Wil Mara - What Should I Do? If a Stranger Comes Near

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor, Michigan www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH, Childrens Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois Photo Credits: Cover, Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 5, SoleilC/Shutterstock, Inc.;
page 7, Valeriy Lebedev/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 9, Janina Dierks/Shutterstock, Inc.;
page 11, Onedayoneimage/Dreamstime.com; page 13, Design Pics Inc./Alamy; page 15,
Martin Novak/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 17, naluwan/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 19,
Dean Mitchell/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 21, Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime.com. Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Mara, Wil. What should I do if a stranger comes near?/by Wil Mara. cm.(Community connections) Includes bibliographical references and index. cm.(Community connections) Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-049-5 (lib. bdg.) ISBN-10: 1-61080-049-4 (lib. bdg.) 1. Children and strangersJuvenile literature. 2. 3. 3.

KidnappingPreventionJuvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. HQ784.S8M37 2011 613.6083dc22 2011012313 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics Inc. July 2011 CLFA09

Imagine you are playing outside by yourself. Someone comes up and starts talking to you. This person is an adult. He is also a stranger .

You could be in trouble. What would you do? Playing outside is fun, but you should always keep an eye out for strangers. The stranger might seem very friendly. He might even say that he has something to show you or give you. He might try to lure you with candy. Or he might say that he has a pet he wants you to see.

This might sound okay to you. But it is not. Do not talk to a stranger who tries to get you to come near his car. LOOK! Take a minute to look around every time you go outside. Are there any strangers nearby? How close are they? Are they sitting in cars? Are they watching you? It is always a good idea to know who is around you.

Most strangers do not want to hurt you.

But you still want to keep yourself safe. That is why you need to learn what to do if a stranger comes near. Strangers will often be bigger and older than you. This means they will be much stronger than you. A stranger might look like a nice person, but that doesnt mean you should talk to him. A stranger could grab you and abduct you.

He could cover your mouth so you could not scream. He could make you get into a car and drive away with you. He could take you someplace where you could not escape . Be sure to stay close to a parent or other trusted adult when you are in a crowded place. MAKE A GUESS! Can you think of some places where a stranger might talk to you? What about a restaurant? Or at a baseball game? What about when youre on the computer? Do you think that some places are safer than others?

It is okay to feel scared if a stranger comes close to you. That is the way you are supposed to feel.

But you should also think about what you need to do next. If a stranger talks to you, do not reply . Think about how to stay safe if a stranger tries to talk to you. Run to an adult you know and trust. Tell that person about the stranger. Run away from the stranger if no one you know is nearby.

Run inside a building if you can. Be sure to lock the door. Adults you know and trust will be happy to help you stay safe. Defend yourself if a stranger tries to grab you. Kick and punch the stranger as hard as you can. Then run away as soon as you can get free.

You should also yell for help. Be as loud as you can. Other people will hear you and come running. Yelling might also scare the stranger away. Yell for help if a stranger is scaring you. THINK! Why would anyone want to hurt a child? Some people might have problems with the way they think.

They might not understand that it is wrong to hurt others. Can you think of other reasons?

There are ways to avoid problems with strangers. The best one is to keep away from them in the first place. Always stay close to adults you know and trust. A stranger will not come near you if you are with other people. Strangers will not bother children who are with their parents.

Instead, they look for children who are alone. CREATE! Ask your parents to help create a plan for you to follow if a stranger ever bothers you. Practice the plan over and over. Then you can be sure it will work if you ever need to use it. Dont go out of your house or your school by yourself. Always stay close to your parents when you are in a store.

Stay with your friends when you are at a playground. There are many people who want to keep you safe. Make sure you always stay close to them! Playing with a group of friends is fun and can help keep you safe.

abduct (ab-DUHKT) to take a person away when he or she doesnt want to go defend (di-FEND) fight back against someone who is trying to hurt you escape (i-SKAPE) get away lure (LOOR) trick someone into coming closer