Red baiting paranoia for kids
586621
While I hate writing negative reviews, it is important to draw the line between the Iron Man of the early 1960's and the Iron Man of the 1970's.
This collection from the early 1960's is mainly a political diatribe reflecting the red-baiting paranoia of the 1950's  The villains are all communists
from Viet Nam, China, and Russia. They even threw in some little green men from space in homage to the paranoia of the 1950's movies.
In this series, Tony Stark relies on "transistor power"  and some weird thing he called "Iron" which has none of the attributes of Iron. You could
fold up his suit in his briefcase. These were Stan Lee's ideas so he deserves the blame for this stuff.  When I read Iron Man some ten years later
it had improved considerably. I guess Stan Lee actually read some books about the subject. Still, by then Iron Man had fallen in popularity.
So I soon stopped reading it. There were much better Marvel Comics available such as Fantastic Four and Spider Man in the 1970's. So
by all means skip this collection and get the later comics  if you can find them.
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My 8 year old grandson seemed to think this book had some great (fun) prank ideas.  I'm sure
someone will be pranked very soon.
2136273
My 3 year old grandson just moved into his own room and was anxious about being alone. The watchdog helped relay his fears. Thumbs up!
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This is a new way to talk to big kids about "strangers." The concept of "tricky people" is a good way to teach a child that most people in the world aren't dangerous. I don't want him fearing all strangers because in my opinion that's not a helpful world view. This is a great way to illustrate how to tell if someone might be unsafe. We read it with our 6 year old and talked about it. Gets the message across without freaking him out.
4784204
If you're looking for entertaining Halloween picture books for 3 and 4 year olds, Arthur's Halloween fits the bill.
Arthur and his friends go trick or treating.  Arthur is very scared at first, but he learns to overcome his fears along the way.  Only D.W. is brave enough to approach the "witch's" house, but then Arthur and D.W. learn that the "witch" is really just a misunderstood elderly lady with a messy house and yard.
Arthur's Halloween is about trick-or-treating, mainly, and there is no mention of Halloween parades, bobbing for apples, or other Halloween traditions.  If your children are afraid of trick-or-treating, this book may help them to escape their fear.
Often characters in Arthur videos and books daydream or imagine episodes, and I find that those episodes are presented in a way that my three year old finds confusing.  He does not distinguish between the trappings of characters' imaginations and the regular plot.  Now I know that I can add commentary so that he understands that certain elements in a book are just the dreams of a character.
For example, in Arthur's Halloween, some of the kids imagine that the "witch" is harming Arthur and D.W. in several different ways.  When a toddler sees illustrations of the "witch" doing such things, he believes it just as he believes the rest of the plot.  I have learned that I can say "Francine (or The Brain, or Buster, etc.)just THINKS this is happening.  It's not really happening, is it?"  Then my child doesn't confuse the "real" plot with the characters' fanciful thoughts.
In any case, Arthur's Halloween is not a bad Halloween picture book, and even if you steer your child away from "series" books or books allied with television series, give this one a try.
ken32
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I work with kids and wanted to find a book that would empower them to tell if someone is abusing them in any way.
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There is a great deal of suspense and apprehension that build as a younger brother attempts to assist an older brother during a river kayaking experience.  The younger brother isn't very comfortable outdoors and is used to passing his time playing video games, so his skills appear weak, but the video game experiences do help him solve some of his problems - a good read for middle grade children.
200909
Great alternative to the little red riding hood and very very great tool to teach kids to be vigilant in their surroundings.
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I mostly liked Shark Bait, but one thing i really didn't liked was the front cover, because the boy  that represents Eric, the main character looks stupid. On the inside of the book  Eric, acts though and that is what makes it interesting.on the outside of the book he looks like a weak anyway, it was good I highly recommended to teenagers. I'm sure they would like it.
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We don't use the little cardboard tabs to put the bait on, instead we use foil cups that we use tape to stick to walls in the path of the ant trails. This gets their attention fast and they ignor other  things. We did a YouTube video that shows How We Do It.
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When my youngest child was around 5, she has a lot of anxiety.  I found a therapist who specialized in anxiety in children.  One of his methods was worry dolls under her pillow to absorb her fears/worries.  VOO DOO/HOO DOO or not, it worked.  My granddaughter has had some anxiety, so I figured why not!
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Terro baits have been great - both the indoor and outdoor baits ... this year however, I think a raccoon got into the outdoor baits, both of them in one night.  They were dismantled and the foil opened and totally drained/licked clean.  I wonder how the raccoon feels after that?
1422139
The mean snakes in this story terrorized Little Britches.  These snakes creep me out and had my kids rapt.  It's a scary story because of the snakes.

I wanted the snakes destroyed because they seemed irredeemable.  They destroyed themselves.  This is the closest thing to a scary nighttime story as I want to get with my boys and girls.

Elements of the story can be expounded upon to show that the authors may be having a wicked politically incorrect laugh, but it was just a scary story to us.
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Because I have no faith that my grandsons will be exposed the the .... oh well. Let's hope they read these. I plan on giving them to each of them on their (respective) 13th birthdays. We just don't need any more hooligans out there!
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This is a pleasant movie with a good-enough story.

Parents might want to be careful about letting children see this movie however, since one of the hidden messages is that it is okay to trust strangers who look like hoodlums or creeps.  This is a dangerous message to teach to children.
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Michael Medved, the patron now attempts to convince America that the key to our collective survival lies in the need for cookie-cutter, complacent, conformity-minded children. How does a  parent strip all individuality from a child? It's in here. How does a  parent raise a paranoid, naive, utterly unprepared child? It's also in  here. Remember parents, the enemy is reality, and it's best to tell your  children that sex, independent thought, intellectualism, and complexity are  all evil and must be avoided at all costs. Is there a national assault on  innocence? Perhaps. But is it a better alternative to declare war on  sanity?
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Title: Predators: Who They Are and How to Stop Them

Authors: Gregory M. Cooper, Michael R. King, Thomas McHoes

Summary: This book takes readers through the mindset of predatory criminals--their motives, various plans of attack, and way of thinking--and then teaches simple lifestyle techniques that will help reduce the risk of becoming victimized.

Criminal behavior specialists Greg Cooper and Mike King provide expert analysis based on real-life cases, in addition to moving insights from victims and criminals themselves. The authors make the point that the people who commit these crimes aren't much different from the predators of the wild, preying on the weak and unsuspecting. What makes these individuals more dangerous than their instinctive wildlife counterparts, however, is that they consciously choose to inflict their will on the more vulnerable members of their own species.

To protect our loved ones and ourselves requires that we truly educate ourselves about the predators who live in our society and then take appropriate action. This excellent, in-depth study will help readers lead safer lives.

Review: Television news, cable networks, and others are constantly bombarding us with how to protect ourselves.  Commercials run on radio and television promoting the latest advances in home security systems.  You can even purchase video cameras embedded in teddy bears, so you can spy on the babysitter to make they are only raiding your refrigerator, not your jewelry case.

But what many folks don't know is that a pair of dirty shoes can acts as a deterrent to a criminal.

Brad Morrison is a rapist who attacked 75 women across 11 states.  Here is something this serial rapist had to say about how he selected a house.

"There were all kind of things that would make me say, 'This isn't the right place.'  Like, if they had a dog,  then forget it.  Even a small one makes to much noise.  If I saw a pair of construction boots, for example, out on the porch or on the landing, I walked right on by."

Predators: Who They Are and How to Stop Them is full of information from the attackers, rapists, and molesters themselves.  There are chapters on Victimology and how to find ways to reduce you chance of becoming a victim.  There are also sections on crimes against children, the elderly, and kidnapping.

But don't think that this is just another volume full of "lock your doors, make sure you install dead bolts."  There is real information, gathered from interviewing real criminals, that many folks may have not thought of before.

This is one of the most fascinating books I have read on the subject of crime and crime prevention.  I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough.