Reviews & Testimonials

Jayneen Sanders’ books do a wonderful job of helping parents teach their children body safety and confidence in their own intuition. It’s sometimes not easy to talk about or teach these things, but it is very necessary living in the world we do. This is where Jay comes in… with sensitivity, lightness and wisdom she opens up these important conversations and helps children better understand their feelings, their bodies, their boundaries and what being safe feels like. Jayneen is an excellent writer.

Maggie Dent, Parent Educator, www.maggiedent.com


As a psychologist who has treated many children with issues related to difficult feelings and experiences, I was pleased to discover Educate2Empower and author Jayneen Sanders. Far too many children have not been taught what to do in situations where they feel distressed or uncomfortable, such as when others may want to inappropriately touch them. However, Jayneen has written a number of well-targeted books where children are taught how to be forthright in protecting their personal space, as well as how to get help in scary or confusing situations. Written in a sensitive, yet empowering manner, Jayneen’s books cover a variety of topics where children learn how to understand their feelings, demonstrate empathy, and develop the resilience they need to emotionally thrive. I highly recommend them for children, parents, educators, and therapists.

Dr. Gail Poyner, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, author of 'Pandora’s Box is Open, Now What do I Do—A Parent’s Guide for Helping Children Who Have Been Exposed to Pornography', and co-author of 'Good Pictures, Bad Pictures', www.doctorpoyner.com

Testimonials for our Teacher's Resource Kits

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Teaching children about Body Safety is (in my opinion) non-negotiable! Jayneen Sanders' fantastic Body Safety Kit is filled with age-appropriate resources and activities that make teaching this sometimes tricky subject easier for teachers. Lessons are sequential, and children are empowered to know their body boundaries and learn how to speak up if they need to. Our school teaches Body Safety every year, and Jayneen’s resources are an essential part of our program. The resources and activities can be used as a complete program, or teachers can use the ones that meet the needs of their students or the learning focus at the time. There is simply no excuse not to teach Body Safety. Thanks Jayneen for creating these resources to support teachers to inform and empower children.

Helen Basham, Assistant Principal, Mt Evelyn Primary School


My year 4 team, consisting of three classes, ran the Educate2empower Body Safety program using these fantastic resources. It was absolutely the best program for these children. It dealt with confronting issues in a very positive and sensitive way. Over the year, we implemented many of the concepts and vocabularies, and found that the program made a significant and positive change to the children's behavior and attitudes towards themselves and others.

Duncan Crowder, Year 4 Teacher

Testimonials for 'Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept'

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The following quotes are taken from this site, on Amazon.com, or on our Facebook page. The author's names have been deliberately withheld.


"Some Secrets ........" Is a wonderful book and also a very important one. Most of us are familiar with the appalling incidence of child sexual abuse. "Some Secrets..." highlights the way children may be at risk: an abuser may not be a stranger - in most cases, the abuser is known to the child and/or family. As a counselor, I have worked with many victims of sexual abuse when they were young; not one person, boy or girl, told their parents. This book identifies the power of the abuser and the fear experienced by the child but does so in a gentle way. While "Some Secrets....." deals with a serious topic, the clever text combined with Craig Smith's absolutely delightful illustrations make this a beautiful book which I recommend highly.


"What a wonderful children's book that delivers such an important message to our children! Thanks for making it easier to teach kids about such a delicate topic!"


The book is wonderful, it comes with a parent/teacher guide as to how to present this book. It is so important to teach our children about body safety, and this book does it so nicely. This book has a Facebook page and online links, totally worth following as it educates adults on how to educate our children about keeping them safe. This book gets all 5 stars.


"I like this book because it approaches one topic (i.e., what to do if someone touches you) in a non-confronting way. It talks about listening to your body signals, secrets, and how hard it is to tell someone."


"I love the tips for parents and questions guide! Helps increase confidence so that you will use the book!"


"A must for every parent!"


This book is amazing in the way of empowering our youth! I wish books like this had been written years ago, as I endured such abuse myself & it could've made all the difference in the world, but am very thankful that they're here to do so today in order to give our children a much-needed voice! GREAT job! ♥ ♥ ♥ May everyone with a child or grandchild take the time to read it to them!


"Thank you for writing this book."


"I have just purchased a copy of your book after hearing the discussion on ABC radio. Thank you for writing this book; I am sure it will help me when talking to my children about this difficult topic. I think every Kinder and Primary School should have a copy!"


"A few years ago a 'secret' was let out in my family and it has torn it apart. Since then my mum and I have vowed to never keep secrets - no matter how hard they maybe to tell - and teach my three beautiful girls this as well. Thank you so much for having the courage to write this book and bringing this topic into our community for discussion."


"Thank you so much for this book. I heard your interview on 774 today and I will be on the PC tomorrow to purchase a copy. Thank you for empowering parents to be able to have this much-needed discussion in an age-appropriate way."


"Just finished reading it to my daughter, her 1st question was....why is the little knight poor? Aren't all knights rich? By the end of the discussion page, she informed me that her body was her own and we think Alfred needs an accent next time we read it. Thanks so much."


"Read your book to my 6-year-old daughter tonight. She loved the pictures and said it was a 'great book'. We read it 3 times just for fun. So easy, so straightforward. Thank you, well done!"


This is an excellent book to be read to young children. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is told in a really sensitive way. It is so important to talk to your kids about safe and unsafe touch just in case... Hopefully, they will never be touched inappropriately, but just in case they are, they will know it is wrong and to tell someone straight away. This book also taught me to listen to my child. So often we dismiss what our kids say to us, but it made me really think about my parenting and how I should always listen to my children and take note of their worries. Even if I am too busy! I would highly recommend this book to both parents and teachers.


"Received this book in the mail last week. As a mom of 2 young kids and a remote area nurse - I'm very impressed with the quality of this book. The message is delivered in a most appropriate way, with a great story and fantastic illustrations.... Thanks for helping look after our kids!!"


I read this book to my three children on a regular basis, and my daughter responds to it just as well as my older sons. My daughter, since hearing this story and due to our subsequent discussions, now has a very clear mantra ' My body, my rules'.


I bought a copy of the book for our pre-school and our school, and at our pre-school, it is often displayed for parents/carers to borrow.


This is a book that should be in every household.


A critical book for parents and educators to read with the children in their lives. I wish this book was available when I was a child.


I was concerned about how to bring up the tough issue of childhood sexual abuse with my 3-year-old son because I never want him to become a victim. This book makes introducing the topic easy, and my son really enjoys the story. As he gets older, I can see how it would be easy to have more discussion based on what happens in the book so that my son can know what is appropriate vs. not and how to handle it if someone ever did this to him. Some parents may be taken off guard by how honest this book is, but it is certainly appropriate for young to middle childhood (age 3-10) and is a great first step to protecting our children from a traumatic experience.


"I think your book is amazing - and very long overdue - and I'll be buying a copy for my 2-year-old son."

"The book was fantastic. Good example to show the abuser as an influential person in a position of power. The setting was great. My 2.5-year-old was even interested - "naughty man", "why that boy sad mummy?" I realize it is targeted at an older audience, but it was still a good way to communicate to her about letting mummy and daddy know straight away if anybody "hurts" her."


"Can I say again that I appreciate you tackling such a difficult, but overwhelmingly important, subject. Encouraging children to speak out when they are afraid, and parents to listen seriously and act when they can't believe what they are hearing, are the keys to reducing incidents of this kind of abuse. Perpetrators are above all, cowards, and confident children make difficult targets. I hope we will see more of this kind of material for children soon."


"Congratulations on writing an engaging story with perhaps the most vital of all children's safety messages conveyed in such a warm and delicate way.  You have managed to achieve the challenge of 'preparing without scaring' when tackling these important issues - I'm very impressed!"


Testimonials for the book 'You, Me and Empathy'

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“I love this book and highly recommend it to parents, educators, and counselors. The latest research shows that our children are hard-wired to care but unless we nurture empathy it lies dormant. You, Me, and Empathy offers us a way to talk to our children about the importance of caring for others. Jayneen also provides simple tips that we can instantly use to start stretching children’s empathy muscles. Being able to understand how another person is feeling and recognizing their needs is so crucial to humanity. You, Me and Empathy is a must to help us all achieve a kinder world.”

Dr Michele Borba Ed.D.: author of ‘Unselfie: why empathetic kids succeed in this all-about-me world’

 


“In this gem, young readers are invited to explore their feelings and discover their ability to understand not only their own emotions but also the feelings of others. Written in the first-person narrative with everyday examples of situations that might cause uncomfortable feelings like worry

Body Safety Collection