The Safety Book for Active Kids: Teaching Your Child How ... (ISBN 0881602701)

Every parent and young child should share this book.:
This is a very good book to discuss many safty concerns without the lecture style that kids usually tune out. I feel much more secure about my children's safty since we went through this book togeher. One liked it so much that we went through it twice. The book is divided into seven chapters: At Home, At School and on the Way, At play, Out and About, First Aid, Just for Fun, and Pages for Parents. Each chapter has 12 to 15 sections which cover a specific issue such as "How to Dial 911". The section has one page that has an illustration and a one paragraph description of a situation. Read the paragraph and ask the child what they would do. The child then responds. This is a great way to get to know your child's maturity level, reasoning skills, and common sence. On the second page of the section there is a good discussion of the ideal response to the situation posed on the preceding page. My five year old had no trouble comprehending this and my 11 year old also seemed to be learning some things. AN IMPORTANT NOTE: My five year old didn't sleep well after we did the section titled "Prowler". She had just never thought of such a thing before and it seemed to unnerve her. Also, I liked the common sence response in the "Gun in the House" section. No hysterical political B.S., just leave the area and tell an adult.

A Wonderful Resource for Young Children:
We went through this book by reading aloud one topic each day. I love the format : each topic presents a safety hazzard; you brainstorm with the children for responses to the danger; then, by turning the page, the appropriate responses are revealed. My young children were really encouraged when they discovered that some of their reponses were right! Note : my 7yo liked the book so much that she read it through by herself after our first reading.

Wonderfully informative:
This is a huge paperback book. It's not the kind of book you can sit down and read all in one sitting. What I do it take it a bit at a time with my kids and we role play what we are reading. It's got cute illustrations and good information. Parents will need to adjust some of it for their child's specific situation. It is a comprehensive and well rounded book.

Great Reference - Touches on Scores of Topis:
This is a great reference book. It is not meant to be read from cover-to-cover, rather each page addresses a topic (eg: encountering a strange dog, swinging, riding the bus, calling 911, request from an adult, just about any situation a child might encounter). It provides a scenario - and you can ask your child what s/he should do, and then turn the page for bullent-points to discuss with your child. When I purchased this book, I thought it might be too old for my oldest (4.5), but in fact she enjoys going thru the various topics.