Just a Click Away: Online Safety by Caitie McAneney

The good news is that with home computers, tablets, and cell phones, the world is just a click away!

The bad news is that with home computers, tablets and cell phones, everything in the world is just a click away!

And like Little Red Riding Hood, that flower-lined path to Granma's house can have its dangers.

To help adults guide primary grade children through the sometimes dark woods of the internet, Caitie McAneney's book, Online Safety (Let's Talk about It) (Rosen Publishing), guides children through their first uses of internet devices, which like many new experiences, have possibilities for good and bad encounters.

THE INTERNET GIVES PEOPLE THE ABILITY TO LOOK UP AND ANSWER TO ALMOST EVERY QUESTION.

THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO USING THE INTERNET. THERE ARE DANGERS, TOO. YOU MAY BE AN INTERNET PRO, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT SAFELY!

Large inviting photos of young primary graders with parents or teachers help point out that, along with the fun of finding information, watching movies and programs, and online games, there can be STRANGER DANGER, and author McAneney suggests that it's best to rely on contact with family and known friends most of the time, using aliases (screen names) in games and other activities, staying clear of sites that ask for names, addresses, passwords, and other private information and advising adult guidance in downloading and signing up for websites open to the public such as chat rooms. The author also stresses ways to avoid hackers, and viruses, and offers methods for dealing with cyber bullying and limiting gaming and the time-consuming surfing of screens. The author recommends choosing sites from reputable producers such as PBSKids and National Geographic Kids, with adults involved in making choices.

Caitie McAneney's easy-to-read text defines many new words in the context of the activity and offers reinforcement for the rules for being "A GOOD CITIZEN OF THE INTERNET" and includes an appended glossary and index.