Safety picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Safety Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3PUt3Ik .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon
by Alain Serge Dzotap (Author), Marc Daniau (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This story, translated from French, is a work of realistic fiction about Adi, a thirteen-year-old Mbororos girl. Adi enjoys her life, family, and school until the eldest man in her family decides she should marry. Fortunately, her father intervenes and breaks the cycle of child brides in their family by relocating Adi away from his brother.
Comments: This is a serious story suitable for fifth grade and up. I would have preferred it as a full-chapter book, but it is a picture book intended for tweens and middle school readers.
It is based on a real girl named Adi.
The backstory and more information about the culture are in the back pages. I enjoy reading stories like this, where authors write about their own cultures.
The illustrations were created with oil on paper.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Smarty and Friends
by Brian S Hamilton (Author)
Summary: Summary: This parent/teacher resource booklet is designed to help teach elementary students about safety topics.
Comments: It begins with a section for parents and guardians that addresses food safety, pedestrian safety, and bus safety. Following this introduction are ten short, illustrated safety stories that adults can read with children and use as discussion starters.
Some of the safety topics covered include:
🔷Food safety
🔷Pedestrian safety
🔷Bus safety
🔷Life jackets
🔷Scooter safety
🔷Motorcycle safety
🔷Cleaning product safety
🔷Window safety
🔷Furniture safety
🔷Football safety
This educational pamphlet could be helpful in classroom settings during safety lessons, as well as at home for guided conversations between adults and children.
This is the second of the Smarty the Brain Stories.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
* I was sent a free copy of this book.
Smarty the Brain Stories
by Brian S Hamilton(author), Daniel Majan(illustrator)
Brief summary: This twenty-page paperback consists of 10 short stories about two young brains–Moody and Smarty. Moody is impulsive and doesn’t understand the need for safety measures. Smarty explains and demonstrates the need for safety strategies to prevent injury to oneself or others. The safety topics covered are:
- bike helmets
- safety belts
- baby gates
- batteries
- ski helmets
- slides
- skateboarding equipment
- baseball catcher equipment
- horseback helmets
- snowmobile safety
Comments: This educational paperback is intended for preschoolers to learn about safety practices. The teacher or parent could read a story a day and demonstrate the wrong vs right way to do an activity. Students could then demonstrate what it is like to be a Smarty.
I’d like to see someone make this book into a mini safety film using these two young brains.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
* I was sent a free copy of this book.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.