Nancy Crocker
Pictures by Boris Kulikov
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Betty Lou Blue had the world's biggest feet. Whackety, thwackety, flappety feet. Being different isn't easy, and the other kids often tease the doe-eyed child. 'If those feet were wings,' they would yell, 'you could fly!' Although her mother tries to reassure her, telling her that everyone's perfect and each living thing has a reason to be, Betty Lou doesn't believe her. Then one wintry day finds her tormentors trapped in waist-deep snow, and the youngster is conflicted about helping them. During this internal struggle, her mother's words of wisdom come to mind: …everything's ugly/that's done out of spite;/But you can be beautiful doing what's right. Although the message is predictable and the language almost too nice, the sophisticated city background and mixed-media illustrations with odd perspectives strike a balance. A fun seasonal selection and a great starting point for conversations about bullies and choosing to do the right thing.
