Every parent should be pro-active and discuss abuse, this title is sure to open the door to communication. It also does so in a child friendly manner and does not shock or upset even the most conservative reader.

An invaluable and excellent tool for any adult to help educate and arm young innocent children. Perfect addition for any library.


A lovely, warm, wise treatment of a very difficult topic.   June 28, 1998
 40 out of 40 found this review helpful

The book is a wee bit bigger than 8 1/2 by 11, a very good size for reading to a child. It is gorgeously and warmly illustrated by Jody Bergsma, a woman of great talent and much understanding of the child's eye.

This is a book for helping to prevent child sexual abuse. Sandy is an expert in this problem, and has done much work to help put an end to it. In this book she has done a very great service to a (hopefully) much wider audience.

There is a "note to parents and teachers" at the beginning of the book, which discusses the question of child sexual abuse in a succinct, knowing, and helpful manner, better than I've ever seen it dealt with.

Then the story. I really like the way that Sandy has chosen to present this difficult topic. The book describes a conversation between a loving mother and her son Jimmy, in which she gently and carefully raises the topic of "touching problems" and goes on from there. This must be a godsend for parents who might have difficulty in starting a conversation about something so intimate. They can "break the ice" by reading this book to their child, and then perhaps repeat the conversation with their own child for real. The converstion between Jimmy and his mother covers just about everything that a small child needs to know, in a very subtle, gentle, and wise way. Like when intimate touching is OK (doctor, diaper changing, parental tending to hurts, etc.). Like how to say NO to somebody. Like how sexual touching is really not that much different from bullying and playing tricks: it's bad, it's not your fault, and grownups can help you stop it.

There is great wisdom in this book. I see it especially in what Sandy has chosen to leave out. There are no graphic details, just phrases such as "touching you under your clothes". There is no need for more, since if things have gone that far they are already very wrong, and that's all that a small child has to know. There is no naming of body parts. There *is* a picture of ! a girl's body and a boy's body, but Sandy chose to leave out the labels and let parents choose the words that they are comfortable with.

I won't go much further in describing this book - you all should order it and see for yourself - but I will give one last word of praise for Jody Bergsma's illustration on the back cover: it's called "Garden of Children" and depicts children and animals expressing various emotions, in a big beautiful collage of faces. It's apparently used much by counsellors in helping very young people identify their feelings. My two young readers commented the most about that illustration. It's available as a poster, too, but I won't tell you how to order it. You have to buy Sandy's book to find out.


Love means telling the truth.   November 4, 1999
 34 out of 34 found this review helpful

The only reason to give this little book 5 stars is the lack of a 6 star category. My own children are grown now, but this is a book we will share with future grandchildren. My children were educated about "right and wrong touches" at home, in school, and at church. Thankfully they were spared such an experience, I was not. As a survivor of childhood molestation who told no one for nearly 20 years, I felt all the responsibilty for the abuse, and the total inability to tell a parent, teacher, or friend. Some of the scare are with me still, but Sandy's book empowers child and parent alike. The language, illustrations, and approach are frank but gentle. Presentation is sensitive to very young children, and different terms for body parts. The read-aloud thrust strengthens parent-child interaction about this vital topic. Best of all, the refences for further reading and help organizations provides the tools to go further in education, or to obtain assistance if the worst case has occurred. Actually the worst of all cases is to have abuse, and no one to tell. Bless you Sandy, keep books like these coming!


Worth Every Penny   August 9, 2003
 27 out of 27 found this review helpful

Child molestation is an uncomfortable topic. But far worse, it is a very real danger. A large percentage of childhood molestation goes unreported, silently scarring a child for life. This book strikes the right balance: it is not too technical, not awkward, and most importantly not frightening. The message is conveyed through a mom telling a story to her child and through repetition. The content and wording is geared toward a child as young as 3 although concepts such as trickery and secrecy are a little difficult to teach at this age. The book gives context and viable solutions that a child can handle. My child is now very good at screaming "Get away from me; I'll tell my mom and dad!" Don't take the risk; read this book.


A Complete Lesson for Children   February 5, 2003
 24 out of 24 found this review helpful

I felt this book is a must for children. It is the best book I have read to teach children how to protect themselves. There are so many tricks people use to get access to children. This book covers them all, including trickery, deceit and secrets. It also teaches children to listen to their own internal warning system. This is so important so they will act on it and not ignore it.

I was not sure how to approach the topic with my 4 year olds. This book made it possible to prepare them without scaring them.