Our Favourite Protective Behaviour Story Books
We all love a good story. If there is a moral or a message to the story (even ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ or ‘The 3 Little Pigs’) it can help instil lifelong lessons about safety -even sexual abuse. Most of the child protective behaviour books that I have on my shelf are not fictional stories with no storyline as such. Whether it’s fiction or not, a good kids’ book can provide the opportunity for your child to learn about their safety or other essential life skills. Here are some reasons why.
9 Reasons Why Your Child Should Learn About Their Safety Through Books
Storytelling
Storytelling is a different way for kids to develop an understanding about child protection in instead of saying things like ‘Don’t let anyone touch your private parts’.
Less-confronting
It’s a tough topic to talk about so a storyline can use a third party and make it less confronting for the child or the parent/carer to read it to them.
Sympathy
It can make the topic more relatable. They can put themselves in the characters shoes and this can open up more conversations like ‘what could they have done?’ ‘how do you think they were feeling?’
Memorable
A difficult topic can be more engaging and memorable with a storyline. Children don’t always remember big concepts but they remember characters and stories.
Teaching Aspect
Stories teach us morals, values and attitudes about life in general.
Encouragement
Stories helps encourage children to think, be curious, teaching them to question and be inquisitive.
Repetition
Stories help the child want to read the book again and again which is important as it’s not just a one-off conversation.
Receptiveness
It can also encourage us to talk about our own values, experiences and beliefs.
Build a connection
So ultimately it can make learning easier, build connection with us as parents and be that askable parent that we need to be.
6 Protective Behaviour Story Books for Children
Here are few books about protective behaviour with storyline:
- ‘Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept’
This book by Jayneen Sanders (who has written many books about child protection) is for kids aged 3-11. It’s a fairy tale that tells the story of a young boy named Alfred who encounters an adult touching him in a way that makes him feel uncomfortable. Click here to read my book review. - ‘Miles is the boss of his body’
This book by Abbie Schiller and Samantha Kurtzman-Counter for kids aged 7 to 10. The book tells the story of Miles, who has just turned 6. His birthday was supposed to be fun but things quickly turned sour when he feels overwhelmed with the way people are touching him. Click here to read my book review. - ‘The Berenstain Bears Learn about Strangers’
This book was written by Stan and Jan Berenstain for kids aged 4 to 8. The book is about Brother Bear who is careful when dealing with strangers, but is worried about Sister Bear who is friendly to everyone (maybe a bit too much, in fact). Click here to read my book review. - ‘Hayden-Reece Learns a Valuable Lesson That Private Means ‘Just for You’
This book was written by Holly-Ann Martin for kids aged 4 to 10. Holly-Ann has 4 books on my website that are Protective Behaviour Story Books. Click here to see my book review. - ‘I Have a Little Secret’
The book was written by Kimberley McEwan. It tells a story for 5-8 year olds about a little girl who has a secret that she was abused and how she had the courage to speak up and who she told. Click here to see my book review. - ‘Koala and Bunny: Instilling Protective Behaviours in Children’
The book is written by Al Smith for kids aged 7 to 9. The book shares the story of Koala and Bunny, two friends who learn the importance of setting boundaries. Click here to see my book review.
Amazing Me Book Reviews and More
It’s important to remember when it comes to sexual abuse it is not an easy topic to talk about with our kids, one that needs to be developed over time in small, bite sized conversations.
With the many books that I have on my website whether they are story books or not, they can empower and support you to know what to say and how to say it. And let’s face it, a hardcopy book provides a great alternative to more screen time on a device.
I also have blogs about how to educate your child about protective behaviours here:
