com

*****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I need to begin by admitting that I don't like books designed to teach kids a moral lesson. And I really don't like books that have a parent lecture the main character on morality. Since both things happen in Alley Oops, I must dislike it, right? Well, no, not this time. I read this book to my five year old. She's on the young end of the target age and she's never been bullied. She was riveted by the story. She asked for it over and over. And she asked a lot of questions. We were able to talk about bullying and the need to be kind to kids, so even (or perhaps especially) in the very youngest reader -- this book accomplishes its mission. Also, the illustrations are lively and should catch the eye of a school-aged reader and if you can get kids to read it, you can probably get them to think about bullying in new ways.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED****
Alley Oops is the story of a popular boy who picks on a new classmate for being fat. Since the new classmate is very big and very strong, in addition to being fat, I was impressed that the shrimpy main character had the courage to tease him but I think that was a good choice, also. The targets of bullying are often the meek, not just the weak. It was interesting to see bullying addressed from the viewpoint of the bully. I was a little sad to see that what really ended the bullying was having the victim prove himself cool enough not to be victimized, but I guess that's realistic, too. Lectures from parents don't solve as much as we'd like. Sometimes bullying doesn't end until the both the victim and the bully change. This book will definitely be another tool in the job of helping bullies and victims change.

Jan Fields
Reviewed 2005
© 2005 MyShelf.com


Alley Oops tells the story of the painful and humiliating aftermath of name-calling and bullying. JJ's a skinny boy with a very sharp tongue and a nose for weakness, who's dug his teeth into making Patrick's days at school miserable by calling attention to Patrick's size and calling him mean names. Now Patrick is a big boy, with a soft heart. J.J.'s harrassed him the point he's scared to go to school. When J.J.'s dad hears of his son's bullying, he first lectures him, which doesn't impress J.J. one bit. So Dad takes him aside and tells the story of when he was a kid and a bully and the consequences he only recently had to face because of what he'd done back then. Now J.J. is impressed, so much so, he jumps on his bike and heads over to Patrick's house to see if he can patch things up. There he discovers how much they have in common: little sisters who can do no wrong and a passion for arm-wrestling. During a contest at school, J.J. experience the ALLEY OOPS feeling of empowerment and self-esteem which comes from doing the right thing.
with snappy dialogue and marvelous pictures focusing on the harmful effects of bullying and the importance of finding common ground toward conflict resolution, this is a teaching story that needs to be read, again and again!
Reviewer: Rebecca Brown of rebeccareads.com

NASHVILLE PARENT

Ages 5 – 9; $15.95
Patrick is the new kid in school, and to make matters worse, he’s overweight. J.J. calls him mean names and plays horrible tricks on him. One day J.J.’s father tells him a story about how he used to bully a kid in school and what happened as a result. After hearing about it, J.J. makes a wise decision and to his surprise, ends up being good friends with Patrick.

KID'S HOME LIBRARY/THE REPOSITORY/CANTON,OHIO

Bullying is more dangerous then ever before. This light-hearted picture book tells of a father who's discovered his son is calling an overweight boy names. Instead of yelling and criticizing, Dad relates a bully story from his own chldhood, prompting young J.J. to think and react, eventually bonding with the other boy over arm wrestling and annoying sister stories.
One quote from J.J.'s dad is especially helpful - "Your grandpa used to say we have two dogs inside of us, one good and one bad, that fight all the time. The one that wins in the one you feed the most."
THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT and can help bullies understand the impact of their hurtful behavior.

"Flashlight Press is excited about their upcoming (May 2005) release of Alley Oops by Janice Levy. Cleverly illustrated by CB Decker, this picture book tackles bullying, an age-old problem with devastatingly painful effects. Meet J.J. Jax, the bully in this story. Travel with him as he faces the consequences of his father finding out about his bullying behavior. See what his father has to say about his own brush with bullying. Get to know J.J.'s victim, Patrick, who no longer wants to go to school because of J.J.'s relentless taunting and teasing. Find out what happens when J.J. goes to Patrick to make amends. Can a bully and his victim find common ground solid enough to build a friendship? The author of this little gem delicately weaves in the parable of the two dogs inside each of us, representing the good and the bad, constantly at battle. When J.J. asks his father which one wins, he wisely responds, "the one you feed the most." What a beautiful illustration of the power of choice.
****Check out this book; it will empower your children to wrestle with big choices and take a look at their own actions and reactions."Barbara Gruener,Westwood Elementary School,Friendswood,Texas

www.review-books.com GREAT BOOK!


Alley Oops illustrates bullying from the bully's perspective. It highlights a positive outlook and the importance to resolving the bullying conflict and how everyone can be a winner in the end.
Mr. Jax and J.J. have that father-son talk after Mr. Jax finds out that J.J. has been calling Patrick Montgomery names at school—"The Big Oink", "Porky", etc. Because of the ribbing of J.J., Patrick doesn't want to go to school anymore because he feels like he is being picked on. To help J.J., Mr. Jax tells him a story about Frog Face, a boy, when he was growing up that he bullied. J.J. has "food for thought" when Mr. Jax tells him a story that Grandpa used to tell about the two dogs inside of each of us. "One dog is bad. The other dog is good. The two of them fight all the time. Which dog wins? The one you feed the most. You get to decide." Find out how this wonderful story turns out.

OPINION BY REVIEWER:
A great answer to this children's problem. No one is immune to the ramifications of bullying, whether it is being bullying or bullying. I am glad to see such a positive way of looking at this problem with such an interesting story that kids can remember—both the bully and the bullied. I highly recommend it.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is being sold in a PACKAGE OF RECOMMENDED LIFE SKILLS BOOKS BY NCYI,THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH. It appeared on page 5 of their 8-page April 2006 product flyer http://www.ncyi.org/downloads/N46_flier_1.pdf with this intro: "These beautifully illustrated, hardback books present fun and meaningful messages. A 'must have' for classroom teachers, counselors, or school libraries." THE NYCI IS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE PRIMARY RESOURCES FOR CHARACTER and life-skills development materials, training, and services. More than 29,000 schools across the country have used materials and services provided by NCYI to enhance and deliver character education messages to over ten million children and youth.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is a new resource of the NATIONAL PRINCIPALS RESOURCE CENTER(NPRC) of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). http://web.naesp.org/nprc/description.php?II=279&UID=2006050703591862.0.120.142&naespid=AO-OL

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is a recommended ANTI-BULLYING RESOURCE ON KIDS HELP PHONE, CANADA'S ONLY TOLL-FREE, 24 HOUR, BILINGUAL AND ANONYMOUS PHONE COUNSELING, referral, and Internet service for children and youth. http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/en/informed/bullying/books8.asp

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was mentioned in the Industry News section (see Awards) of Ed Play's online newsletter on April 28, 2006 http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:B554d8Puig8J:www.edplay.com/EPYIndustryNews.html+alley+oops+Levy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=77&lr=lang_en|lang_iw

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is positively reviewed with cover image in the 'Wands and Worlds' blog http://www.wandsandworlds.com/blog1/2006/04/alley-oops.html. Blogger and reviewer Sheila Ruth writes "a funny, touching, and beautifully illustrated picture book that can help teach young children to be considerate of each other’s feelings at an age when they are still young enough for it to make a difference. One book by itself may not be enough to stop teasing and bullying, but … this book … can help to teach children empathy, understanding, and respect."

Alley Oops is featured as a source for "Learning About Respectfulness From a Picture Book Character" in the book "Bright Beginnings for Boys: Engaging Young Boys in Active Literacy: by D. Zambo and W. Brozo, to be published by the International Reading Association, 192pp. January 2009. Alley Oops is featured in chapter one: Nurturing Young Male Readers. This chapter is also being offered as a free download from the IRA website.
http://www.reading.org/Library/Retrieve.cfm?D=10.1598/9780872076839.1&F=bk683-1-Zambo.pdf

AWARDS AND HONORS

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is a STORYTELLING WORLD AWARD HONOR TITLE 2006 in the category of Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners. This award recognizes the highest quality storytelling resources and is publicized in the May/June 2006 issue of Storytelling World/Storytelling Magazine (circ. 3000+). Pictures of all honored resources will appear twice in full color in this international publication--once with the awards article, and again on the back cover.

* Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed in School Library Journal. Jennifer Ralston, librarian in Belcamp, MD wrote, "…The watercolor cartoons are lively and have contemporary details. …the book may be useful to help initiate discussion on this important topic [of bullying]." For the full review, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0972922547/qid=1124171661/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1670821-2224605?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

* Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed in Children's Literature. Reviewer Kelly Roque says "… a valuable lesson about name-calling and hurting people’s feelings." See www.FlashlightPress.com/alleyoopsreviews.html for the full review.


* Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) has been CHOSEN AS AN ACCELERATED READER BOOK, Accelerated Reader, run by Renaissance Learning Inc., helps teachers in 57,000 schools in the US and over 1,000 schools in Canada motivate and manage students' reading development through quizzes that they create on each selected book. The quizzes are publicized, entered in their catalog and Web site, and then made available to the thousands of schools using Accelerated Reader. Schools often purchase the book to accompany the quiz.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was featured with cover in the September 2005 issue of Long Island Parenting magazine. Reviewer Marie Wolf called Alley Oops "an entertaining book with a compassionate message." Read the full review on our website at www.FlashlightPress.com/alleyoopsreviews.html This parenting magazine is distributed free at many locations throughout the Long Island area, including libraries, childcare centers and preschools, hospitals, doctors’ offices, schools, parks and recreation centers, museums, restaurants, grocery stores and many other family-friendly locations.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was prominently featured with cover image in Merrick Life (Sept 15, Merrick, Long Island, NY, circ. 5,100), a weekly community newspaper. The article, entitled "Back to School – not to bullies!", included an interview with Alley Oops author Janice Levy, a Merrick resident.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was enthusiastically reviewed with cover in Baltimore's Child (November 2005, circ. 60,000) In her Bookworms column, this month entitled "Dealing With It," reviewer Kate Marley says "…JJ finds out that Patrick is a very cool person inside…Good illustrations by CB Decker capture the awkward adolescent yearning for acceptance and righteousness." More about Baltimore's Child: Baltimore’s Child distributes 60,000 copies monthly to parents in Baltimore City, and Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties. Distribution of each issue is carefully controlled, ensuring that every copy gets into the hands of parents. Copies are also distributed to private and public schools, childcare centers, libraries, retail stores catering to children and families, hospitals, professional offices and many other locations.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was reviewed in the Horn Book Guide (Fall 2005). "After J.J.'s dad scolds him for teasing an overweight boy named Patrick, J.J. confronts Patrick about tattling. The two end up bonding over a mutual passion for wrestling--and irritation with parental lectures… The watercolor illustrations are well composed…."

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was featured with cover in the July issue of Nashville Parent (circ. 150,000). For full review see http://www.parentworld.com/news.ez?viewStory=1657&Form.sess_id=1884531&Form.sess_key=1121357047

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed by Lee Littlewood of the Copley News Service. Her article, entitled "Giving guides help youngsters deal with emotional issues" appeared in the Canton Ohio Repository (May 15, 2005, circ. 86,572). "This lighthearted picture book...is important, and can help bullies understand the impact of their hurtful behavior." Read the full review at www.FlashlightPress.com/alleyoopsreviews.html

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was featured in the Winter 2005 issue of Curriculum Connections by the ADL. The theme of the issue was Using Children's Literature to Address Bullying, and Alley Oops was included in their Annotated Bibliography of Children's Fiction on Bullying. In addition to having a prominent place on the ADL website, Curriculum Connections goes out to 30 ADL offices and to thousands of educators around the US. The full review can be seen at http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/winter_2005/bibliography.asp?cc_section=biblio

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed in the Portland Jewish Review (Nov 15, 2005, circ. 8,000). Reviewer Deborah Seldner stated, "Writing about bullying from the point of view of the bully, Janice Levy draws on the Jewish concept of the yetzer hara and the yetzer tov (evil and good inclinations) to explain why children bully each other. …Levy describes…a good dog and a bad dog constantly fighting inside everyone. The dog that one chooses to feed the most wins the battle." Read the full review at www.FlashlightPress.com/alleyoopsreviews.html

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed in the Maine Jewish Community Voice (September 2005, circ. 2,400). Alongside the review was an informative interview with Alley Oops author Janice Levy. Read the review and interview at www.FlashlightPress.com/alleyoopsreviews.html

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was discussed in ReAD, a monthly publication of the New York State Reading Association, which runs the NY Charlotte Awards. Under the heading "Books with Teacher Appeal" was this plug for Alley Oops: "As the Charlotte Award Committee receives new books to review, they often find titles that teachers would find of special interest... Alley Oops by Janice Levy... Powerful message without being goody-goody." The ReAD newsletter is received by 725 educators, many of whom share it further with local council membership of the NY State Reading Association.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was "very highly recommended" in Midwest Book Review (Sept 05). The reviewer called it "entertaining and superbly written". Read the full review at http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/sep_05.htm (Click on "Children's Shelf" and then scroll down to find Alley Oops.)

INCLUSION IN BIBLIOGRAPHIES and CATALOGS

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is featured with cover on page 6 of Gardners Books Children's Catalog 2005. Gardners is Britain's leading book wholesaler, with 475,000 titles from over 3,000 publishers.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is included in the Follett Library Resources Catalog of Books on Character Education. http://www.flr.follett.com/intro/pdfs/CharacterEducation.pdf See page 13, Books on Bullying and Conflict Resolution.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was CHOSEN AS ONE OF TOP CHARACTER EDUCATION BOOKS by trainer of trainers Barbara Gruener on The Character Education Partnership website. CEP membership includes the nation's leading education organizations, and its board of directors is made up of corporate leaders and leading experts in the field of character education. See http://www.character.org, click on Resources, then click on Character Education (CE) Blog (both links are on the left), then look to the right for a link called CE Books. Barbara's Top 25 Character Education Books list is half way down the first page.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is also included in a list of Children's Books That Illustrate the Six Pillars [of character education: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship] on Character Counts.com. This list, originally compiled by Kate Harrington of the Albuquerque Public library, indicates which of the Six Pillars of Character is most strongly emphasized in each book. Alley Oops is listed as emphasizing Respect. For the full list, see http://www.charactercounts.org/booklist1.htm

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is included in the Allen County Indiana Public Library Parents' Primer on Physical Abuse, a list of books on bullying and teasing. See http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/phabuse_personal.html

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was mentioned as an anti-bullying resource in the August Peer Abuse Newsletter. This e-newsletter is sent quarterly to over 400 subscribers.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is included in a list of biblio-therapy books on bullying for grades 1-3 in the Unionville Chadds Ford (PA) School District. The summary states "Named for that 'alley oops!' moment when a child experiences the empowerment that comes from doing the right thing, this story relates the aftermath of bullying from the perspective of the bully." See the entire bibliography at http://cfes.ucfsd.org/Bully%20Bibliography2.htm

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is recommended as a resource on the Middle Elementary student booklist, as well as the parent, and school administrator/staff booklists, of Stop Bullying Now.com, the anti-bullying website of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.bullyingresources.org/stopbullyingnow/indexAdult.asp?Area=BookResources&view=midelem

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is included in a list of "Boy Bullies" books in the Grades K-5 section of Paperbacks for Educators at AnyBookInPrint.com. See http://www.any-book-in-print.com/_grades_k5/bullies_boys_bib_k5.htm for full listing.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is featured on page 3 of the new Flashlight Press catalog, 450 copies of which was included in the July White Box sent to top Booksense bookstores.

ONLINE REVIEWS and INTERVIEWS

Of Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547), Jan Fields of MyShelf.com said "I need to begin by admitting that I don't like books designed to teach kids a moral lesson. And I really don't like books that have a parent lecture the main character on morality. Since both things happen in Alley Oops, I must dislike it, right? Well, no, not this time. I read this book to my five year old... She was riveted by the story. She asked for it over and over. And she asked a lot of questions. We were able to talk about bullying and the need to be kind to kids, so even (or perhaps especially) in the very youngest reader -- this book accomplishes its mission." Read the full review at http://www.myshelf.com/kids/fiction/05/alleyoops.htm

Cheryl Coon, author of Books To Grow With: A Guide to Using the Best Children's Fiction For Everyday Issues and Tough Challenges) included Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) in the New Books Worth Considering section of her March 2005 Newsletter http://www.lutrapress.com/pdf/Books-to-Grow-With-Newsletter_3-05.pdf

Rebecca Brown of RebeccaReads.com enthused about Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) "With snappy dialogue & marvelous pictures... Alley Oops... needs to be read, again & again. Read the full review at http://rebeccasreads.com/reviews/03chi/03levj55.html

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was featured as an August Book Raffle Prize on RebeccaReads.com, a book review website visited by 65,000 unique viewers monthly. http://rebeccasreads.com/raffles.html

Cheryl McCann of ReviewBooks.com said about Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) "A great answer to this children's problem [of bullying]. I am glad to see such a positive way of looking at this problem with such an interesting story that kids can remember—both the bully and the bullied. I highly recommend it." http://www.review-books.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=317

Lisa D'Angelo of Book Review Cafe.com said about Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) "A great story... Unique drawings go perfectly in this... setting." See the full review at http://www.bookreviewcafe.com/alley-oops.php

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is described as "the first kids' book to feature armwrestling!" on www.USArmwrestling.com and www.armpullers.com, websites well-visited by armwrestling enthusiasts.

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is listed in the April 2005 edition of Margot Finke's Wahoo for Children's Authors webpage. http://mysite.verizon.net/afinke/Wahoo.html#Apr

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) is mentioned on BoomerWomenSpeak.com "Watch the victim turn the tables on the bully and come out on top in that "Alley Oops" moment!" http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/boomerbooks.htm

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) received a rave review on academicplanet.com. School counselor Barbara Gruener calls Alley Oops a "little gem... [that] will empower your children to wrestle with big choices and take a look at their own actions and reactions." Read the full review at http://tools.academicplanet.com/webs/bgruener

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was highly recommended on Suite101.com, a website which reaches over 1.5 million unique visitors every month. Reviewer Mary M. Alward said "Author Janice Levy uses quick, sharp dialogue that will have you flipping pages like crazy. Illustrator C.B. Decker's life-like illustrations bring the story to life." Read the full review at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/great_books_kids/114109

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was positively reviewed on Blether.com. Reviewer Christine Louise Hohlbaum praised the "completely new take" and the "gratifying, realistic solution." Read the full review at http://www.blether.com/blether.php?id=9826

Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547) was highly recommended on TheReadingTub.com and was featured in their Tub-Side Reading list on their quarterly e-newsletter, The Wash Rag. Read the full review at http://www.thereadingtub.com/alley_oops.html

Janice Levy, author of Alley Oops (Flashlight Press, 0972922547), was interviewed by Sue Reichard on Suite101.com. The full interview can be read at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/childrens_writing/110262