Book Review
A short overview of this book
My Safety Network: Introducing a Safety Network (3 to 5 trusted adults a child can go to if they feel unsafe) by Jayneen Sanders (Little Big Chats) is a lovely little book for introducing the concept of a safety network to young children. These are 3 to 5 trusted adults in your child’s life who they could confidently turn to if they feel worried or unsafe.
This book belongs to the Little BIG Chats series, which consists of 12 books that have been written to help parents to start talking about important topics. There’s a discussion guide at the back, with some pages of the book including helpful questions to ask your child as you read.
I really like this approach of a topic a book, and they would be a fantastic collection of books to have. It would be very easy to read a different one of these each night with your children.
There are 12 books in the Little BIG Chats series:
- Empathy: Exploring the meaning of empathy and kindness
- I Always Try: Developing a growth mindset of resilience and persistence
- Feelings: Understanding different feelings and emotions
- Everyone is Equal: Introducing the importance of gender equality and diversity
- Around the World: Celebrating the importance of racial equality and diversity
- Mindfulness: Exploring the importance of mindfulness and learning calming skills
- Families: Celebrating diversity in families
- Consent: Introducing consent and body boundaries
- My Safety Network: Introducing a Safety Network (3 to 5 trusted adults a child can go to if they feel unsafe)
- My Early Warning Signs: Exploring Early Warning Signs and what to do if a child experiences these signs
- Private Parts are Private: Learning private parts are private and what to do if touched inappropriately
- Secrets and Surprises: Learning the difference between secrets and surprises
The Body Safety titles should ideally be read in the following order: Consent, My Safety Network, My Early Warning Signs, Private Parts are Private, and Secrets and Surprises. The remaining titles can be read in any order.
You can learn more on this page, about how to talk to kids about sex education.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 2 to 6 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of My Safety Network by Jayneen Sanders (Little Big Chats) from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! Welcome to Sex Ed Rescue with Cath Hak. I’m here to help parents find an easy and effective way to talk to their kids about love, sex, relationships, and growing up. Today, I want to review a fantastic book called My Safety Network by Janine Sanders. It’s part of the Little Big Chats series, which consists of 12 little books that tackle big topics.
Now, this book is all about introducing the concept of a safety network to young children. A safety network is a group of three to five trusted adults that a child can turn to if they ever feel unsafe. The book starts off with a helpful introduction on how to use it and why having these conversations is important.
The story follows Maya, who teaches kids what they’ll be learning about. Maya shares her own safety network, explaining that it consists of grownups she trusts. The book emphasizes that these trusted adults will listen and believe them if they ever feel worried, scared, or unsafe. It’s great because it also reminds us, as adults, of our responsibility when we’re part of a child’s safety network.
The book highlights the importance of having more than one person in their safety network. If they can’t find one trusted adult, they can always reach out to another. It also mentions that each child’s safety network might be different from their friends’, and it’s important that at least one person on the network is not a family member. It could be a neighbor, someone at school, or even someone from church.
The book helps children identify the people in their safety network by using their hands as a visual aid. It encourages them to trace their hands on a piece of paper and write or draw pictures of the people they can go to. This activity can be a great way to reinforce the concept and create a visual reminder for them. You could even stick it on the wall!
At the end of the book, there are discussion questions, ideas, and activities to further engage with your child and turn this into an educational and empowering experience. It’s not just about reading the book; it’s about making it a meaningful learning opportunity.
I absolutely love this series of books because they focus on one topic at a time, allowing you to teach it thoroughly and effectively. So, go ahead and grab a copy of My Safety Network for your little one. It’s a fantastic resource that will help you have important conversations and keep your child safe.
I hope you found this review helpful! Cheers!
