Cover Image: Where Hands Go

Where Hands Go

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Member Reviews

Helpful book for parents who want to Teach their children about appropriate touches. The illustrations were beautiful.

Thank you Netgalley.

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I absolutely love the illustrations in this book. The story is simple and rhymes nicely. The cadence can sometimes be a bit edgy, but not too noticeable. The book is to teach kids a little poem about what a good touch is and what a bad touch is, and it works. I do think they need to reiterate the no touch saying at the end, but overall it works. I would buy this book for the illustrations alone, even without the words.

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Beautiful illustrations. Absolutely stunning. This is a great introduction on where hands should go.

I received a copy from netgalley

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An absolutely beautiful and important children's picture book about knowing what kind of touch is appropriate. It's a weird time for children in the real world and life is more confusing than ever. This short and to the point book will be a great asset for any young children to help set boundaries.

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This is a wonderful book for parents and kids to read together. It is a good message and begins the conversation to have. Also it is easy to read, it’s colorful and bright. Thank you to NetGalley, author, and the publisher for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

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The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I think this is a topic kids really need to know about. I felt like what is the bad touch needs a bit more detail for smaller children. When hands stray probably isn’t something my 2 year old would understand.

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A lesson for the little ones on where do the hands go and don't go. Very colorful. A helpful tool for guardians to have talk about touching at an early age.

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This is a lovely story about 'Good touches' and 'Bad touches' which every youngster needs to know and be aware of, although I don't think many young children would understand about hands straying so I think the boundaries need to be a little clearer about where hands should not go.
I know it's a children's books, and things can't be explicit and needs to be age appropriate, but I feel it needs explaining better.
Absolutely loves the Illustrations - they were very cartoon like and very cute.

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I thought this was a pretty good introduction to good touch and bad touch. The only thing I think could have been done better is a little bit more explanation on bad touch. The book says "But when hands begin to stray Then I should run far away" without ever clarifying where hands would go to stray. I also think it would have been more effective if it had a part about no meaning no and consent to touch someone's body even for a hug.

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This book covers an important topic that can make some parents feel awkward when discussing it with their young children. My kids (ages three and five) love the illustrations and rhyming and I can see the message working for their ages.

Because this topic can be difficult to approach (and so often parents struggle with how to start these body safety conversations) I would have loved a quick "continue the conversation" section on one of the last pages as a way to provide additional information to guide parents to start these conversations with their families.

Would I buy this book? 100%. And I'd give it as gifts as well.

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Where Hands Go, an amazing book with an even better concept! Teaching kids when it’s not okay for people to touch you, and reminding them to talk to parents if something happens. I will for sure be buying this book as a gentle reminder to my kids that I’m here to protect them! And their body is their own!

The illustrations in this book are so beautifully done!

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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was drawn to the beautiful cover. This book is about a mom who is teaching her daughter about safe touches and unsafe touches. It’s in rhyming form which is great for the intended audience.

This is such an important topic and one that unfortunately needs to be introduced at an early age. I felt this book barely skimmed the surface about what kinds of touches are bad. I understand that it’s because it’s just an introduction to the idea. I actually read it to my almost 3-year-old daughter and felt she was a good age for the book.

The illustrations were lovely and I love that it represented a family of color. The length was just right. Maybe even a little too short and rushed.

Overall this is a children’s book about a serious topic but the sweet illustrations took the edge off of the subject.

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It's an important book written in rhythmic beat.
The illustrations are cute and the 'poem' is simple, catchy and informative for our youngsters. The book teachers the readers safe and unsafe touch and what to do when such incident rises. Appreciate such important message being published to educate our children.

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The graphics in this book are straight out of Pixar! Incredibly creative and I absolutely love the black representation in this children's book! This book had me immediately with "I love my mom so much, she is the best." Excuse me while I get a little misty over here. Also the kitchen in the book looks like something designed on HGTV.

The concept taught to children on when and where it is okay to be touched is very important. I recall learning this exact concept from I was a child because it was implanted into my brain. It is important that children understand and this book does it in a way that is non-threatening nor scary to any child.

This was beyond delightful! My niece loved it immensely!

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Where Hands Go is a beautifully illustrated children's book to help teach children in a subtle way, what is safe and unsafe in the form of touch.
In the story the mummy gets the girl ready for bed each night by reciting a poem like song to her about touch and when to run.
Parents often don't know how to broach this subject with their children and this is a great way for both parent and child to communicate this together.

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As someone who works with, often, at risk children in a school system, I was excited about the context of this book. I thought it would be a great addition to my library for when the tough topic of touch comes up. That’s where my excitement ended. I felt the book didn’t go into much detail, the only adult character was a mother, which as we all know is not the only family dynamic. I felt the overtone was very “stranger danger”esque. I wish it had focussed more on teaching children about their own bodies and feelings and trusting their gut.

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Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of this book, and my legitimate thanks to the author, for giving me the opportunity to read his book.

It is a book that teaches children what to touch, what not to touch by another person and to know how to recognize when not to let others touch by them.

What a great book to read to a young child. Many times child abuse occurs from those closest to a family or in the places frequented by the little innocent, know how to share who is disrespecting the barrier of not "touching".

4.5

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Trigger Warning: Book being reviewed discusses childhood sexual abuse, hereafter called CSA, just in case you need to skip.
Where Hands Go by Krystaelynne Sanders Diggs is a really well-illustrated resource that uses an easily accessible poem (whose rhyme scheme doesn’t hit 100% of the time, but you know that I’m much more of a stickler for that than most readers, and definitely child readers), to talk to kids about bodily autonomy. Through really great illustrations of a young, black, female-presenting child & her mom, and a bedtime routine that will be easily relatable for many children, Sanders Diggs (who runs an organization focused on helping children heal from the trauma of CSA called Kids Again Foundation, where the infographic below is from) opens the door to discussions about CSA in a really gentle way that most little kids will understand.

Teaching them that they’re in charge of their body and get to say how or when other people touch it, and that there are circumstances in which they are not just allowed to disobey what other people request of them, but encouraged to do so is how to protect your kids from CSA, step 1 of 90,000. Knowing that there are times where the appropriate response is to “shake my head NO! NO! NO! Before I get up and GO! GO! GO!” is an essential skill for all children to master. There are a lot of ways that predators manipulate small children into allowing/participating in CSA, but one of the main feelings survivors talk about is not knowing that they had the option to say stop, because young children, especially, are conditioned to just.. obey grown-ups. Again, unfortunately, 1/3 of CSA perpetrators are people that the children know, and they’re used to just having to do as the bigger/older person tells them to. Arming kids with the tools to be able to question whether a touch is appropriate or not, or if the abuser is doing something to that they need to talk to their parent/someone they trust about is one of those things we all know we need to do, but also one of those conversations that we sometimes have a hard time figuring out how to start.

Where Hands Go is a great way to start that conversation with your littles.

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I thought this book was a great starting point for discussions about body autonomy. The poem will be easy for kids to remember and will help them start to distinguish which touching is good and which touching is bad.

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This book is EXCELLENT for teacher young children about appropriate touches and what to do if someone touches them inappropriately. It’s done in a thoughtful and loving way as to not be scary or traumatizing. The illustrations are beautifully done. I love how the author used a familiar rhyme to teach an incredibly valuable lesson. It would be a perfect gift to parents and caregivers!!

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