AS nearly 400,000 WA children, including thousands in Kwinana and Rockingham, embarked on the 2012 school year this week, many local parents would no doubt have warned them about stranger danger.
Last year, many local schools were forced to officially warn students and their parents about incidents involving people, often motorists, scaring children commuting to and from school by approaching unsolicited.
While local police and school administrators take each report seriously, it’s up to parents and teachers to constantly remind children about ways to keep themselves safe.
Baldivis Primary School is prepared for the inevitable reports of these incidents following the donation of a helpful children’s storybook on the sometimes difficult topic by local author Teena Raffa-Mulligan.
Illustrated by fellow local Veronica Rooke, Jimbo! Don’t Go! is a cautionary tale designed to remind children to never accept an offer of help from a stranger, no matter how friendly they seem.
Ms Raffa-Mulligan, who published the book in 2008, said she made the donation late last year after reading news reports of several stranger danger incidents in the Baldivis area.
“The book is designed for a parent or teacher to read to young children,” she said.
“Although it’s about a difficult subject, it’s written in a non-threatening way that’s easy for kids to understand.”
Baldivis Primary School principal John Worthy said the book was a valuable school resource for teachers when explaining protective behaviours to their students.
After coming to an agreement with the three other Baldivis schools last year, Mr Worthy said each school notified its students of all nearby stranger danger incidents after discussions with local police.
The Courier has a copy of the book to give away to an entrant who correctly answers the following question: What should you do if approached by a stranger on the way to or from school?
Send your entries to PO Box 5047, or drop them off at our office – Unit 4, 1 Commodore Drive, Rockingham by COB Friday, February 10.