Please Tell: A Child's Story About Sexual Abuse (Early Steps) [Paperback]

Jessie (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 1, 1991 | Age Range: 4 and up | Series: Early Steps

Written and illustrated by a young girl who was sexually molested by a family member, this book reaches out to other children in a way that no adult can. Jessie's words carry the message, "It's o.k. to tell; help can come when you tell."

This book is an excellent tool for therapists, counselors, child protection workers, teachers, and parents dealing with children affected by sexual abuse.

Jessie's story adds a sense of hope for what should be, and the knowledge that the child protection system can work for children. Simple, direct, and from the heart, Jessie gives children the permission and the courage to deal with sexual abuse.

"Please Tell! is a beautifully simple book with a profoundly important message for children who have been sexually abused: the abuse wasn't their fault. Written and illustrated by Jessie, herself a pre-teen survivor of sexual abuse, it tells kids just what to do to get the help they need."
Kristin A. Kunzman, abuse therapist and author of The Healing Way: Adult Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nine year old Jessie's words and illustrations help other sexually abused children know that they're not alone, that it's OK to talk about their feelings, and that the abuse wasn't their fault. Reaching out to other children in a way that no adult can, Jessie's words carry the message, "It's o.k. to tell; help can come when you tell." Please Tell! is an excellent tool for therapists, counselors, child protection workers, teachers, and parents dealing with children affected by sexual abuse. Jessie's story adds a sense of hope for what should be, and the knowledge that the child protection system can work for children. Simple, direct, and from the heart, Jessie gives children the permission and the courage to deal with sexual abuse.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden; 1 edition (July 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894867768
• ISBN-13: 978-0894867767
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Child Abuse
  • #70 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships
  • #86 in Books > Self-Help > Abuse

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars teaches kids how to tell May 2, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I'm really impressed with this book. It's told in the first person by a little girl who is sexually abused by her uncle in terms that a young child can understand. It discusses how she is supported by her family, and how it is seeing a psychologist. It really does a good job of destigmatizing sexual abuse. It also encourages children who have been (or are being) abused to keep telling trusted adults about it until someone helps them. In the back it also provides a fairly long list of people who it is okay to tell.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Please Tell January 15, 2009

By C. McCuan

Format:Paperback

I am a counselor and recently adopted a little girl who suffered unspeakable abuse. This book assisted her in being able to talk with her therapist about her abuse so that her healing could begin. The fact that the book is written by a child allows children to relate on their level. I recommend this book for therapists working with children of abuse and families.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best help to help July 7, 2007

By Carmen M. Silva Franco

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Please Tell is one of the most amazing help I ever had with my clients. My youth get a comfort when they read this story. They don't feel alone any more, because another girl like them had the same bad experience. Then, they feel confident to talk about their own abuse.
It's the best help for helpers.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful March 4, 2008

By L. Huntsman

Format:Paperback

As a child therapist, this book is very useful when working with most child victims of sexual abuse. It is a way to help them open up about their own feelings by relating their story to Jessie's story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Educate Your Children December 15, 2010

By P. Vue

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an excellent book to use in educating and empowering our children. Child sex abuse is a rampant society problem and it happens so so so so much more than we know or think. One of the most important things is to make sure children are aware that people who they know are way more likely to perpetrate against them than someone who is a complete stranger. This book succeeds in getting this message across. It also confirms for the child that he/she is NOT to blame, another very important thing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Child Abuse Families to Read March 24, 2010

By K. Benson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good book to read with your children when they have been abused. It helped our son be able to share with his feelings with me. I highly recommend reading this book to your children.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Please Tell April 12, 2011

By Gina L. Parker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is really intense and I did not share it with the person it was intended for. The child who tells the story tells about how her parents had the uncle arrested for what he did to her. I agree with the Uncle getting arrested and thats a necessary consequence. Some Children who have been abused are very angry and want the abuser to be stopped in this way, usually children that have been abused by an adult, or an extended family member/friend. Other Children are afraid for the abuser and won't tell if they know the abuser will go to jail. The person this book was intended for is the second of the two and I believe this book will only cause them to not talk even more. The person this book was intended for was abused by another Child. I didn't feel that this book was what they needed

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for mental health professionals working with a child who is afraid to talk about sexual abuse January 29, 2013

By Counselor Chris

Format:Paperback

I have owned this book since it came out in 1991, and I use it as a therapeutic tool to help children talk about their sexual abuse. It reaches out to sexually abused children in a way that books written by adults simply cannot because the child-author wrote it as part of her post-disclosure counseling. While the publisher states it's an excellent resource for nonprofessionals, I would strongly disagree! The story is intense - the author's uncle molested her, threatened that bad things would happen if she told, and then is arrested. The child finds out that her parents still love and support her, and the system actually works to support her and incarcerate the abuser. Children who have been sexually abused experience the author's emotions, and are not terrified by the story, while using this book with a child who hasn't been sexually abused has the potential to frighten and disgust him/her. This is why it needs to be used by MH professionals working with children. We are the ones who are trained to assess the situation, determine if using the book is appropriate with a particular child/client, and then help children deal with the guilt and shame caused by disclosing their secret of abuse.

The book doesn't tell children how to navigate through the mess that results from telling about abuse, nor is it meant to do so. The fact is that children who disclose sexual abuse - or abuse of any kind - may not be treated as wonderfully as the author was - a truly ugly fact about our child protection services, law enforcement response, and involvement with the Prosecutor's office.... This doesn't mean that children shouldn't tell about their abuse - it just means that the system is set up to punish perpetrators, and defense attorneys are in place to protect alleged perpetrators, which means that children often get ground up in this system. There is a need for a book that helps children through that process - I often think about writing one! Children often tell me that they feel like they are the ones being punished by placement in foster care and having to testify. Again - this book does not deal with these issues, nor is it meant to do so. This is why it needs to be a professional resource - so that we can help line up the support the child needs after they disclose the abuse. It is, however, an excellent resource for professionals who suspect that a child's aberrant behaviors are linked to non-disclosed sexual abuse, and need to provide their client with support to Please Tell. Read more ›