Be Wary of Strangers

David A. Marcotte
Outskirts Press, Inc. (2005)
ISBN 1932672478
Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (4/06)

“Be Wary of Strangers” should be required reading for every parent. It introduces the topic of “stranger danger” in a safe, non-threatening way. In this story, we are introduced to Henry, a young boy who becomes separated from his mother at the store. Henry is scared and unsure of what to do at first. He is surrounded by people, yet he has been taught to be wary of strangers, as they are not always as friendly and helpful as they may seem. Henry mentally takes us through the lessons his mother has taught him about strangers as he tries to come to a decision of how to find his mother.

Through Henry’s lessons, children learn the basics of safety regarding strangers with the help of fun, rhythmic text, as well as illustrations that look like they were drawn by a young child. This makes the book immediately relatable to kids, as it looks like something they could have produced themselves.

In this book, children are taught to stay away from lonely isolated places and to stick with their friends. They are taught that it is ok to hit and scream if a stranger is trying to take them, which is essential because a child needs to be assured that it is appropriate to hit if they need to defend themselves. They are told to run towards public places, which helps override the instinct to run and hid if we are in danger.

Further on, children are presented with a wide variety of “safe people” they can go to if they need help, ranging from the obvious (police, firefighters) to the not-so-obvious (teachers, mail carriers, outdoor workers). Such a variety helps a child have a system in place in case they cannot find the most obvious person to help. A safe person such as a bus driver or mail carrier would not come to mind for most children in the midst of a crisis.

Rather than teach a child to be afraid of strangers, Mr. Marcotte teaches to be wary of them. This difference in wording may seem miniscule, but it could mean the difference between a child who is lost knowing how to find help or not knowing how to. If a child is taught to fear every stranger, he or she will not know how to ask for help if they should need it, or they could ask the wrong person. By teaching to be wary of strangers, children are given a small bit of power in a terrifying situation. If just one lesson from this book sticks in a child’s mind, it could mean the difference from seeing that child come home, or losing him or her forever.

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