today’s children storybook summary is

Never Ever Talk to Strangers!

By Anne Marie Pace

Illustrated by Guy Francis

 

Theme: Jamie had just learned what to do if a stranger approached him, but when it came to applying his learning, things turned out to be more complicated the Jamie thought.

 

Plot: A short while after receiving his Super Safety Expert Badge from officer Crane for learning stranger safety, Jamie comes face to face with a stranger. Would he remember the rules, uphold his badge and stay safe?

Storyline

As he came off the school bus, Jamie, a very young cub, showed his mother the Super Safety Expert Badge pinned to his shirt. He had earned it that very day by learning the rules officer Crane had taught them: how to stay stranger safety.

When you meet a stranger, that is, a person you don’t know, you should yell and run, he tells his mom over a midday snack. Then he went out to the backyard to play soccer. He had a good time playing, hitting the net all but once when the ball flew over the fence into his neighbor’s yard.

Luckily, a plank was loose, and Jamie, knowing that the Wolf family that once lived there had moved, dared sneak through to retrieve the soccer ball. To his surprise, someone, a stranger, was holding it. Politely, Jamie inched towards the ball when he remembered the lesson learned at school and turning his back on the stranger, he ran inside and locked the door. Soon, his mother came to his rescue, telling him that the stranger was Mr. Fox, a person she’d known for a long time; thus, the new neighbor was not a stranger anymore.

But Jamie was disappointed with himself because he hadn’t run right away, so he took his badge out of his shirt and stuffed it in his pocket, but when his mom reassured him that he had done exactly what he was supposed to do, Jamie has his badge back on his shirt, pinned by Mr. Fox.

At the end of the book, there is a special page with the five rules for Stranger Safety.

Characters: Jamie, a bear cub of school age; Jamie’s mother; Mr. Fox, the neighbor

Talking points: what are the rules for stranger safety? Did Jame do what he was supposed to do?

Illustration

The illustration is big and bold, with earthy colors and lovable, cute characters. The drawings cover the whole page, text fitting on open spaces, complementing the story. It is effortless to follow the story along.

Recommended Age: 4 and up

Reading Time:  10 minutes

Things to Learn: what to do when a stranger approaches a child

 

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