Everyone has had experiences that left them wishing they had trusted their instincts more. Perhaps they could have avoided a bad consequence, simply by speaking up at the right time. Trust Your Instincts is a work of love created by Brenda and Natalie Blackburn, a mother-daughter team. This series of books is a way to open conversations with small children, to teach them to speak up for themselves when that small voice inside their head says 'something just doesn't feel right'. It is a proactive way to empower children, to tell them that it is always okay to talk about how they feel. It encourages thought, questions and answers, without fear. It helps parents assure their children that they are safe, loved, and that they (and other caring grownups) are always willing to listen and help. Author Brenda McCook-Blackburn began as an educator teaching Kindergarten. Later, as research analyst and Professor of Sociology at a California State University, her research showed that the major threat to children's safety comes from people they know. This was driven home one afternoon during one of Brenda's sociology lectures on Marriage and Family. She revealed staggering statistics showing the rise of abuse. Some students cried when they heard that nearly 50% of children experience some sort of abuse in their lifetime. They realized that, if not to them, abuse may have happened to the person next to them. The floodgates opened and their stories poured out. Years later, some of these very students became proponents for children's rights and safety. One young military vet remained after class to express his thanks. His stepfather, he said, sexually abused him when he was small. He had carried this shame his entire life. That first step in sharing helped lift his darkness. He's now a father with three beautiful children and helped come up with the idea of a children's series on trusting your inner voice. With Trust Your Instincts Brenda hopes to drive away this harmful secrecy. Natalie Blackburn works with groups to protect women and children, as well as with lawmakers and the FBI. She also provides women with guidance on how to protect their children. Many women feel they have no one to go to for help, for themselves or their children. This is why abuse continues and is growing. We must help our children feel secure and loved, and tell them their voices matter. That little voice in their heads is saying, "Be brave. Speak up. Someone who cares will listen and believe you." Illustrator Kim Wilson Brandt was able to capture the youthful fun in being a child with illustrations that capture joy, sadness, and family warmth at the same time. Our heroine, Candy Cricket, faces situations that get children to think about what Candy needs to do to help. It is easier for children to think through these problems when they are talking about Candy and her family: Real life situations, but in a world of bugs; perfect for young children. All profits from these books will be donated to groups and individuals fighting to create and enforce laws to protect the safety and innocence of children. See our site at http://www.outskirtspress.com/trustyourinstincts.