We Will is happy to announce the release of our first ever children's book!
The book "Do You Want a Cookie?" was written by founder Brittney Herman (me) and illustrated by Tyler Herman. This book teaches children about consent through everyday situations. Consent is not only related to sexual activity, but is a part of everyday life. Teaching children about how consent interacts with their daily lives allows parents to easily introduce the sexual aspect of consent when the parent deems the time appropriate. The book includes a forward to parents as well as a guide for parents at the end about how each situation presented in the book parallels with an issue of consent.
The story follows two friends, illustrated as adorable hedgehogs, who have a difficult time finding an activity they want to do with one another. Tension builds between the two friends until eventually it seems as if their friendship is in jeopardy. However, the friends soon make up and find an activity to which they can both agree. Through the various situation, the book explores the following consent-related issues:
Consent in the past does not mean consent exists now. Consent must be obtained for every encounter.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time.
Consent cannot be obtained from someone who is asleep, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated.
If consent is not obtained, you must not engage in the activity.
Repeatedly asking someone to engage in an activity they do not want to engage in is coercion.
Coercion in any form is never appropriate.
You cannot force someone to engage in an activity they are not interested in and did not consent to. If someone forces you to engage in an activity you did not consent to, tell a trusted authority, family member, or friend.
Introducing these concepts to children at such a young age teaches them to respect others' boundaries, communicate with others, and to alert an adult to uncomfortable situations others may put them in. While hopefully this book is entertaining to children, the primary goal of this book is to partner with parents in teaching children about these concepts. When the child reaches an age the parent deems appropriate, the hope is that the parent will use the book as a tool to demonstrate that consent truly isn't as confusing as some make it out to be.
We Will believes that this book is an incredibly important tool in preventing sexual assault and therefore the book PDF is offered for free through our website. Simply go to the "shop" page of the website, select the Electronic PDF version, and download a copy for free. Physical copies are also available, including a donation option through our "Buy a Book, Give a Book" program. Through this program, you can purchase a copy yourself and either personally direct a book donation, or allow us to donate a book on your behalf to a family, school, or library.
We are thrilled about this project and hope all will consider using this book as a teaching tool!