Guns: What You Should Know (Concept Books (Albert Whitman))

ANNOTATION

Describes different kinds of guns, explains how they are used, warns of possible dangers they present, and spells out simple rules to ensure gun safety.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This simple, frank book gives curious children information about guns without taking a side in the gun debate.

After briefly talking about types of guns and how they work, the author focuses on safety issues. Schulson explains that because children see shooting in movies or on TV, they might not realize how badly a gun can hurt someone. And that no matter how grownups feel about guns, they all agree that children should never play with guns.

Safety rules at the back of the book will help parents share a critical subject with children. Guns: What You Should Know is a potentially life-saving book presented in a direct and factual manner. The author lives in Texas; the illustrator lives in Illinois.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Jeanne K. Pettenati

There is an important message in this book about guns but I think that the author could have done a much better job of presenting it. Real guns are dangerous and children should never play with them. That is the message, but it is mixed. The cover shows two smiling kids with dangerous looking water guns having "fun" chasing each other. The back cover is decorated with a Batman-like "Kaboom." The comic book quality to the book will intrigue some children enough to want to read it. However, this quality also detracts from the seriousness of the message. I don't think the book emphasizes enough the inherent danger of guns. The "Rules" presented on the last page could save a child's life but they come only after kids are shown playing with water guns and happily watching comic book violence on television. I would like to see more books that address this important topic on the market.

School Library Journal