| Alley Oops Written by Janice Levy Illustrated by Cynthia Decker |
An interview with Alley Oops author Janice
Levy by Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo
for the Voice, Maine Jewish Community Alliance
1. Is Alley Oops a true story?
Alley Oops is not based on childhood
experience nor on anyone I know or knew
personally. When I write, I choose an emotional
experience everyone can relate to and then I use
my imagination to fictionalize it.
As a former teacher, I taught English as a
Second Language and Spanish. I witnessed the
bullying of youths because they were from
foreign countries, who stood out from the
mainstream because of their native dress and
accents.
2. How does being Jewish inform your work?
Being Jewish is the foundation of who I am. I
am strongly aware and proud [of being a Jew]
— but it has nothing to do with the writing of
the book. I travel all over the world and am
very conscious of my Jewishness, especially
when I am in the minority. It’s always fun to
meet Jews in places like Costa Rica, Guatemala
and Peru, for example.
3. Bullying is a hot topic. What’s been the
reaction to Alley Oops?
When I do book signings, everyone has a bully
story for me. Parents, grandparents,
caregivers...people can’t remember what color
socks they put on this morning, but they can
recall a former tormenter in great detail, down
to nose hair, twitchy eyebrows, and spit-shiny
shoes; the demented demon’s cackle still
echoes in their ears.
“Were you ever bullied?” I ask.
The children shiver, grit their teeth, cross their
eyes. They pound their fists, wipe away tears; I
sense healing in the retelling.
4. When you write, do you rely on personal
experiences?
It’s more challenging to keep “me” out of my
books. Bullies come in more flavors than jelly
beans. They can physically threaten, verbally
maim or emotionally threaten. Some are in your
face; some attack from behind. Others have
‘posses’ do the dirty work. In Alley Oops, the
bully tells the story. Readers learn what’s
behind bullying, what’s ‘in it’ for the bad guy.
5. Why is the book selling so well? Is it
because it resonates with adults as well as
with children?
A bully can be a three-piece suit bedecked in
Prada, whiffing of something French, with a
voice snapping like crisp bills: Co-workers
shield their eyes from the lashings. It’s the
‘Passion of the Workplace.’
A grandmother told me she’s routinely bullied
by doctors because she asks too many
questions, a mom whispered her hairdresser
publically humiliates her, pointing out her
protruding ears and double chin. A teacher
confided tales of spousal intimidation; her
husband demands she get breast implants.
But most importantly, people want to protect
their children. Alley Oops is about hurt and
anger, empathy and hope, resilience and
ingenuity. It’s about actions and consequences.
Readers enjoy that “alley oops!” moment when
a child experiences the empowerment and self-
esteem that come from doing the right thing.
6. What’s your favorite part of the book?
J.J. Jax torments an overweight boy, calling
him Pig-Pen and Porky. Now the boy is afraid
to go to school. When Mr. Jax finds out, he
tells J.J. a story about when he was a bully, and
how sorry he feels now. He explains about the
two dogs inside us, one bad and one good, that
fight all the time. “Which dog wins?” J.J. asks.
“The one you feed the most,” Mr. Jax answers.
Children have the potential to make the world a
happy, loving place. They need to be nurtured
and respected, guided and praised. I autograph
my books with the message, ‘Live strong!” •
“Children have the potential to make the world a
happy, loving place. They need to be nurtured
and respected, guided and praised. I autograph
my books with the message, ‘Live strong!’ ”
Levy by Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo
for the Voice, Maine Jewish Community Alliance
1. Is Alley Oops a true story?
Alley Oops is not based on childhood
experience nor on anyone I know or knew
personally. When I write, I choose an emotional
experience everyone can relate to and then I use
my imagination to fictionalize it.
As a former teacher, I taught English as a
Second Language and Spanish. I witnessed the
bullying of youths because they were from
foreign countries, who stood out from the
mainstream because of their native dress and
accents.
2. How does being Jewish inform your work?
Being Jewish is the foundation of who I am. I
am strongly aware and proud [of being a Jew]
— but it has nothing to do with the writing of
the book. I travel all over the world and am
very conscious of my Jewishness, especially
when I am in the minority. It’s always fun to
meet Jews in places like Costa Rica, Guatemala
and Peru, for example.
3. Bullying is a hot topic. What’s been the
reaction to Alley Oops?
When I do book signings, everyone has a bully
story for me. Parents, grandparents,
caregivers...people can’t remember what color
socks they put on this morning, but they can
recall a former tormenter in great detail, down
to nose hair, twitchy eyebrows, and spit-shiny
shoes; the demented demon’s cackle still
echoes in their ears.
“Were you ever bullied?” I ask.
The children shiver, grit their teeth, cross their
eyes. They pound their fists, wipe away tears; I
sense healing in the retelling.
4. When you write, do you rely on personal
experiences?
It’s more challenging to keep “me” out of my
books. Bullies come in more flavors than jelly
beans. They can physically threaten, verbally
maim or emotionally threaten. Some are in your
face; some attack from behind. Others have
‘posses’ do the dirty work. In Alley Oops, the
bully tells the story. Readers learn what’s
behind bullying, what’s ‘in it’ for the bad guy.
5. Why is the book selling so well? Is it
because it resonates with adults as well as
with children?
A bully can be a three-piece suit bedecked in
Prada, whiffing of something French, with a
voice snapping like crisp bills: Co-workers
shield their eyes from the lashings. It’s the
‘Passion of the Workplace.’
A grandmother told me she’s routinely bullied
by doctors because she asks too many
questions, a mom whispered her hairdresser
publically humiliates her, pointing out her
protruding ears and double chin. A teacher
confided tales of spousal intimidation; her
husband demands she get breast implants.
But most importantly, people want to protect
their children. Alley Oops is about hurt and
anger, empathy and hope, resilience and
ingenuity. It’s about actions and consequences.
Readers enjoy that “alley oops!” moment when
a child experiences the empowerment and self-
esteem that come from doing the right thing.
6. What’s your favorite part of the book?
J.J. Jax torments an overweight boy, calling
him Pig-Pen and Porky. Now the boy is afraid
to go to school. When Mr. Jax finds out, he
tells J.J. a story about when he was a bully, and
how sorry he feels now. He explains about the
two dogs inside us, one bad and one good, that
fight all the time. “Which dog wins?” J.J. asks.
“The one you feed the most,” Mr. Jax answers.
Children have the potential to make the world a
happy, loving place. They need to be nurtured
and respected, guided and praised. I autograph
my books with the message, ‘Live strong!” •
“Children have the potential to make the world a
happy, loving place. They need to be nurtured
and respected, guided and praised. I autograph
my books with the message, ‘Live strong!’ ”
A Talk with Janice Levy about some of the deeper
themes in her book, Alley Oops
Q: Eight pages of this 32-page book are
devoted to Mr. Jax’s past as a bully and his
encounter with his former victim, “Frog
Face,” now a police officer. Why did you spend
so much time telling this section?
A: The emphasis of Alley Oops is not on Mr. Jax
or the police officer, "Frog Face." The story Mr.
Jax tells is only the catalyst; he is trying to relate
to his son by confiding his own experience. This
is what parents do all the time. Children feel their
parents are "dinosaurs;" hopelessly backward and
"out-of-it." Children feel their parents were never
children and never experienced the strong
emotions and conflicts children encounter on a
daily basis. Parents, on the other hand, constantly
try to relate to their children, to show them they
can relate because they have been in the same
situations; they, too, know what it's like to feel
conflicted and distraught. Therefore, Mr. Jax
looks for a way to relate to his son's bullying.
Rather than lecture or punish, he seeks to reassure
his son that he knows how the bully - as well as
the child being bullied - feel. But Mr. Jax does not
solve the bullying problem for the boys. The book
is about empowerment; kids taking charge of a
situation and growing from the experience. A seed
can be planted by adults; children follow-through.
Q: “Frog Face” tells Mr. Jax, “I arrest people
like you”, as if Mr. Jax is a criminal. Doesn’t
“Frog Face” seem a bit scary for a police
officer?
A: Mr. Jax was not a criminal. But, his actions of
bullying were "criminal." It's obvious from the
illustrations that there is no criminal activity going
on - there is no menace, no weapons, no
handcuffs... Children reading the book don't fear
the police officer and every child I've shown the
book to told me, "Of course, Mr. Jax is not going
to be arrested." Perhaps in our world of terrorist
attacks, adults are overly sensitive to police
activity--however, none of the children expressed
any doubt or insecurity to me.
Q: But why didn’t “Frog Face” forgive Mr.
Jax? Wouldn’t that have been an important
lesson to share?
A: The reality is that people DO hold onto grudges
and most people DO NOT forgive their accuser. It
is rare - like the Pope - to forgive the shooter. The
average child and adult do not turn the other cheek
and shake hands. And, when adults insist that kids
who have been fighting "shake hands and be
friends," this is done only to please the adult. I've
witnessed numerous instances of bullying and
playground fighting as a teacher: the kids shook
hands and "made up" only to please the
teacher/adult/parent involved. However, once the
kids were out of sight of the adults, nothing was
resolved. There was no patching up; no friendship.
It is unfortunate, but people do hold grudges and
this is exactly what Mr. Jax was trying to show
his son. Once you have done something wrong,
quite often it cannot be corrected.
Q: Did Mr. Jax only feel guilty now, because
“Frog Face” refused his apology and likened
him to a criminal?
A: I don't believe Mr. Jax would have felt better
even if he had been "pardoned." Mr. Jax was not a
superficial person and hence, he would have
known down deep that he was still wrong and that
the pardoning was "empty." Mr. Jax was not
afraid he would be arrested. He knew he had acted
badly as a child, and he felt guilty, still, as an
adult. He had just discovered that his son was
acting badly and did not want J.J. to feel the same
sense of guilt when he grew up.
Q: Why did you have “Frog Face” become a
police officer when he grew up?
A: A police officer was used to show that kids
who have been bullied are not "losers." A police
officer is a respected person, a leader, someone to
be looked up to. I wanted to show a positive adult
role model to kids who are victimized. Many
children who read the book told me they thought it
was "cool" that the victim, "Frog Face," became a
police officer. In fact, one child who is bullied
now in school told me he, too, would like to be a
police officer when he grew up - not to arrest and
attack the kids who bullied him - but because he
would like to be "on the right side of things, as a
person who did good things in his life," even after
being pushed around as a kid.
Q: J.J.’s transformation from bully to buddy
at the end of the book seems quite sudden.
Isn’t that unrealistic?
A: As far as the transformation of J.J. being "too
sudden," it had to come around by the end of the
book so there would be closure. A picture book is
not a chapter book where a story line can be
developed over numerous pages. Plus, kids are
funny: adults can obsess over fights and bullying,
but kids can resolve issues in a snap of time.
Sometimes, it just takes a private conversation
between the kids. It's not a "deep" thing. It's not a
"transformation." It's a shifting of gears, a new
mind-set. I've seen this happen numerous times.
On a personal level, when a kid was bullying my
son, I simply invited the bully to a baseball game
with my family. By the time the first pitch was
thrown, the two boys were buddies - simply
because they found they both liked the second
baseman the best and knew the guy's records by
heart; they were both "historians" of baseball. In
other words, "transformations" do take place
quickly.
themes in her book, Alley Oops
Q: Eight pages of this 32-page book are
devoted to Mr. Jax’s past as a bully and his
encounter with his former victim, “Frog
Face,” now a police officer. Why did you spend
so much time telling this section?
A: The emphasis of Alley Oops is not on Mr. Jax
or the police officer, "Frog Face." The story Mr.
Jax tells is only the catalyst; he is trying to relate
to his son by confiding his own experience. This
is what parents do all the time. Children feel their
parents are "dinosaurs;" hopelessly backward and
"out-of-it." Children feel their parents were never
children and never experienced the strong
emotions and conflicts children encounter on a
daily basis. Parents, on the other hand, constantly
try to relate to their children, to show them they
can relate because they have been in the same
situations; they, too, know what it's like to feel
conflicted and distraught. Therefore, Mr. Jax
looks for a way to relate to his son's bullying.
Rather than lecture or punish, he seeks to reassure
his son that he knows how the bully - as well as
the child being bullied - feel. But Mr. Jax does not
solve the bullying problem for the boys. The book
is about empowerment; kids taking charge of a
situation and growing from the experience. A seed
can be planted by adults; children follow-through.
Q: “Frog Face” tells Mr. Jax, “I arrest people
like you”, as if Mr. Jax is a criminal. Doesn’t
“Frog Face” seem a bit scary for a police
officer?
A: Mr. Jax was not a criminal. But, his actions of
bullying were "criminal." It's obvious from the
illustrations that there is no criminal activity going
on - there is no menace, no weapons, no
handcuffs... Children reading the book don't fear
the police officer and every child I've shown the
book to told me, "Of course, Mr. Jax is not going
to be arrested." Perhaps in our world of terrorist
attacks, adults are overly sensitive to police
activity--however, none of the children expressed
any doubt or insecurity to me.
Q: But why didn’t “Frog Face” forgive Mr.
Jax? Wouldn’t that have been an important
lesson to share?
A: The reality is that people DO hold onto grudges
and most people DO NOT forgive their accuser. It
is rare - like the Pope - to forgive the shooter. The
average child and adult do not turn the other cheek
and shake hands. And, when adults insist that kids
who have been fighting "shake hands and be
friends," this is done only to please the adult. I've
witnessed numerous instances of bullying and
playground fighting as a teacher: the kids shook
hands and "made up" only to please the
teacher/adult/parent involved. However, once the
kids were out of sight of the adults, nothing was
resolved. There was no patching up; no friendship.
It is unfortunate, but people do hold grudges and
this is exactly what Mr. Jax was trying to show
his son. Once you have done something wrong,
quite often it cannot be corrected.
Q: Did Mr. Jax only feel guilty now, because
“Frog Face” refused his apology and likened
him to a criminal?
A: I don't believe Mr. Jax would have felt better
even if he had been "pardoned." Mr. Jax was not a
superficial person and hence, he would have
known down deep that he was still wrong and that
the pardoning was "empty." Mr. Jax was not
afraid he would be arrested. He knew he had acted
badly as a child, and he felt guilty, still, as an
adult. He had just discovered that his son was
acting badly and did not want J.J. to feel the same
sense of guilt when he grew up.
Q: Why did you have “Frog Face” become a
police officer when he grew up?
A: A police officer was used to show that kids
who have been bullied are not "losers." A police
officer is a respected person, a leader, someone to
be looked up to. I wanted to show a positive adult
role model to kids who are victimized. Many
children who read the book told me they thought it
was "cool" that the victim, "Frog Face," became a
police officer. In fact, one child who is bullied
now in school told me he, too, would like to be a
police officer when he grew up - not to arrest and
attack the kids who bullied him - but because he
would like to be "on the right side of things, as a
person who did good things in his life," even after
being pushed around as a kid.
Q: J.J.’s transformation from bully to buddy
at the end of the book seems quite sudden.
Isn’t that unrealistic?
A: As far as the transformation of J.J. being "too
sudden," it had to come around by the end of the
book so there would be closure. A picture book is
not a chapter book where a story line can be
developed over numerous pages. Plus, kids are
funny: adults can obsess over fights and bullying,
but kids can resolve issues in a snap of time.
Sometimes, it just takes a private conversation
between the kids. It's not a "deep" thing. It's not a
"transformation." It's a shifting of gears, a new
mind-set. I've seen this happen numerous times.
On a personal level, when a kid was bullying my
son, I simply invited the bully to a baseball game
with my family. By the time the first pitch was
thrown, the two boys were buddies - simply
because they found they both liked the second
baseman the best and knew the guy's records by
heart; they were both "historians" of baseball. In
other words, "transformations" do take place
quickly.
| picture books that explore and illuminate |
