"I Said No!" by Zack & Kimberly King . . . Teaching Kids About Inappropriate Touching

Having unpleasant talks with your children is part of parenthood, and sadly one of those talks is “good touch, bad touch”. I know that most people, myself included, wish these talks weren’t necessary, but sadly, they are very necessary because child predators are a very real threat. I Said No! by Zack and Kimberly King is a book that helps parents approach this difficult topic.

Admittedly, I haven’t done the best job of bringing up this subject with my children. Sure, we’ve had mini-conversations about it, but I haven’t delved too deeply into discussing it. I was very thankful for the way this book was written to make the subject matter not too scary or uncomfortable, but also covering most, if not all, the bases relating. When Zack, son of Kimberly, came home from a slumber after having endured a real-life “icky” situation, they decided to write this children’s book together. They cover many “what if” scenarios with grace and child-appropriate language and help deal with feeling of guilt and shame if a bad touch scenario ever happens. They even talk about bribes, threats, and more. I truly think this book covered every angle and possibility that children could face very well.

I took the time to sit down with each of my children, ages 4 ½ and 10, individually to read and discuss the book. It was very comfortable to be able to read the book and discuss the situations given in a relaxed and gentle way, without being too frightening to either of them, but also letting them know the gravity of the text. They both responded very well and we left feeling educated and at ease.

If you have never talked about this with your children or if it’s been awhile, I recommend I Said No!: A Kid-To-Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private for your family. This softcover book retails on Amazon.com and on BouldenPublishing.com for about $9.95.


Thank you to Boulden Publishing for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Review: My Body Belongs To Me

Although my husband and I have presented the idea of child sexual abuse to our now 5.5yr old son in the past, we feel that he is just now old enough to truly comprehend what entails abuse. This book "My Body Belongs To Me" was a great tool in helping us explain about abuse. It offered avenues for elaboration on our part as parents and opportunities for questions from our son.

Authored by Bronx Assistant District Attorney Jill Starishevsky, this book drives home the point that a child's body is his or hers alone and nobody has the right to touch it, especially in the private areas. Along with the storybook example of abuse and of what the child should do if such a thing occurs, the illustrations by Sara Muller truly helped to bring across both the ideas and the mood of each page.

What I thought about this book as a parent:

1) Although this book was candid, it was written in a way that it was not frightening to my son.

2) I liked that the book works for both boys and girls. Even the illustrations of the child are ambiguous as far as gender goes.

3) It was helpful to have a list of suggestions at the end about how to begin a dialog with your child using this book.

4) This book allowed me to elaborate on all the different things an abuser might say to convince the child to keep their secret.

5) The book also allowed me to explain that abuse does not have to hurt, but it could just feel uncomfortable or just not right.

What my son thought about this book:

1) The only question he had was regarding where the abuser touched the child in the book. It was not clear to him. I had to explain to him more explicitly and turned back to the second illustration in the book.

2) My son seemed to understand all the other aspects of the book. Aside from my husband and I introducing this topic to him, it has been touched upon by his teachers, children's television programs, and even in online children's games.

3) My son did ask me if the child in the story was a boy or a girl and he finally decided that it was a boy. I think this is a sign that he understood and could somewhat relate to the story.

As far as I am concerned, educating our children about child sexual predators is just as important as teaching them not to talk to strangers, not to take drugs, not to play with matches, and not to run out into the street. "My Body Belongs To Me" helps to give children the courage to stand up for themselves and to be brave in telling someone they trust if anything should ever happen. I recommend this book as a useful tool for any parents of children preschool-aged and older.

You can find more information about "My Body Belongs To Me" on MyBodyBelongsToMe.com where it is available for purchase. This book is due to hit the local and online bookstores in September of 2009.

Thank you to Safety Star Media for providing us with a review product free of charge.