Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds

by Kristen A. Jenson, Debbie Fox (Illustrator)

Young children deserve to be armed early against internet dangers. Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. makes it easy for parents to protect their young kids ages 3 to 6. Using gentle, age-appropriate messages, children will learn to Turn, Run & Tell when they are accidentally exposed to inappropriate content.

Written by best-selling author Kristen A. Jenson of the original Good Pictures Bad Pictures book, the Jr. version is a comfortable, effective way for proactive parents to empower their young kids with their first internal filter!

“It’s never too early to start teaching kids healthy media habits! Reading Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. to your young children is a beautiful way to empower them to make safe internet choices.” Sean Covey, Executive Vice President FranklinCovey Co. and international bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

"Our kids deserve to be warned about the very real dangers of pornography in a simple way they can understand. As a mom of two preschoolers growing up in a digital world, I am thrilled to recommend Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.!. We loved the hidden cameras inside!" Dawn Hawkins, VP & Executive Director, National Center on Sexual Exploitation

"For the sake of the children, I wholeheartedly recommend Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. As a grandfather, father and pastor, I can think of no better gift for a child than the ability to reject pornography. Our kids’ future marriages depend on it." Josh McDowell, Josh McDowell Ministries

"Earlier is definitely better when it comes to arming children against pornography. This is a beautiful way to begin protecting your youngest children without jeopardizing their innocence. Get it! Share it!” Matt Fradd, Director at Integrity Restored, Speaker, Author, parent

Genres: Parenting, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Health, Christian, Mental Health

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just the best! If you have or work with young kids, this is a great book to read and introduce the idea of safety. If I could give it 100 stars I would. I already read it to Baby T, even though he doesn't understand, and I'll keep reading it to him!

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great gentle way to help protect young children from the negative impacts of pornography and help them to be able to know what to do if they are exposed to pornography. This is a great introduction to the topic for young children, and should be followed up with the older Good Pictures Bad Pictures once kids are a little older.

[Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for parents of preschoolers and young children to teach them about how to protect themselves from pornography. Sadly kids are getting exposed to pornography everywhere, from the school playground to youtube on their devices. It isn't a matter of if, but when and it is getting younger and younger. This book teaches about good pictures and bad pictures and what to do if you see a bad picture. How to handle it. All in a very neutral way.
Great book!

[Olivia Yeadon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this yesterday, but don’t want it to be on my 2022 reading challenge. Anyway this book has good intentions but it is worded weirdly and I don’t think it truly captures what it’s intended to.

[Becca Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it tonight to the kids. Thought it was a great resource and explained pornography and to stay away from it in a way that kids can understand. Also love how much they advocate for kids to tell their parents if they ever see a "bad picture"

[Ammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple. And very needed today.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good intro for kids of all ages.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple information and gentle pictures, makes a hard conversation less daunting even for very young children. Thankful for this resource!

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle way to introduce the subject.

[Suzanne Bergstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful book to have in our library. It’s sad to think that it is necessary, but important to proactively prepare our kids if/when they are exposed to pornography in future years. Planning to get the older kid version when Naomi is 7 or 8.

[Lindsey Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle introduction to teaching your kids about the dangers of porn. The average age of first exposure to hardcore porn is now just 8 years-old. This book is a must read before then.

[Lgordo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I delayed reviewing this because I couldn't quite finger my objection to it. But I think it boiled down to that I don't think my 6yo needs to know the word "pornography" in order to identify it. Maybe the problem is me but this book came on a bit strong. It also isn't especially interesting. It's clearly a parent-driven agenda book and I really wonder what kids think when we read them something like this.

[Aviann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal resource for young children to understand the dangers of pornography. Everything is easily explained and illustrated. My older two (ages 5 and 4) has no trouble following and were able to ask questions and instantly apply what they’d learned. I feel pornography is becoming an epidemic problem and it’s never too early to begin teaching children. I very much want this topic to be an open discussion with my children as that seems the best way to help them. Of everything in the book, my absolute favorite was the end when the authors give kids an action plan if they do come upon pornography. This is key! Certainly we aren’t done talking or helping our children understand the world around them, but I am grateful for this book and it’s contribution to our family discussions.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very easy-to-understand nonfiction picture book for parents to use in teaching children about what to do if they see a "bad picture." Unfortunately, the illustrations are stilted and amateurish looking. It is still worth taking a look at to see if it meets your needs.

[Cyndel Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly amazing book.
Kristen A. Jensen has done all parents a huge service. This is such a difficult topic for parents to address with their kids, but such an important one. It is a well written little book that addresses the growing problem of children being exposed to porn, both accidentally or intentionally.
It starts out talking about all the good pictures and movies we have in our lives, pictures of family, of nature, of interesting things and people. She talks about where we find these pictures and movies, on the walls, books and magazines, signs, tv, phones, and computers.
It uses little sticky notes in places to suggest when to bring in vocabulary, or to make sure your child understands certain concepts like "What does 'private' mean?"
It then goes into what makes a picture bad, it gets the point accross without being graphic. It talks about the fact that these pictures are not safe for kids, it talks about things such as cleaning chemicals and medicine that can be dangerous and make you very sick. Then it states that these bad pictures are dangerous and poisonous for a childs mind. Then it gives a three step process for protecting themselves. Turn, Run, and Tell.
Kristen is careful to make sure kids know they are not in trouble, they did nothing wrong, it is not their fault if they saw bad pictures and that they have the power to protect their mind by turning away, running to a trusted adult, and telling that adult what they saw. She prompts parents to discuss what a trusted adult is, and who that could be.
There is an amazing Notes to the Parents and Caregivers section at the end of the story to help coach parents on how to continue this important conversation with their kids.
I highly suggest the book for any parent of a child who will ever come in contact with other people and any kind of devices. So every single home with children should have this book in it, and it should be read regularly.
I'm so happy I found this book to help me have these important conversations with my kids.

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm

So the older kid version of this book was recommended in a mom group... because 2019 and kids know about internet searches... I saw that this was for little ones and had to see what it said. The synopsis recommends for ages 3-6. We've been pro-active about consent and respect and bodily autonomy and such so this seemed in line for that. Although this seems like a lot of information for such a young child as a random read. I appreciate that it's protective, however feel like it's a bit harsh for such littles... are preschoolers actually finding porn online? Mine isn't, he doesn't get free reigns for the internet. We search together and go outside and play. My lingering thought also that wasn't addressed is art? Art museums have nude human forms and there's a difference that isn't defined, of course we define our own boundaries of comfort so there's that. This could be a good conversation starter to elaborate on what feels inspiring verses what feels yucky.... I can't scroll up on this so hopefully my phone didn't change my spelling too much.

[Lindsey Memory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect way to introduce the concept of pornography and its dangers for prek kids. Starts with drawing their attention to how many pictures are in their world. Points out how pictures are good (learn new things, remember people, etc) and introduces the concept that some pictures are bad; pictures of private parts, parts covered by swimsuits. Explains where these can be found (screen, book, billboard) and what to do when seen: Turn, Run, and Tell. Ends by reminder that just seeing a bad picture doesn’t make you a bad kid, and reassurance that safe adults can help. Has a for-parents page at the end with some good counsel for how to respond when kids tell you they’ve seen pornography.

They even put in a little challenge for kids to find the hidden camera on each page, which my kids surprisingly LOVED!

I saw that the library I work at didn’t own this and had it purchased and added to our collection :)

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you wonder how to approach the topic of pornography with your children and how to train them to deal with it? Here's the book for you. There's some empowerment in knowing that it's not "if," but "when" your children will be exposed to questionable images and that there's an age appropriate way to prepare them. I would probably read this to a seven or eight year old, but I also just read it with my ten year old. 1.) Turn Away, 2.) Leave, 3.) Tell an Adult.

[Brittany Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for parents and their kids! Parents need to be in dialogue with their young kids about this important topic that is generally covered over with secrets and shame. This book is a perfect intro. Perfect for ages 4-6. Highly highly recommend the "Good Pictures Bad Pictures" book for older kids too. It explains everything phenomenally. We will be reading that book to our boys when our oldest turns 7.

[Tara L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talking to our young kids about porn is needed nowadays. Sad, but true. This book helps you to approach this difficult topic on a child’s level. My three sons learned a lot, and I felt very comfortable reading it. I also like that it gives kids an action plan should they ever run across these types of pictures. So helpful!

[Julia Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed tool in our day!

Kids need to be given the proper tools and education about how poisonous pornography really is. This is a great start to some necessary conversions we should all be having with our children when they can first pick up a phone and scroll! Thank you for making the conversation easier ❤️!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just borrowed this from the library and read it to my four year old, but I'm planning to buy it as well. I'm grateful to for this book to gently start the conversation with young ones. And as a foster parent as well, I think that this could be useful & have a place too as we learn about a new child living with us.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book softly introduces SUCH an important message to very young children, though my grandchildren (3 and 7) were more interested in finding the "hidden" camera pictures than they were in the topic. I am certain that better illustrations would have made it more engaging, but it is a good resource to start this conversation early on.

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good early reader introduction to what is and what to do when they come across pornography. Because it is not if, it is when.

I wouldn't say this book is perfect, the writing is a little clunky and I'm not a fan of most of the illustrations. But it is a needed book, and I haven't found a better one yet.

[Nate Bringhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so easy to access porn now. Gotta teach the kiddos when they're young how to avoid it and what to do when they do see it. These books do a great job taking a difficult subject easier to talk about with your kids.

[Emily Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read this with my 4yo and it is gold. Totally appropriate and accessible to preschoolers while also giving them the knowledge and tools to handle the inappropriate pictures that they will certainly come across. An essential tool to protect kids from pornography.

[Mookie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

a should read with your kids. Easy, simple, kids enjoy looking for hidden cameras but allows you to talk about some serious things. Doesn't get in too deep. For younger kids. Begin the conversation early, which you need to, if they watch youtube or anything really.

[Mindy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading this with my son and see it as an easy introduction into the conversation of images he will be bombarded with soon in his early life. I am grateful for something so thoughtful to use in my home.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for sharing with young children and helping to start and continue the conversation about pornography in an age appropriate and responsible way that still teaches about the body in a healthy way.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prevalence of pornography in our digital age and the weight of parental responsibility to guard our kids makes this a needed book. I’m thankful that such an easy, accessible book has been provided to help parents talk to their children about pornography.