Thursday, June 18, 2009

Please Tell!: A Child's Story About Sexual Abuse

Author: Jessie Ottenweller

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: sexual abuse

Year of Publication: 1991

Publisher & Location: Hazelden Publishing, Minnesota

ISBN#: 0894867768

Target Age Level: Upper and Lower elementary

# of Pages: 30

Quality of Illustrations: Illustrations are beautiful and illustrated by this young author.

Brief Summary:
Written and illustrated by a young girl who was sexually molested by a family member, this book reaches out to other children in a way that no adult can. Jessie's words carry the message, "It's o.k. to tell; help can come when you tell."

Jessie's story adds a sense of hope for what should be, and the knowledge that the child protection system can work for children. Simple, direct, and from the heart, Jessie gives children the permission and the courage to deal with sexual abuse.

"Please Tell! is a beautifully simple book with a profoundly important message for children who have been sexually abused: the abuse wasn't their fault. Written and illustrated by Jessie, herself a pre-teen survivor of sexual abuse, it tells kids just what to do to get the help they need."

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book can be used in individual counseling with a student who has been sexually abused because it is in the words of a victim and survivor. There is a lot of hope and advice in the book.

Activity: A sexual abuse survivor may write their own book. They may write advice they would give to someone who is going through what they've gone through.