A message for children about Strangers. . .

Excerpts from book. . .

The Martins set up the picnic lunch while Karen, Grant and Katy played on the swings. No one was paying attention to the quiet little man sitting on the bench.

Karen and Grant enjoyed the swings and Katy wanted to swing too! They were having a wonderful time at the park! There were children everywhere on the playground. This day was getting better all the time.

The little man that had been sitting on the nearby bench suddenly walked over to Karen and Grant. He was carrying a leash and a picture. The man showed the kids the picture of a dog. He then said, "Will you help me find my lost dog, Scruff? He has run away and I miss him very much."

Karen said to the stranger, "I will be glad to help you look for your dog." She felt bad for him. Karen thought that helping him would be a very nice thing to do.

Grant felt bad for the stranger too, but he remembered that his parents always said, "Be careful of strangers, no matter how friendly they seem or how nice they act." Although this man looked nice, he was a stranger to Karen and Grant.

And then it happened. . .

Later the Martins were thankful that Karen was now safe from the stranger. They were happy that Grant remembered the "STRANGER RULE." The STRANGER RULE is NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS!

The Police Chief made Grant a deputy policeman. He gave Grant a badge and a real policeman’s cap. He said " You have set a good example for others to follow. I would like you and your friends to help me teach all kids how to be safe. Will you help me?" Grant said, "We’ll call ourselves the Caution Crew and we will help you teach kids about safety!"

Karen talked to the kids in her school. She told what happened and what Grant did to save her. She also told them that she had made a mistake by not following the stranger rule.

"I thought the man was safe because he looked just like other people. REMEMBER, not all bad people wear dark clothes and masks and carry guns. People that are bad are bad on the inside, not on the outside. You cannot just look at any person and know if he or she is good or bad.". . .