Marie, Claire. Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Critertopia. Art by Izabela Ciesinka. The Dalles, OR: Flux Consulting, 2023.
Little readers and their loved ones are invited to the magical world of Crittertopia and introduced to the Critter Elders whose magic helps keep it safe in Claire Marie’s new and empowering children’s book Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to Crittertopia [IngramSpark, April 18, 2023]. Readers in the 4 to 8-year-old age group and beyond meet Sammy the Sasquatch and her friends in Crittertopia who gently teach us all about doing lockdowns and how kids can be empowered to keep themselves safe.
In Sammy the Sasquatch, Sammy and her Forest Friends show readers around Crittertopia and help teach them how they can keep it safe from curious humans who accidentally wander in. The Critter Elders teach kids how to do a lockdown, “locks, lights, out of sight,” and normalize this practice in a trauma-informed (non-scary) way.
With a delightful blend of informative content, magical setting, and adorable illustrations, Sammy the Sasquatch is the first children’s book to clearly teach the steps of doing a lockdown through an imaginative yet relatable story. This book also provides a four-page learning guide to support parents and caring adults on how to have conversations on emergency preparedness.
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My Review
Schools across the nation have lockdowns drills to prepare the students for the unwanted possibility of an active shooter on campus. Claire Marie has written Sammy the Sasquatch, a cute story about a mythical character.. Sammy’s school has drills in case of an unwanted human coming on to campus. It is a great way to prepare little ones for the practice of lockdown drills.
Sammy the Sasquatch does have a mythical character and some magic which might keep some audiences from using the book. But it could be a great tool for adults helping young children understand more about lockdowns. The book opens with a section for adults with some tips for how to deal with this somewhat scary situation with youngsters.
Izabela Ciesinka created some cute illustrations which complement the text. They will help young children visualize things they may not have seen before.
Sammy the Sasquatch would be a good addition to any school, classroom or home library. It could be a great tool.I received a complimentary copy of Sammy the Sasquatch. This is my honest review.
About the Author – Claire Marie
A School Emergency Management Expert, Trauma Informed Practices Consultant, and former Reserve Law Enforcement Officer, Claire Marie has led efforts to support community and systems level trauma informed and resilience practices through education, implementation, and evaluation since 2015. Her work spans across K-12 school emergency preparedness & management, school safety & prevention systems, non-profits, community service
agencies, and law enforcement mental health and wellness. She is passionate about approaching emergency preparedness and management through a trauma-informed lens and supporting schools to do the same.
Working as a leader in K-12 school safety and emergency management, Claire Marie often hears about young kids and adults (parents and staff) struggling with lockdown drills. In her new book, Sammy the Sasquatch: Welcome to
Crittertopia [IngramSpark, April 18, 2023] she hopes to support adults in lifting the veil of secrecy and silence around practicing lockdown drills by creating trauma-informed stories along with a magical world that safely introduce kids to different practices that empower them to keep safe, every day, regardless of what is going on in the world.
Connect with Claire Marie on her website https://www.sammyandfriends.com/
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