Hurty Feelings (Laugh-Along Lessons)

I love all of Helen Lester's books so had high expectations for this one and it certainly didn't disappoint. I'm a pre-k teacher and expected to use this to teach how words can hurt just as much as physically hurting someone. Believe it or not, bullying and teasing starts very, very early and it's something I wanted to squash early on in my class. It helped tremendously to get my little ones to understand that, but I loved that the book allowed me to lead into several other lessons as well.-Bullying: Fragility the hippo takes everyone's compliments as insults, until she meets Rudy the elephant who really is very rude and insulting. Rudy knows how fragile Fragility is and uses it to hurt her feelings just because he feels like it. Good for discussing what bullying is and why someone might bully another person-Whining: As anyone who has or has had a preschooler knows, they're just starting to learn how effective whining can be at getting their way or getting attention. Just before Rudy the bully shows up, Fragility is incredibly lonely because nobody wants to upset her and they're exhausted by her meltdowns. My kids LOOOVED the repetition (and exaggerated voice it lends well to) of "You hurt my feeeeeelings!" and helped them see how silly the whining is as opposed to just talking, just as Fragility learned at the end of the story.-Two wrongs don't make a right: After several insults from Rudy, Fragility finally manages to throw his insults back at him. Far from helping the situation, this instead leads to two very sad, very hurt individuals. Helpful for teaching standing up for one's self instead of stooping down to a bully's level and making positive choices, even when someone else isn't being nice to you.-Forgiveness and making mistakes: When Fragility sees how hurt Rudy is when she teases him back, she understands that all Rudy really needs is a friend. She "mommies" him, wiping away his tears and hugging him until he feels better. Long before reading this book, I'd used this technique in my class (the "hurter" taking care of the "hurtee" so he or she can see the effects of his or her actions) with great success. It really struck a cord with my students and helped them understand that even if you make a bad choice, you can still fix it.On top of all this, much like Lester's other books, Hurty Feelings is just plain funny, well written, and fun to read, from the character's names to Fragility's dramatic outbursts to the hilarious accompanying illustrations. Like I said, it lends well to silly and exaggerated voices, which only adds to the great story. Other favorites of mine include Hooway for Wodney Wat and A Porcupine Named Fluffy.

We recently checked this book out of the library. I was not familiar with Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger, but my 5 year old (and I) loved this book on the first read. The illustrations are delightful. The best part is the wonderful drama that can be injected while reading. My daughter loves all the great weeping and wailing that Fragility performs (she is a bit of a drama queen, eh?). Not only is it fun to read, it also has wonderful life lessons, such as: learning to like yourself, accepting compliments graciously, and even dealing with bullies (Rudy the bully ends up in a weeping pile himself, and he actually learns some lessons too).I'm here today to purchase this book and any other Lester/Munsinger books I can find.

I read this book the the K-2 kids when we talked about being assertive and asking people not to call you something even if the other person thinks they are just joking or don't mean the comment as mean. Every time Fragility starts crying, I pause and ask how to be assertive in that situation. The vocabulary is probably more grades 3-5 so I end up explaining some words to the kids or changing them all together depending on the grade level. Overall, I like that there are several lessons you can talk about with kids in this book and its really funny. It is the right length to keep their attention and they all enjoy the story.

The book is a funny, but effective, story that explains how words can hurt. What I liked about this the most is that our 6th grader enjoys it. It can be difficult to find a book with this lesson theme that is aimed at more than just young children. The humor is a great touch!

I use this as a therapy book with my counseling students! It’s awesome and helps teach about speaking up for oneself and helps you talk about bullying and why people do it.

I have a sensitive pre-k kiddo who is always having her feelings hurt. Even if someone is just joking with her or gives her compliments they come across as negative for her. This book was great to introduce these feelings and open up a conversation with her. It shows what happens if you continue to always have "hurty feelings" as well as introduces the concept of bullies. Great Book!!!

This book reminds me of my child, who seems to get his feelings hurt even when you give him a compliment. He actually liked this book and we were able to talk about the sensitivity of the protagonist. Well-written and pertinent book.

Shows kids to be empathetic, and gives one way to deal with someone hurting your feelings.

I was expecting a little bit more from this book. My daughter seemed uninterested. She is five years old, and was experiencing some issues at school, so I thought this book would be perfect for her. However, she was very unaffected by it. I like the storyline, I was disappointed by her disinterest in the book

Excellent condition and very quick service. This book is funny and tender.My 5 year old grandson "got it" right away and loved it.