Back-to-school season arrives with lists. School supplies. Medical forms. New schedules. Transportation plans. Meet-the-teacher nights. There is always one more thing to remember.

We would like to add something important to that list: body-safety conversations.

These conversations do not need to be frightening, dramatic or completed all at once. Like other safety lessons, body safety is best taught calmly, clearly and repeatedly as children grow. A good children’s book can make that first conversation feel more natural. It can give adults a place to begin and children language they can use later.

That is why The Mama Bear Effect and Bloom Safe are hosting a free virtual Back to School Children’s Book Author Panel on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The one-hour event will take place live on Zoom. Everyone is welcome, and we especially encourage parents, educators, school staff, administrators and other adults who care for children to attend.

Why children’s books can help

Adults sometimes avoid body-safety conversations because they worry about saying too much, choosing the wrong words or making a child anxious. Children’s books can reduce that pressure by placing important ideas inside an age-appropriate story, activity or shared reading experience.

Depending on the book and the child’s developmental stage, a story can help introduce concepts such as:

1. Your body belongs to you.
2. Private parts are private, and children should know the correct names for their body parts.
3. It is appropriate to set and respect personal boundaries.
4. Safe adults listen when a child says something feels wrong or uncomfortable.
5. Children should not be required to keep secrets about touching, bodies or behavior that worries them.
6. A child can keep telling trusted adults until someone listens and helps.

A book is not a one-time inoculation against abuse. It is a conversation tool. Its greatest value comes from the safe adult who reads it, listens without judgment, invites questions, models healthy boundaries and returns to the subject over time.

Meet the panel

The event brings together five authors with different experiences and approaches to child-safety education:

7.    Adrianne Simeone is a survivor, mother of four, founder of The Mama Bear Effect, and author of My Body is Special and Private and Let’s Talk About Secrets.

8.    Diane Tarantini is a survivor of sibling sexual trauma and abuse, a body-safety educator in public schools, and author of The Brave Knight.

9.    Kimberly King is a best-selling author and nationally recognized body-safety educator whose books include I Said No! and Body Safety for Young Children.

10.      Patrice Griffin is a U.S. Army veteran, founder of Patrice’s Kids Inc., child-safety advocate and author of My Body Safety Coloring Book.

11.      Steve Simons is a survivor, founder of Bloom Safe and author of My Body Is For Myself.

Donna Bulatowicz, Ph.D., will moderate the discussion. Donna is an educator, researcher and survivor whose Safer Schools work addresses educator sexual misconduct and school safety. The Mama Bear Effect’s Natalie Moon will facilitate the program and manage audience questions.

A timely conversation for schools and families

The panel comes shortly after the U.S. Secretary of Education issued a July 10, 2026, Dear Colleague Letter reaffirming the obligations of federally funded educational institutions to protect students from sexual misconduct, comply with federal law, train appropriate officials, maintain meaningful grievance procedures and follow mandatory-reporting requirements.

The letter focuses on how educational institutions must prevent institutional silence and respond appropriately to misconduct. Our panel addresses a related practical question many caring adults are asking: How can we talk with children in ways that are calm, age appropriate and useful?

Books complement, but never replace, effective school policies, trained staff, careful hiring and supervision, reporting requirements, prompt investigation and appropriate response.

Bring your questions

This will be a practical, hour-long conversation. Consider bringing questions such as:

• How early should body-safety conversations begin?
• How can I choose a book that fits a child’s age, maturity and needs?
• How can teachers introduce body-safety concepts without creating fear or shame?
• What should an adult do if a child asks a difficult question or makes a disclosure?
• How can families and schools reinforce the same safety messages?

If a child discloses abuse, stay calm, listen, affirm that telling was the right thing to do, and follow applicable reporting requirements. Do not use a group program or author panel to investigate a disclosure. Contact the appropriate child-protection or law-enforcement authority and seek qualified professional support.

Save your seat and share the invitation

The Back to School Children’s Book Author Panel is free, but advance registration is required. Sign up at tinyurl.com/BloomSafe before the event to receive the Zoom link.

You can also follow the panelists on Instagram at @adrianne_simeone, @writingdianet, @toughtopicsmom, @patriceskids, @realstevesimons and @mybodyisformyself. Follow the hosts at @mamabeareffect and @bloom_safe. You can also share the event announcement on Instagram.

The beginning of a school year is a natural moment to reset routines and expectations. Let’s make body safety part of that beginning, not because we want children to live in fear, but because we want them to grow with confidence, language, boundaries and adults they know they can trust. Rock the Talk®. Start the conversation. Keep it going.