Children’s Books About Safety and Consent

As the school year begins. many kids are around new adults or are gaining independence walking home from school or being on screens away from their adult. I thought this would be the perfect time to share some books that help adults find the words to have conversations that help kids make safe choices. Some of the most important conversations are the ones that help kids understand how to keep themselves safe and to feel confident making choices for their own bodies. Yet, even though most of us know that these conversations are important, we can struggle with finding the right words. How do we teach kids about the dangers of the world without scaring them? How do we teach them about their bodies and body consent without going into topics they might not be ready for?

Today’s world seems to just keep adding to the ways we need to protect and teach these kids. So I included some topics like the internet and school drills as well. I am thankful that there are some children’s books that help us start these conversations. Read about each of them and find the ones that belong in your home library. I also feel like these are important additions for the pediatrician’s office or any endangered children’s clinic. In fact, several of these books were recommended to me by a Certified Child Life Specialist who works in a Children’s Protection Program.

I hope you find them helpful, and they help you to empower the children in your life to become empowered, confident humans.

On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety by Dr. Jillian Roberts

This book gives families or classrooms the words to talk about internet safety. Each spread has a question asked by a child. Then the book answers the questions in an easy-to-understand, but general way. The book covers topics like being kind, online boundaries, giving information, interacting with people you don’t know, and going to adult whenever you see something you are unsure of. As adults, it can feel challenging to know how much to say to kids and how much to cover. This book gives adults a starting place without getting into mature topics. It does not cover every detail, game, or app, but it opens the door so that families can go further depending on how their child utilizes the internet.  The book does not have a storyline or super engaging pages, so some kids might get a little bored. Families could easily just take a few pages at a time or paraphrase as needed. Appropriate for elementary school aged children.
https://amzn.to/4iuI5Ah

I Can Play It Safe by Alison Feigh

This book is a great start for many safety topics and would be a great addition to any home or school library. Appropriate for preschoolers through young elementary, the book talks about how it is fun to imagine to be an animal with instincts, a detective, a superhero, etc, but relates them all to a safety topic such as adults don’t ask kids for help with adult problems, kids should tell an adult when they notice something unsafe, letting an adult know when you leave and when you come back, knowing an okay secret and a not okay secret, and more.  If you are an adult wanting to make sure you cover safety basics with your growing child, this is a great engaging place to start. Be warned, there is a page for adults on the back that digs into many safety topics. It digs into details that might be too much for kids.  Be careful if your child is an independent reader. If they read that part on their own, there may be things that worry them and need more clarification.
https://amzn.to/4hUfX9I

I Won’t Go With Strangers by Dagmar Geisler

This book talks about Lu who is waiting for her mom after school. She encounters multiple people that offer to take her home as it starts to rain. She refuses to go with each because she doesn’t “know” them. It talks about situations where she kind of knows the person or knows them pretty well, but she says no because her mom had given her instructions to wait. The book shows a list that was made for her so she knows who she should go with. Eventually, her brother arrives and she goes with him. This is a good book that talks about stranger safety focusing on what it means to not go with someone you don’t know. Good for preschool through middle elementary aged kids.
https://amzn.to/4gBlwaF

Not Everyone Is Nice by Frederick Alimonti and Ann Tedesco, Phd

This book tells the story of a young elementary school student waiting for her mom after school. A man pulls up and starts talking to her. He seems nice, offers to drive her home, explains that he has a daughter that is the same age, and other convincing things. Before anything happens, her mom arrives, and he quickly drives off. Her mom reports the incident to police, and at bedtime, her parents compare fish that disguise themselves to catch other fish to people. They teach her that not everyone is a good person. This analogy may need further clarification by the reader.  The last page does finish by saying there are lots of good people out there, but if your child is easily worried, you may need to do more to help them feel safe and not concerned by the disguised bad people out there. For me, this book seems more appropriate for families to use at home rather than classrooms, knowing that it could bring up a lot of questions about the ‘bad people’ out there. This book is good for kids who need an example of what a tricky person could be like and is ready for honest conversations.
https://amzn.to/3U7O5oK

Yes! No! A First Conversation About Consent by Megan Madison

This book is a well-written engaging board book appropriate for young children through early elementary. It talks about concepts like knowing your body and your body parts, and being the boss of your body, but also having to do the things your trusted grown-ups do to keep you safe. It reminds the reader that it is easier to do those things when you understand what’s happening and why- teaching kids to make good decisions for their own bodies. It supports kids in each feeling different about touch and what touch they like, and then it talks about how to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’. I like that it gives lots of ways to say ‘no’ so that kids can find something that feels comfortable for them. It also touches on non-verbal ‘no’s and using an adult for help. This book feels engaging and the right amount of text for young children.  I definitely recommend for all home libraries and maybe hospitals or clinics for families looking for good ways to have this important conversation.
https://amzn.to/4ghJIjx

C is for Consent by Eleanor Morrison

This simply worded board book shows families how they can create an environment that teaches consent. The book shows parents listening to kids when they set boundaries and helping navigate situations with other family members.  The book ends with some more discussion points for older kids.  The general concept of consent is important to establish with young children. I appreciate that this concise book was created to be appropriate for their attention spans and supports parents, by demonstrating ways they can continue to teach consent with their own actions.
https://amzn.to/4y4PdrS

Eyes, Knees, Boundaries Please! By Dr. Krupa Bhojani Playforth

This book specifically addresses private areas giving simple concrete instructions for young children. They are yours and no one should touch or play with each others private areas. It also talks about secrets and talking to adults.  This book is clear and empowering with a direct focus to give kids autonomy of their body and to know how to handle specific situations. While it can be tempting to use some of the more broad books that touch on this, sometimes kids can really benefit from specific focus on an issue. If you are looking for that book, this is it.
https://amzn.to/4gRT0CV

Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect by Janeen Sanders

This book teaches children about what a body boundary is. It talks about a wide variety of situations and how kids can manage them.  This includes kisses and hugs, taking something someone else is using, waiting in line, playground, behavior, and more. It encourages kids to establish a small group of people that they can go to if someone is infringing on their boundaries.  I like how this book puts kids in typical situations and encourages them to find the solution. I do think that this book is ideal for preschool or early elementary, and it may be a little wordy for this population. I am sure that a teacher, counselor, or parent could paraphrase parts of it to keep all engaged and cover these important topics.
https://amzn.to/4y4JMJx

Teacher Did You Hear the News? A Book About Safety Drills by Sanya Whitaker Gragg and Stephanie Hider

This book shows a teacher and his class as they talk about safety drills. They talk about the need for fire drills, tornado drills, and lockdown drills as being important to stay safe. The book gives simple instructions and descriptions of each of these drills. It does not go into how common or rare these actual events are, but I can imagine that it would be a question that would come up when reading this book. The book is colorful with engaging, rhyming text, but still takes the topic seriously. Reminding kids why drills are important and what their job is. A good way to prepare a child who might feel anxious and have questions. Good for preschool through young elementary aged kids.
https://amzn.to/3UlCYbI

As always, Words Worth Repeating makes a small commissio if you purchase through these links. It costs no more for you, but it helps me justify all the hours I spend finding great books! I also highly recommend the public library and your local book stores.