Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
– Albert Einstein

Donna King’s important book, Pursuing Bad Guys, is a helpful and honest account of how she supported the young children in her class as they explored the tricky concept of “bad guy” — what it means and how to think about good and bad in the world.

King writes about one of the earliest experiences she had with her classroom community that eventually led to her writing her book:

“One morning late in January, I invite a group of six older kids to the work table in the tiny library building situated in the middle of our playground. They find seats and chat with one another as they watch me pin a large piece of white paper up on the wall.

Donna: So I’m wondering if it might be interesting to draw a bad guy together. I’ll hold the pen, and you’ll tell me what to draw.

Avery: A shooter.

Parker: No, a head, a head. Draw the body first. They’re made out of bodies; it would be easier if she did a body first.

Donna: OK. What shape is the body? And so we begin to create a visual image of a Bad Guy, as the children dictate one important feature after another…

• No smiles, since it’s a bad guy.
• Zig zag teeth, in a mouth that’s straight and grrrr.
• Scary eyes that are skinny and squinty, with dark pupils.
• A triangle nose, with no nostrils, because bad guys breathe in and out with their mouth…”

Jane Katch, author of Under Deadman’s Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children’s Violent Play, describes Donna’s supportive book this way:

“A vital contribution for teachers who love the creativity and imagination of young children but are unsure how to constructively handle their ‘bad guy’ play. As the children explored and shared their hopes and fears, they found they could work together to support one another and discover their own inner courage and strength.”