Reviews of Rosy and Jack

The facts of life

Reviewer Judith Ridge, The Age, August 8, 2004.

Reviewed alongside:

Farmer Fred's Cow, by Margaret Wild & David Waller, ABC Books.

Where Willy Went, by Nicholas Allan, Hutchinson.

Rosy and Jack, by Nicole Reading, Innovative Resources.

'...Sadly, along the way between Willy and growing after-life wings, some children's lives are not as easy and happy as we suspect Edna's will be. Bibliotherapy is popular with some adults as a way of helping children through difficult experiences. I have children's literature friends in the US who were deeply troubled by a rush to find books to help children through the trauma of the September 11 attacks; my colleagues, many of them teachers and some of them clinical therapists, were very concerned that this approach may only enhance the trauma; almost like rubbing their faces in it.

Nevertheless, I think there can be a place for the judicious use of books when working with children in need, and so I applaud St Luke's Anglicare for its initiative in publishing Rosy and Jack, written and illustrated by Nicole Reading.

The book begins: "Rosy and Jack were scared. Someone was touching them in ways they did not like." This book is purpose-written and illustrated to work with child sexual assault victims. It is designed to encourage conversations about trust, "bad secrets", expressing all one's emotions, and healing. The language is straightforward and the illustrations - deliberately childish - encourage recognition and a sense of safety. As such, it seems to me that Rosy and Jack will be an extremely useful tool. It's in many ways a guide for children as to what to do about disclosing abuse, and how to deal with their feelings afterwards.

I'm not sure it's a book that I'd give out willy nilly to children, but on the other hand, should a child be suffering in silence and come across this book in their school library, it may make all the difference to them. It's not literature, in the way a Margaret Wild book always is, and it's certainly not the light-hearted romp that is Willy, but Rosy and Jack has its own important place to fill.'

 

Shaunagh O'Connor, 'Rosy and Jack,'Weekend, 10 July 2004.

For the kids. A story many parents and those who care for children will appreciate. Someone who lives at Rosy and Jack's house - a character who remains rightly anonymous - has been inapprorpiately touching the two young children, leaving them frightened and confused. The sexual abuse is wonderfully handled in this colourful picture book, which tells children that their bodies belong to them alone and that abuse is never their fault. This book serves as prevention and a way to help ease the pain of abuse.

 

In a word: vital

 

Susan Murrant, 'Review: Rosy and Jack,' Narrative Network News, Issue 30, July/August 2004.

 

At last an honest book for children (and adults) that deals with the complexity of childhood sexual assault and dares to name this offence for what it is! The book initally presents as somewhat complex for young children. However used in a supportive therapeutic or educational context, it offers significant depth for children and families grappling with sexual assault.

 

The concepts of secrecy, 'acting out' behaviours and options of 'safe' people are cleverly articulated, and provide a range of options for children and their parents to consider. Also explained is the counselling process, and different reactions to talking with a counsellor about sexual abuse.

 

Of particular use are the areas of feelings, particularly in relation to the body. This is excellently illustrated with a wide range of facial expressions and physical features of placeswhere the body may be impacted by feeling unsafe. I see this section also having use in assisting adults who have experienced childhood sexual assault to make sense of their feelings, and understand how their body's reactions indicate their emotions.

 

The area of protective behaviours is also covered, that is, how ongoing issues about sexual assault can be managed in a child-appropriate way. This includes a list of 'safe' people to talk to about secrets.

 

The acknowledgment of a range of people including the family doctor or teacher in supporting children's bravery is encouraging in terms of repositioning the secrecy element of sexual abuse.

 

My only question for this book and future writers in this area is: How can we include Dads/male figures as support people in instances of childhood sexual assault? While it is acknowledged that the majority of sexual assault is carried out by men, it is possible that by the inclusive support and involvement of men in talking about this issue that the dominant story of males as sexual offenders might be changed.

 

Interestingly, the book is cleverly gender neutral in its description of the sexual offencer of Rosy and Jack. This provides an opportunity for children (and adults) who have been abused by a female to relate to the story as well.

 

The inclusion of the male child's experience of sexual assault also goes some way to addressing the complexity of the shame of this crime. This addresses some of the male issues, allowing it to be overtly stated that male children are also sexualy assaulted.

 

One area not fully explored in Rosy and Jack is the forensic expereince. In addition the perpetrator is ambiguously sent away. This leaves a range of options to discuss when working with children. This is a strength, but also a limitation for children going through a difficult legal experience or whose case has been rejected by the courts. Inclusion of the importanace of the child's experience still being valid despite the legal decision could have enhanced this book.

 

Overall this is a brave, exciting and well-researched book, which has great potential in the therapeutic, educative and family settings.

 

In the interest of promoting competancy-based practice and wisdom, I have awarded this the St. Luke's Strength Card COURAGE. For those not in the know, Strength Cards are tools developed by Innovative Resources around assisting gpeople to develop strengths and competancies. I though these would be a fun way of giving readers a quick flavour of the book under review - and a more Narrative approach than a star system!"

 

 

 

Steve Holden, 'Book Reviews: Rosy and Jack', Teacher, December 2004.

 

Artist Nicole Reading began thinking about this book when a friend who worked in child protective services visited her studio one time while she was working on some puppets. They got talking about the need for creative tools to use when working with children who have been sexually assaulted, not just the boy doll and girl doll, but figures with faces that showed emotion, faces that could be changed. Later, Reading worked at Laurel House, a sexual assault support service in northern Tasmania, with survivors of sexual assault, benefiting from their input into the development of this book.

 

The experience shows. A very simple text is beautifully illustrated in a way that emphasises emotion, particularly in the impressive first double-page spreads-'Rosy and Jack were scared' and 'Someone was touching them in ways they did not like.' Given the fact that many children feel confused, guilty and frightened-and reluctant to disclose-because of sexual assault, these pages show a highly intelligent approach that's aimed at helping abused children and supportive adult readers begin to unpack some emotional burdens.

 

Sexual abuse is a topic few mainstream publishers seem inclined to touch, despite the steady stream of instances of abuse before and after Operation Auzin. It's good to see Innovative Resources, the publishing arm of St Luke's Anglicare, take it on.

 

 

Reviewed by Judy Flanagan

Manager, Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) for the Loddon Campaspe Region, Bendigo , Victoria.

 

Rosy and Jack by Nicole Reading is a welcomed 'child-friendly' resource which helps to break down the secrecy surrounding child sexual assault. Through the use of simple text and engaging illustrations, this picture storybook enables children who have been victimised to relate their own experiences to those of Rosy and Jack.

 

Through the characters of Rosy and Jack the thoughts and feelings commonly experienced by child victims of sexual assault are normalised. Children are also provided with the language to describe how they might be feeling.

 

There are many important messages for child victims-about how hard it is to tell, about liking the person who offended (but not the touching), about rights, and about sexual assault not being a child's fault-which are reinforced through the story.

 

Through Rosy and Jack children can learn strategies which they may model to deal with the impact. Examples are the use of 'body signals' to tell children when they are feeling unsafe, having a network of trusted adults to whom a child can go to talk, and how to express feelings like anger in a safe way.

 

The importance of ensuring safety in the child's world is reinforced.

 

The portrayal of Emma (the counsellor) as someone who is accessible and 'real' demystifies the role of a counsellor.

 

This is a resource which counsellors working with child victims of sexual assault can use effectively in their work.

 

 

 

Reviewed by Deb Western

Lecturer in social work at La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria.

 

One of the items on my wish list when I worked in the field of sexual assault was well produced, believable and relevant therapeutic resources for children. Rosy and Jack is a book that makes this wish come true.

 

Rosy and Jack is a reassuring, nurturing book that gives an accurate portrayal of children's feelings, behaviours, questions and fears about sexual assault. Some of the important messages that we learn are:

 

 

One of the strengths of this book is that it speaks directly about sexual assault and names it clearly-an important response in breaking the silence that enables sexual assault to occur. Having said that, care would need to be exercised to ensure that children are at the point in their disclosure of sexual assault and in their healing where they are ready to hear and use these words to describe their experiences.

 

Discussion of body feelings and signs, good secrets compared with bad secrets, and the role of counselling results in a comprehensive coverage of the issues that children and parents are likely to encounter when sexual assault occurs.