NCJ Number
104060
Date Published
1986
Length
33 pages
Annotation
Designed for children ages 6 to 11, this picture book explores guilt, anger, fear, self-worth, forgiveness, trust, and the courage sexually abused children need to expose the truth and end the abuse.
Abstract
In the story, a young girl named Annie is exploring a beach and begins to talk to a bird that she calls 'Love.' She tells the bird how her father has been sexually abusing her for 3 years, her unsuccessful attempts to tell her mother, and her guilt feelings. The child goes inside because of a storm, but continues to talk to the bird about her fears and physical reactions to her father's abuse -stomach aches, bedwetting, and nightmares. The bird continually tells her that it believes her and she did not do anything wrong. When the storm is over, the girl and the bird continue to talk on the beach about Annie's feeling that she is a bad girl, her mother's reactions, and her father's problems. Finally, she tells her mother about the abuse. The book includes guidelines for helping a child who has been sexually abused.