Book Review
A short overview of this book
An Exceptional Children’s Guide to Touch by Hunter Manasco will help children to understand the many different rules in regards to physical touch, so as to keep them safe.
This book includes 6 short stories that will help with talking about accidental touch, friendly touch, hurtful touch, touching yourself, not touching and having your picture taken (perfect for laying down the foundations for later conversations about sexting). I love this approach as it means you can talk about one type of touch in greater detail.
Each story covers a different type of touch from accidental to friendly to hurtful and will help children understand how boundaries change depending on the context. It explores when and where it is okay to touch other people, when and where other people can touch you, why self touching sometimes needs to be private, and what to do if touch feels inappropriate.
The rules of physical contact can be tricky for children to grasp, which is why this book is a great resource for parents.
You can learn more on this page, about how to talk to kids about sex education.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 3 to 10 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of An Exceptional Children’s Guide to Touch by Hunter Manasco from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! Welcome to Sex Ed Rescue, where I review awesome books that can help you have important conversations with your kids about sex education. I’m Cath HaK, and today I want to talk about a book called An Exceptional Children’s Guide to Touch: Teaching Social and Physical Boundaries to Kids by Hunter Manasco and illustrated by Katherine Manasco.
Now, this book has been around since 2008, but it’s still a hidden gem. I found this copy at the library, and it’s a shame that it hasn’t been borrowed much. But hey, that’s why I’m here to spread the word!
What I really love about this book is how it explains the different types of touch. It covers accidental touch, friendly touch, hurtful touch, and even touches on touching oneself. And no, it’s not just about masturbation, but more about understanding our own bodies in a general way.
The book also emphasizes the importance of not letting others take pictures of us without our permission. It’s all about keeping kids safe and helping them understand boundaries when it comes to their bodies and the bodies of others.
The illustrations in this book are great, even though the cover might not have caught my attention at first. But trust me, it’s worth checking out. And as always, there’s helpful information for parents and caregivers at the back of the book.
The book does a fantastic job of giving examples of accidental touch and explaining that it’s okay as long as it doesn’t hurt. It also clearly outlines what friendly touch is and points out areas that should not be touched, like the breasts, nipples, groin, and mouth. It’s important to address these topics because we want to protect children from sexual abuse.
Now, let’s talk about touching oneself. This can be a tricky subject for kids to understand, like my daughter once asked if she could touch herself in the cubby house at school. It’s all about teaching them where it’s appropriate and private. The book does a great job of explaining that if they’re alone in the bathroom or their bedroom, it’s okay to touch themselves. But if they’re around others, it might make people uncomfortable, so it’s best to avoid it. The book even suggests some places where it’s okay to touch oneself when others are around, like the nose.
The book also addresses the importance of consent when it comes to taking pictures. It teaches kids that no one should take their picture without their permission, especially if they’re not fully clothed. It’s a conservative approach, but it’s important to establish these rules early on to help kids navigate situations like sexting when they’re older.
Having conversations about these topics can be a bit uncomfortable, but books like this can really help. It’s all about keeping our kids safe and giving them the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.
I hope this review has been helpful. Take care and keep those important conversations going! Cheers!
