Acclaimed Book Helps Adults Teach Kids About Body Boundaries

NEW YORK - May 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Without being taught about body boundaries, a child may be too young to understand when abuse is happening—or that it’s wrong. This straightforward, gentle book offers a tool parents, teachers, and counselors can use to help children feel, be, and stay safe. The rhyming story and simple, friendly illustrations provide a way to sensitively share and discuss the topic, guiding young children to understand that their private parts belong to them alone. The overriding message of My Body Belongs to Me is that if someone touches your private parts, tell your mom, your dad, your teacher, or another safe adult.

Using her decade-plus of experience working as a New York City prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes, Jill Starishevsky has crafted a book that addresses body boundaries in a way that kids can understand and that doesn’t seem scary or heavy-handed. In a country where, according to estimates from the CDC, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before age 18, My Body Belongs to Me is a much-needed abuse prevention resource.

Praise for the self-published book:

“In only 19 sentences, this simple book will empower children while promoting open communication.”—School Library Journal

“This sensitive, creative book about a very tough topic is a must-read for parents and their young children.”—Ann Pleshette Murphy, parenting contributor to Good Morning America

“With an easy rhyme and attractive pictures, this book will help both adults and children enter into a conversation about a subject that is often extremely hard for anyone to speak about, privately or publicly.”—Pamela Pine, Ph.D., MPH; founder and CEO, Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc.

by Jill Starishevsky, illustrated by Angela Padrón

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MY BODY BELONGS TO ME

ISBN: 978-1-57542-461-3

$12.99 • HC, 8" x 8" • 32 pp. • color illust. • For parents, teachers, counselors, caregivers, child advocates, and others working with children ages 3–8

About the author:

Jill Starishevsky has been an assistant district attorney in New York City since 1997, where she has prosecuted thousands of sex offenders and dedicated her career to seeking justice for victims of child abuse and sex crimes. Her mission to protect children, along with her love of poetry, inspired My Body Belongs to Me. A mother of three, Jill has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and is a prevention specialist who, through media appearances and public speaking events, teaches how to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. She lives in New York City.

About the illustrator:

Angela Padrón is a writer and illustrator of children’s books and educational material. She also works as an adjunct professor and freelance writer. Angela earned her M.F.A. in Illustration from Academy of Art University to go along with her two other graduate degrees in Bilingual Education and Reading Education, a B.A. in Art and an A.A. in Music. When Angela is not working, she enjoys spending time in her studio creating works of art using batik, watercolor, pastels, and charcoal or relaxing at the beach with her family. She lives in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

About Free Spirit Publishing (www.freespirit.com) Meeting kids’ social, emotional, and educational needs since 1983

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Free Spirit is the leading publisher of learning tools that support young people’s social-emotional health and their educational needs. Free Spirit’s mission is to help children