An emergency preparedness children's book that normalizes lockdowns
Published: May 13, 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 . 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.
About the Author
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 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. For more information, visit http://www.sammyandfriends.com.