Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Susie-Long-Legs is a children’s story book written by Tiffany Nixon. Susie, at 9 and a half, was a very unhappy girl. She felt totally alone and left out of things, both at school and at home. Her big problem, it seemed, was her very long legs. She thought they were long and bony, and everyone seemed to want to make fun of her because of them. It wasn’t fun being different from everyone else. The only person who seemed to understand was her teddy bear, D’bear. D’bear had belonged to her grandma Dorothy, and her dad gave her D’bear, when her grandma passed away. D’bear was perfect for hugging and confiding in, especially when she was sad and felt lonely. D’bear helped her cope with the bullying she had to deal with in school. Susie kept all her sad feelings to herself, except for D’bear, but, on the day of the cheer leading tryouts, she actually shared her feelings about herself with Mrs. Millie, one of the teachers. Mrs. Millie told Susie that she was beautiful; something no one had ever said to her before. When it was time for the tryouts, Susie was convinced she could make the team.

Tiffany Nixon’s children’s story book, Susie-Long-Legs, addresses the emotional pain kids can experience when they are singled out as being different and subjected to bullying and teasing. Susie has internalized her pain to such an extent that she thinks even her family doesn’t care about her anymore. Nixon’s story goes a long way towards helping children realize that they are special and different -- but different in a good rather than a bad way. They are unique and very special. I especially loved the fantasy portion of the story as Susie meets a daddy-long-legs spider named Skinny, and the two of them go off and have adventures. It’s not easy being different, as Susie well knows, but if you look hard, you can see how special you are in so many different ways. Tiffany Nixon’s Susie-Long-Legs is inspiring and is a perfect selection for story time. It’s highly recommended.