4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Kids learn lots of lessons the hard way, no matter how hard adults try to warn them. What does that pot on that stove feel like? OUCH! What's up my nose? Oooohhhh, fun! But some lessons are important to ingrain in children as early as possible, such as not getting in vehicles with strangers, not smoking or doing drugs and not shoving a fork in an outlet. One lesson that isn't taught frequently enough is the importance of sunscreen and proper skincare when outside.
This is the purpose of Hey! Don't Forget the Sunscreen! by Kimberling Galeti Kennedy, a children's picture book. Amazon lists four such children's picture books created by Kimberling, all released in 2017 and all covering various topics like Do Dogs Pray? and Why You Should Laugh Three Times A Day. Hey! Don't Forget the Sunscreen! follows a little girl named Stacey who's at the grocery store and runs into her friend John and his aunt Donna. Donna has a bandage on her nose, and Stacey asks what happened. This begins the lesson of the book - Donna says that, as a child, she played in the sun without protection for too long. She discusses various potential issues, such as skin cancer, and then discusses various methods of protection from the sun and how to best get your daily recommended vitamin D.
The art in the book is spectacular. The cover is a perfect example of the art inside: the colors are crisp, and the images are full-page on one side with text on the other. I reviewed a physical copy of this book, and the art is definitely big enough and clear enough that even held up at a distance from children when flipping pages it would be easy to see the pictures. However, the images when discussing cancer are basically cartoony cancer creatures on skin, which may be gross for some and awesome for others.
The story also gets quite scientific at times, which slowed the reading down quite a bit for a couple pages. On the one hand, if you merely read this to your children, these parts may get rather dry. However, if you decide to research these various types of cancer together, it can be a learning experience for them AND for you! These technical terms can also be very difficult for children to learn to read themselves, meaning it may not be the best book for children to practice reading on their own.
When I was a teen in the Boy Scouts, we worked a car wash to raise money. I was smart enough to put sunscreen on my face and arms (thanks to my mom!), but I hadn't considered the length of time, the splashing water or the looseness of my shirt. My face was burned a bit, but my back, up toward my shoulders, was covered in blisters due to a nasty second-degree burn. Even 20-ish years later it's easily one of the most painful experiences of my life, so it's definitely something I'll do anything to avoid again! This made me really excited to find a book that covers the importance of avoiding burns, and the book surpassed my expectations. My rating of the book is 4 out of 4 stars, and I can easily recommend it to anyone who wants to teach their kids the importance of protecting against burns and skin damage from the sun. I did find one error, but otherwise this was an excellent, professional little book!
******
Hey, Don't Forget the Sunscreen!
View: on Bookshelves
Like CataclysmicKnight's review? Post a comment saying so!
I need to get this book for my future children.
