Good Pictures, Bad Pictures
Author: Kristen A. Jenson
2nd Edition Published in 2018
Page Count: 49
After looking through a photo album of wonderful memories and “good pictures” a mother guides her son in a discussion about pornography. While no scripture is used this could easily be a Christian book. The three main points the mother teaches her son are that pornography teaches objectification of the body, it teaches lies, and it can hurt a person’s mind through addiction.
Reading Audience:
Amazon suggests 6 - 11 years old. Due to the length of the pages, a six-year-old might be hard-pressed to get through it. There is a Junior edition for younger children, but I have not read it.
Stuff to be aware of:
Addiction - This book teaches about the dangers of pornography so expect readers to understand what that term means, but also that a person’s brain can become addicted to it. Drug use is mentioned and compared to pornography addiction.
Sex - Marriage and moms and dads having children are mentioned, but the word “sex” is never used. There is never any hint at the idea of pornographic photos being “sexual” in nature as the book deals with the issue of pornography. People being attracted to one another is discussed and objectifying people is explained. If your child is not aware of what sex is this book will likely not lead them to asking about it. The author states in the “Tips for Parents and Caregivers” section that she intended this book to be okay to use with a child before they have had “the sex talk.” In the “Tips for Parents and Caregivers” section in the back sex is briefly discussed.
Religion - This book is not really written from a religious perspective. There is one line that mentions, “if they follow a faith tradition, say a prayer or repeat a passage of scripture…” (Page 35). This is just one thing in a list of things a child can do to get their mind off of what they saw if they stumble upon pornography. If reading this book with a child the adult could easily add scripture/spiritual discussions or spirituality could be left out.
Overall:
The author does a good job explaining things on a child’s level without getting into the details of what porn actually looks like. This, in my opinion, is great because it allows the parent to cater their discussions to what their child needs to know. She does a great job coming at pornography from the standpoint of people having a thinking and feeling brain which must work together to keep people safe and from becoming addicted to things. She also does a good job explaining attraction.
This book is a bit lengthy, so it may be difficult for children who don’t care to be read to or don’t like to read. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter, which is a good way to see if your child is understanding the concepts.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures would likely be a good jumping-off point for discussing pornography with your child, but there would need to be a continual conversation in the future as the child grows and learns more. How to go about doing this is discussed in the “Tips for Parents and Caregivers” section. The author gives some great “easy” steps for kids to do if they have come across pornography: close my eyes, tell an adult, call it what it is (pornography), distract myself, and use my thinking brain. All of these are explained in a way children will be able to understand the items.
This book is a great resource and if you want to check it out on amazon you can click HERE.
This website receives compensation through the use of Amazon Affiliate links. If you would like to purchase this book, use my Amazon link by clicking the picture to the left and the commission will go to help keep the website running.