Be Careful & Stay Safe
By: Cheri J. Meiners
Illustrated By: Meredith Johnson
Publication: November 15, 2006 by Free Spirit Publishing
40 pages
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Manners, Safety
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)
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Description--The world can seem so perilous, especially where our children are concerned. But even very young children can learn basic skills for staying safe in ordinary situations and preparing for emergencies. Without scaring kids (or alarming adults), this book teaches little ones how to avoid potentially dangerous situations, ask for help, follow directions, use things carefully, and plan ahead. Includes questions, activities, and safety games that reinforce the ideas being taught.
Be Careful & Stay Safe starts with the benefit to the child: being able to take care of oneself. We all want to be independent. Listening and following instructions is the first way listed to help children stay safe. The book reiterates over and over about "adults I can trust." This is great for instilling that not all grown-ups are trustworthy. Thinking thoroughly and carefully ahead of time helps tremendously. Being aware and staying away from things that are dangerous until the child is old enough to learn how to deal with those things is shown. The buddy system in public is listed as a safe option. If lost from a parent or trusted adult, stay in place or ask an employee for help. Community helpers are listed as good options to look for when help is needed. And it lists a few ways on how to recognize those people. Ask for help if needed. Call for help in situations of emergency. Don't talk to strangers unless with a parent or trusted adult. If the child feels uncomfortable or doesn't know the stranger, the book instructs them to ignore the person and walk away. And if that person doesn't feel safe or right, find a safe place and a trusted adult right away. Sometimes things happen that we don't expect, but we can plan ahead for potential emergencies. The benefit to the child is reiterated: learning to keep oneself and others safe, which also helps everyone to get along.
For such a small book, this is packed full of great information to help a child with several safety situations they need to be aware of and know how to deal with. There are extra instructions for the parents at the end. These types of books spark communication with your kids on what you both expect from common situational dangers. I do like to add what the Berenstain Bears' Stranger book says, which is essentially that we can't have rules for every situation so we have to use our common sense to figure out what we need to do.
Be Careful & Stay Safe is the exact type of book that all parents need to read with their kids. It presents information in a way that helps the child feel empowered to know that they can handle these situations instead of building up a sense of fear. It references the child's dependence upon trusted adults, while also, showing the child how they can tackle these situations. I'm giving it 5 Stars. Have you or your child read Be Careful & Stay Safe? What did you think? Let me know!
P.S. There is an illustration of a cordless telephone circa early 2000s on the page that references calling for help in case of emergency. This is an outdated illustration as most houses no longer have telephones like this. Maybe it's a good talking point with your child though. My children know how to use my phone to make an emergency call. If you choose to read this book with your child, it might be a good idea to show them how to do the same on your own phone.
