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Viku meets a bully in school

Viku Goes to School – A children’s story from India
This cover picture shows Viku playing soccer in his school in India
Cover photo for Viku Goes to School, A story from the forests of India

Viku Goes to School is fourth in the Viku adventure series. The Viku series of stories begun with Viku and the Elephant and continued in Viku to the Rescue. In the new book, Viku and the Ivory Thieves, Viku’s father sends him to school, saying, “Otherwise you’ll never know all the new things happening in the world.” And his mother tells him, “Haatee can live in the forest, but you have to grow up and earn money. You cannot do that without a good education.” But he meets a bully in school.

 

Viku has to walk far to reach the school and he does not know anyone there. How is he going to handle the bigger boy, the bully in school, who makes him do things that he doesn’t want to do? Could Haatee help? As Viku works through the problem, the reader identifies with him and his struggle. You think about how to deal with similar situations in your own life. With the help of his elephant friend, Haatee, Viku learns to deal with bullies. He also finds that kindness and empathy can win over a bully and make him a friend.

Then farmers come to Viku for advice when wild elephants trample their fields. Viku learns about the human-elephant conflict over basic resources. How will he help? These Viku stories are fast paced and intriguing while telling us about life in another culture.

This book works well as a read aloud story for young children, is suitable for early readers (2nd and 3rd grades), and is an excellent chapter book for 4th and 5th graders.