All for Me and None for All by Helen Lester - OPTIONAL

Lester, Helen.  All for Me and None for All, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2012. $16.99.  PICTURE BOOK.  Gruntly is a bully.  He takes what he wants when he wants.  He doesn't even think about sharing.  Then one day he hears about a treasure hunt and he dreams of mounds of gold and silver.  But he is in such a hurry to win the hunt and get all the loot that he does a terrible job finding the treasure.  I didn't like this book.  I thought that Gruntly was worse than a bully--he was abusive.  And everyone knows that victims need to get out of abusive situations.  That's why (SPOILER ALERT) when Gruntly decides to share his prize I was thinking: Don't take it; get out of Gruntly's life.  He's really not a changed pig.  Oh sure, maybe he's sharing once, but who cares?  He is selfish and awful, and I think it teaches a horrible lesson to victims.  There are a million other "sharing" picture books in the world.  Only get this one if you can think of a bully who needs a wake-up-call.  Keep the book away from anyone else.  Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL.  Brent Smith, Reading Teacher