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Summary
Summary
In this empowering picture book, Miriam navigates her confusion about an unprovoked kiss--finding her voice and using it to assert her personal boundaries.
Miriam is so surprised when her friend Connor kisses her that she doesn't know how to react. Not sure what to do, she turns to the people around her--her best friend, the recess monitor, her teacher--but everyone has a different reaction and advice for Miriam. It's not until she gets home and talks with her mom that Miriam stops to ask herself how she feels about Connor's kiss.
With simple text and expressive illustrations, Connor Kissed Me introduces young readers to consent and bodily autonomy in plain terms: always ask someone if it's okay to kiss or hug, and listen if they say no!
Author Notes
Zehava is an author as well as a former editor and bookseller. She and her family make their home in Montreal, Quebec where she is the head librarian at a school. Connor Kissed Me is her debut picture book.
Sarah K. Turner is a picture book and graphic novel artist. Her biggest goals are to spread love, acceptance, and positivity through her work. You can see more of her art at sarahkturnerart.com.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--In an age-appropriate introduction to the concept of consent, Miriam, a brown-haired girl with tan skin, is shocked when Connor, also tan-skinned, kisses her on the playground. As Miriam tells others repeatedly that "Connor kissed me," everyone has a different response to her news. Her mom is the first to ask Miriam if she wanted to be kissed by Connor. As Miriam heads back out to express her feelings about Connor's behavior, she is able to stand up for her right to choose. The school children and staff represent a diverse group of people, and the different scenes represent a typical school day. The cartoonlike images are digitally rendered in muted primary colors and pair well with the simplicity of the language where each sentence is structured to create a rhythm and repetition that help younger learners. Although a simple and straightforward example of consent, this could be used as part of a social-emotional lesson or with adult introduction. VERDICT A worthwhile purchase for collections used by school staff.--Danielle Schwessinger
Kirkus Review
A script about consent. Miriam, pigtailed and wearing overalls, is chasing a soccer ball on a busy playground when Connor runs up and aggressively delivers a kiss--"MWAH!"--on the lips. Worried and upset, the brown-skinned child tells everyone: a friend, the playground monitor, the teacher, the bus driver, and, finally, Mom (brown-skinned like Miriam). Everyone responds differently, from a simple "Ew!" to "Maybe we'll move your seat" to frustrating excuses, until Mom asks the simple question: "Did you want him to?" Miriam decides no (seemingly in the moment) and tells everyone, in reverse order, until finally confronting Connor himself. The boy (whose skin is slightly lighter than Miriam's) offers the sole defense of "But I like you," and his future kisses are firmly rebuffed in an abrupt ending. The straightforward, unembellished nature of this narrative makes it useful as a teaching tool but less satisfying as a story, especially given that some of the adults' unhelpful language flips on a dime the moment Miriam makes it clear that Connor's actions are unwanted ("I don't want Connor to kiss me." "Then he can't"). The illustrations are similarly workaday, cartoony depictions of exactly what's described in the text, with diverse background characters filling out each scene. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Useful and purpose-driven. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Little Miriam is playing soccer with her classmate Connor when the boy suddenly kisses her. The shocked girl tells a number of people: a friend, the playground monitor, her teacher, and the bus driver. Each adult has a different reaction to the incident, but Miriam is unsatisfied with their responses. Her teacher considers moving her seat in the classroom, and the bus driver smiles and labels it "puppy love." After school, Miriam tells her mother about the incident, and the woman responds with a question and suggestion that teach her daughter a valuable lesson. Colorful digital-cartoon illustrations picture a multicultural school and a brown-skinned, black-braided Miriam. The author tactfully makes the points both that letting adults know something unsettling has occurred is important and that it then may be necessary to go to someone else for help as well. Miriam has enough self-confidence to talk with adults about her concern, and this book provides children the opportunity to acknowledge her determination and follow her lead.
