Vickie Vernon Hawkins

Stranger Danger: Children Beware Vickie Vernon Hawkins

Since when did a grown-up think a child is the boss? Stay away from that car, or in you'll be tossed! When Adam Walsh was kidnapped and murdered in 1981, fear gripped the nation. It was unfathomable to think that a child could be abducted in a shopping mall with his mother near. Some thirty years ago, Vickie Vernon Hawkins was a young mother whose third child had just been born. The realization that such a horrific abduction and subsequent murder could happen to anyone-anywhere-became an integral part of the way she raised her children. As she urged them to always remember, "Stranger danger ... we must beware!" she began creating catchy rhymes that would help children as young as age two know exactly what to say and do when their safety is threatened by a stranger who asks for directions, offers candy, or touches a private place. The simple rhymes, accompanying illustrations, and practical advice in Stranger Danger: Children Beware blend to create a life-saving and lasting impression in the eyes and minds of children. If a stranger should knock, keep the door locked!