I Won't Go With Strangers (The Safe Child, Happy Parent Series)
Over 75,000 sold, this thoughtful, helpful book was written to help parents explain children the dangers posed by strangers.
Lu won’t go with just anyone! She is waiting to be picked up after school. She stands on the sidewalk, all alone, and it starts to rain. Ms. Smith walks by, and offers to take her home. Ms. Smith lives in Lu’s neighborhood—but does Lu really know her? Lu asks herself, what’s her first name? Does she dye her hair red? What’s her dog’s name? And she says, “I don’t know you, so I won’t go with you! And besides, Mama said I should wait.”
As other adults—all of whom Lu has met in some capacity before—offer to take her home, Lu continues to consider if she really knows them. One by one, she refuses to go with them. Until, finally, the person Mama said she should go home with shows up—though his appearance is a surprise to the reader!
This sensitively narrated story illustrates how clear rules and arrangements can help protect and empower children during an especially vulnerable time of day. The ending includes a prompt for readers to create their own similar “safe” list, and a list of resources for parents.
Lu won’t go with just anyone! She is waiting to be picked up after school. She stands on the sidewalk, all alone, and it starts to rain. Ms. Smith walks by, and offers to take her home. Ms. Smith lives in Lu’s neighborhood—but does Lu really know her? Lu asks herself, what’s her first name? Does she dye her hair red? What’s her dog’s name? And she says, “I don’t know you, so I won’t go with you! And besides, Mama said I should wait.”
As other adults—all of whom Lu has met in some capacity before—offer to take her home, Lu continues to consider if she really knows them. One by one, she refuses to go with them. Until, finally, the person Mama said she should go home with shows up—though his appearance is a surprise to the reader!
This sensitively narrated story illustrates how clear rules and arrangements can help protect and empower children during an especially vulnerable time of day. The ending includes a prompt for readers to create their own similar “safe” list, and a list of resources for parents.
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Community Reviews
This story just never caught and kept my attention. I have challenged myself to read shorter fiction in 2022, by listening to various SFF podcasts. One of those podcasts is PodCastle. This story was published on February 1, 2022 and I listened to it off-and-on throughout February and finally forced myself to finish it this morning. Since it failed to grab my focus, I placed it on my "meh" shelf here at Goodreads which indicates it was just okay.
You can listen or read this for free via this link: https://podcastle.org/2022/02/01/podcastle-720-where-the-old-neighbors-go
You can listen or read this for free via this link: https://podcastle.org/2022/02/01/podcastle-720-where-the-old-neighbors-go
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