Pinky Promise
First in the Teach Your Children Well Series

by Vanita Braver, MD
Illustrated by Cary Pillo

      Vanita Braver, a child psychiatrist, has created a series of books to inspire children toward moral behavior. Her Teach Your Children Well series, of which Pinky Promise is the first, comprises nine books that offer children very human characters who often get into trouble. In Pinky Promise, Madison and her African-American friend Emily make jewelry for themselves and want to have their picture taken. Madison is too impatient to wait for her mother to do it and she drops a very expensive camera, breaking it inside where no one can see. Only when her mother tries to use it later, does its condition become known. But Madison lies about knowing anything about what happened to the camera.

       Madison is troubled all evening by her lie and asks her father for advice, without telling him what she has done. He asks her what she thinks, and Madison decides to tell her mother the truth and apologize. Her mother is understanding and feels that Madison has been punished enough.

       What marks Pinky Promise as an unusual moral and character development book is that Madison thinks for herself, with the guidance of her parents. Her parents also are very understanding-very understanding. At first, I thought that maybe they were too understanding, that they seemed more like saints, who always said the right thing. As I thought about the mother's response in this first book, I thought about other characters in children's books designed to teach character lessons. I thought about Veggie Tales, which are a bit heavy-handed on moralistic statements, even if they are coming from vegetables. I thought about Value Tales that deal more with heroes. Then, I thought about the Berenstain Bears books that often had a lesson behind the antics of the two bear cubs. The father was often angry like a bruin Homer Simpson, though he was much more intelligent. Mother Bear, however, was loving and kind and often said just the right things. I always found her believable because she was the one who imparted the lesson the cubs learned. So, I thought why shouldn't I find Madison's mother believable. But, in this book's cast of characters, Madison is the one who discovers the lessons for herself. Her parents support her, love her, and help her clarify what she's learned.

       At the end of Pinky Promise, there is a private moment between Madison and a stuffed bear called Honesty. The bear echoes Madison's lesson in a dream-like sequence. He represents a part of her conscience as he tells her what she has learned. Though the rest of the book is seated in reality, this bit of fantasy can be accepted because it comes in the space between wakefulness and sleep. The reader isn't sure whether Madison is dreaming or the bear really whispered to her. It really doesn't matter because this sequence acts as an underline to the lesson the book is about.

        Cary Pillo's cherry watercolors bring Madison and her environment to life.

      Pinky Promise and the rest of the Teach Your Children Well series are sure to be treasured books for children and parents.