Children’s Book Review: Bitsy Bear By Anne M Jenks

BITSY BEAR
A Great Children’s Story and Essential Parenting Tool

By: Anne M Jenks

Illustrated By: Laura Liberatore

Published: April 28, 2014

If there is only one book you read with your child, this one would be it.  The dangers of the world can creep into even the most protected communities and families.  The best way to protect our children is with information and communication.  BITSY BEAR gives us the opportunity to teach our children about personal safety through a children’s story.

In BITSY BEAR we are introduced to a monkey family.  The siblings Mitsy, Itsy, and Bitsy love to play together in the jungle and are always under the watchful eyes of their parents.  Until one day, the parents’ focus is taken off of Bitsy and some circus bears decide she would be the perfect addition to their circus act.  What happens next will give you the perfect scenario to talk with your child about stranger danger.

We live in a small community and have the perception of our children being safe. But the last few abductions in our state have been in small towns just like the one we live in.  This book gave me another chance to have this conversation with our 9-year-old daughter. She read the book first and then we were able to have a great discussion about what happened to Bitsy.

I read this as an eBook, but the illustrations were still just as vibrant as a regular book. They told the story through pictures and gave some humor to the story while allowing the younger readers to become interested in the story.

I can’t stress enough what an important book this is for you to read and discuss with your child.  Jenks’s story is presented in such a way that makes the situation real, yet not too scary for your child.

The exciting part of this book for me is that it is written by one of my high school classmates.  I am thrilled to be able to share this book with all of you and hope that by sharing this book with your child, none of you will have to go through this. After the story, the book includes tips for parents in keeping your children safe and tips for children about what to do in an emergency.

Anne M. Jenks

Anne M Jenks grew up in a loving family in NE Iowa and was the oldest of four children. Being a big sister makes you aware of the safety of your younger siblings. Whether it’s because you care so deeply about your brothers and sisters or because you just don’t want to get in trouble from Mom and Dad, this awareness of younger children’s safety becomes a part of you.

After graduating from University of Iowa with a doctorate of pharmacy, Jenks started working as a retail pharmacist. Seeing children shopping with their families was often entertaining but sometimes troublesome. Children can so easily become separated from their parents. Whether intentional or not, this possibly dangerous situation always bothered her.

Implementing the three E’s in her books is a key focus. Jenks’s purpose in writing is to engage, entertain, and educate her audience.  Be on the look out for her next book, THE ICKY STICKY TEA PARTY. It tells the story of two sisters who get themselves into a bit of trouble when they try to use cough syrup as a “pretend tea” for the tea party. While this story also has a happy ending, it does convey a critical message about the importance of medication safety.

To purchase a copy of BITSY BEAR, click the photo below:

I will be linking up with other bloggers in Booking Mama’s Kid Konnection on Saturday.  There you will find other great children’s book reviews.