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My Underpants Rule! ISBN: 9780992953003
Power, Kate and Power, Rod
Published by Kids Rule Publishing, 2015
This light-hearted, brightly-coloured, comic-style picture book is a good way to begin explanations with young children about keeping their private parts private. The rhymes help too, and there are questions to be answered. The suggestion by the authors is that the book is read once or twice a month for awhile to get the message across, and that gradually children will learn the rhyme: ‘What’s under my pants belongs only to me! And others can’t touch there or ask me to see but safe grown-up or doctor when I’m not healthy.’ Okay, the ‘underpants rule’ is a bit twee, and ‘to see’ doesn’t really rhyme with ‘healthy’, but kids will get the idea. The questions are: What should you do if an older person wants to see under your underpants; What if they touch your private parts; What if you are having trouble with ‘your farts, poops, or pees’; What if someone shows you their private parts; What if your private parts get touched by accident. It is made clear that doctors and trusted people can have a look when things are not right and that talking to someone you really trust if something seems wrong is a good thing to do. Also, that it’s okay to ‘run, kick, or scream, to make a big scene’ if things really go wrong. Altogether, this is a detailed look at child abuse in a way that hopefully will not frighten or alarm.
Age: 4+