Customer Reviews

Where's Whitney?

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While it's true there aren't formal apologies in this book, it's my opinion that it does not stop it from being a great book worthy of owning.

I am going over Stranger Safety with my son, and this story was a great book to include in our discussion. Whitney, the little girl, gets distracted (as all kids do), and winds up not leaving the amusement park with her family.

Her family wasn't necessarily being negligent, but thought she was in the second vehicle with other family members.

I liked this book because it showed Whitney practicing what you're supposed to do if you get lost: find another mom and ask for help.

This same concept is being taught in stranger safety courses, and this book did a wonderful job of showing it for children (even in the illustration).

I was disappointed to see other reviewers only giving it 2 stars. It is worth more than that.

Btw, I am also a teacher-1st grade. Each caregiver should know that this story isn't the only thing to be used when teaching this topic. It's a supplement, and a good one at that.

(On a personal level, I love that they included prayer in the story, as well as showed a good family connection, including several siblings).

A simple yet engaging tale of a family reunion which decides to go to an amusement park. Whitney does not pay attention and . . . well the story goes from there. My son loved the illustrations and the story was right on his level ( 4-5 year old). There actually is a religious end to the story, but considering the author, I thought God would be mentioned more.

I was an English major and have been a teacher for 16 years, so when I throw away a book, there's a problem. The little girl in the story, Whitney, gets so involved in her activities or her imagination that she sometimes doesn't hear her parents calling her. When the family goes to an amusement park, her parents accidentally leave her there. The book is written from the "real-life family episode" of a Christian singer, Michael Smith and his wife. They have 5 children, so you could see how they might leave one at an amusement park. My problem is that when they go back and find the child, it is Whitney who has to apologize to her parents for not "paying attention". The parents NEVER apologize to the girl for leaving her in a frightening situation and not arriving back to pick her up until it is night time and the park is closed. I am active in my church and teach Sunday school, so the parents' prayers for Whitney's protection and safety are fine with me. I just think they should have told her they were sorry they didn't keep her protected and safe themselves. That's the parents' job, after all. I would have preferred a book that, in the end, showed the parents' admitting they weren't perfect rather than putting the responsibility for a very scary experience onto the child. If there were a zero stars rating, I'd give it to this book.