Jane the Fox & Me

Amazon (used)

You know, guys, I've been pretty lucky to have been able to befriend one of my idols in the year since I've graduated college. As an adult, it's nice to find someone as passionate about children's books and illustrations (someone who gets as sucked in by the pretty pictures as everything else) as I tend to be. Last week, Denise G. sent me a text saying that I had to read this book - and I immediately set out for it.

Not only, as you can see, is the book beautifully illustrated, but the story was a very personal one for me.
Helene is a little girl at that terrible, awkward age who is being bullied at school. What most people forget about bullying is that middle school bullies aren't necessarily pugnacious juveniles who steal lunch money and throw spit balls at the back of your head in class. Nor or they rich-bitches a la "Mean Girls." They are, more often then not, kids who come from "good" families, who your mother allowed to have for sleep-overs. Though I was never out-right bullied in school, not to the point where they made my life unbearable, I do remember the time I was targeted. Incidentally, that was around the age I discovered the book that would eventually become my all time favorite - Jane Eyre.
Jane Eyre helps Helene cope with her belittling ex-friends as well. I will save the discussion of why I love Jane Eyre, why she makes an excellent role model for girls and women of all ages, why that book is so perfect and amazing and every time I re-read it I gain some new insight into my soul. Or rather, I will save you from the discussion. Because there are only 24 precious hours in a day and you probably have important things to do. The important thing is that Helene gets it. Maybe that means she's my kindred spirit in that way, hopefully you are too.

This was a brief, but bittersweet read. Buy it, read it, and share it with any little girls (or heck even boys - why not??) you might know around this age that's struggling with school bullies. (hopefully they'll become curious and try to read Jane Eyre as well! *fingers crossed!*)

Here's a bonus page to look at - it's one of my favorites: