Chilly Stomach [Hardcover]

Jeannette Caines (Author), Pat Cummings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1986 | Age Level: 5 and up

Whenever Sandy's Uncle Jim comes to visit, he hugs and kisses her in ways she doesn't like and she gets a chilly stomach.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chilly Stomach deals with child molestation in a way that may frighten children without educating them. Sandy gets a chilly stomach whenever Uncle Jim hugs her and kisses her on the lips. She's afraid her parents won't like her anymore if she tells them how she feels about Uncle Jim, so she tells her friend Jill instead, hoping that Jill's parents will tell her own. The title phrase is strongly evocative and the book's illustrations nicely depict Sandy's ambivalence. But instead of offering a victim of child abuse a definite course of action, the book seems to confirm Sandy's fear that her parents won't like her if she tells them the truth. A good, clear book on this subject could be a valuable teaching tool. Unfortunately, Chilly Stomach, though well intentioned, tends to obscure the issue.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 A chilly stomach is what Sandy feels when her uncle tickles or hugs her or kisses her on the lips. Her friend Jill suggests to Sandy that she tell her parents, but Sandy is afraid that her parents won't believe her or that they won't like her anymore. At the end, she is sitting in a chair, looking very alone, hoping that Jill's parents will tell her parents. Cummings' impressionistic chalk pictures provide a comfortable background for an uncomfortable subject. She places both black and white families in casually middle-class surroundings, full of flowery wallpaper backgrounds and plump, overstuffed chairs. The book is bibliotherapy rather than story, and the open ending that raises Sandy's concerns but does not alleviate them makes the book one that demands discussion between adult and child. This book should not be dumped in the picture book section; it belongs in parents' or teachers' collections. Linda W. Girard's My Body Is Private (Albert Whitman, 1984) is also very good and informative but is more encompassing and for older children. Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books; 1st edition (May 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060209763
• ISBN-13: 978-0060209766
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,828,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caines reveals a horrible situation, December 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Chilly Stomach (Hardcover)

Jeannette Caines explores one young girls awful secret in "Chilly Stomach". It is a subject that often goes untouched, but unfortunately some children are found in similar situations. In this story, a young girl does not like the way her uncle kisses her, but she is afraid to tell her parents. So, she tells a friend instead, who she hopes will tell her mother. Then, hopefully, the mother will tell her parents. It is a "chilly" story.