Mrs Salvador is a strict teacher - strict but fair. On the first day of school she explains that while the children may get away with not cleaning their rooms at home, but 'not here in Room 204. Here we keep our desks neat.' This pleases Regina Lillian Hadwig very much, and she begins to like Mrs Salvador. She explains other rules as well, like not calling people names, not taking other people's sweets, and not doing their work properly. What not even Regina's mother knows is that her father is regularly visiting her room at night and doing wrong things to her. Regina still isn't sure she trusts Mrs Salvador enough to tell her about her problem, but when the teacher has a session with the pupils about inappropriate touching and explains that it is often members of one's family or close friends that are abusing, and furthermore says that should any members of the class be having such experiences, they should tell her because she 'knows exactly what to do to help,' Regina goes early to school to talk to her now trusted teacher. The remarkable thing about this picture book is that the facts are told so matter of factly that there is nothing here to frighten children. Mrs Salvador's formal approach to teaching and her warm understanding of her pupils needs are not friend to friend but very much teacher to pupil, and this is important under such circumstances. The illustrations are wonderful, full of the colour of school life, with people with large heads and thin arms and legs and expressive faces that add much to the text. It is unusual to find a book that explains abuse in such terms as not to be frightening but also pulls no punches as to what is going on. It is American in production, so the brief introduction will not be of much use here, but teachers will know 'exactly what to do' in the UK, just as Mrs Salvador knows in the US. Available from all good booksellers and from Gazelle: sales@gazellebookservices. co.uk