A SCHOOLBOY who drew strength from being bullied has written a book to help children avoid becoming victims of playground violence.
Nicholas Bold, a pupil from Laguna Street Public School at Caringbah, was named a "best-selling children's author" on Amazon.com for his first book.
Bullies Don't Rule is a collection of short stories based on Nick's real experiences, combined with narrative fiction.
The book has handy hints to help children deal with bullying. These include walking away, not showing emotion so the bully does not see how their word and action affect you, saying no in a strong voice, talking to a teacher and finding a new group of friends.
Nick was bullied for three years from kindergarten to year 2.
"I felt lonely and I was mad at the bullies," he said.
"I felt like I should give up on myself."
But with the help of his parents, Nick learnt skills to move past the bullying.
His mother Jaclyn included in the book some helpful strategies for parents to understand the signs of bullying.
"We knew through Nick's behaviour something was up, but he wouldn't always tell us about it . . . he'd come home with bruises on his stomach," she said.
"Now he's the most resilient kid."
Details: bulliesdontrule.com.