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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Book about the law for a Y4 child

30 replies

Bonsoir · 08/06/2013 21:33

DD has asked me for a book about the law. Any ideas? She can read well with normal 8 year old comprehension skills.

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joanofarchitrave · 08/06/2013 22:25

Seems to be a gap in the market!

I wonder about approaching this slightly crabwise - e.g. there is a Horrible Histories book about crime.

Having said that, if ds ever asked the same thing, I would be inclined to go to a children's encyclopaedia, or a children's website about the Houses of Parliament.

ladyMaryQuiteContrary · 08/06/2013 22:29

UK or French law? I can help if it's UK. There's no books though, non that are published anyway.

learnandsay · 09/06/2013 08:40

Is it just general curiosity? If so, I'm sure you could pick up a guide to the law from a secondhand bookshop or browse it there. If it's more than that then GCSE law is about as simple as it gets, (I think.) But it's a bit pricey if you don't really need it. www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781859415436?redirected=true&gclid=CIfX29q71rcCFdIPtAodMngAEA

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 09:04

Obviously if I'm asking here I'm thinking about English law, though French law would be relevant as well.

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LadyIsabellaWrotham · 09/06/2013 09:13

Gosh there really is nothing, is there.

DD (like me when I was a girl) is fascinated by scams and corporate manipulation, so she reads the Guardian Saturday Money section and my DP's Which? magazine, and watches Watchdog, Rogue Traders etc. Strange girl, but I was much the same. I'm sure she'd also be interested in Junior Lawyer books but there isn't anything out there that I can think of.

Homebird8 · 09/06/2013 09:32

We are all born free is a great kids book about the Declaration of Human Rights. The things in it are the basis for many laws.

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 10:26

Thank you Homebird8 - I will order that.

DD is super-interested at the moment because two of her friends at school (twins) are caught up in a horrible parental separation-with-domestic-abuse case. The father has been arrested, in custody etc and there are going to be court cases shortly.

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lljkk · 09/06/2013 10:28

Does seem odd there isn't a children's book! About Criminal justice systems, I mean. There are books about "People who help us" including the police.

French/Napoleonic justice system so different from Anglo-Saxon systems, though. I love explaining it to DC (lots of legal bods in our family).

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 10:31

LadyIsabellaWrotham - DD is fond of reading The Economist!

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Homebird8 · 09/06/2013 11:11

Might be worth asking at the local library. children's librarians are very knowledgeable about children's books. Also ask at school and maybe a call to social services. They help children though all sorts of situations and will know of the available resources to help.

Your DD sounds like the sort of child who needs information when something is troubling her. You are wise to find some. Once she has her questions answered in an authoritative enough way she will be satisfied and the questions will be about something else. Actually, she seems to be acting a little like the way I would in her shoes.

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 11:16

You are quite right, Homebird8 - DD needs concrete answers to her questions about what is going on around her. It's odd that there are so many books for DC and yet very little about justice, the law, government and administration, yet DC experience these things from a very young age.

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ladyMaryQuiteContrary · 09/06/2013 11:22

I'm an ex legal bod. Ds is always asking questions about the law so I have to translate things into something that he will understand. I used to use Nutshells through my degree (along with other books), these were very easy to understand so it could help to look at these. I write children's fiction now and I'm happy to email you information in a child friendly format if this will help?

Your DDs friends must be so sad.

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 12:04

That's a very kind offer!

Yes, her friends are in a bad place right now. We hope their mother will be allowed to take them to live in another city and build a new life.

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ladyMaryQuiteContrary · 09/06/2013 12:28

Poor children . This would come under the Children's Act, as would any SS involvement.

I had wanted to write some law books for children but the law changes so quickly and it would be hard to find a publisher for them as it's a niche area so they wouldn't sell well.

BooksandaCuppa · 09/06/2013 15:31

There are lots and lots of very good books aimed at KS3 on all sorts of topics published by people like Heinemann and Franklin Watts, including social sciences and politics topics etc. I would have thought that they would mostly be suitable for a bright yr4. Can't google right now but I'll have a look later.

BooksandaCuppa · 09/06/2013 15:35

This site looks good - though it's more about parliament and lawmaking more specifically than laws as they affect citizens per se, but a useful resource generally?

www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/printed-resources/

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 15:47

Thank you! That site looks very interesting, and she loves internet-based learning.

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lljkk · 09/06/2013 17:27

Family courts are hugely different from criminal or even civil courts, I am not sure that you could find any children's book that would cover it.

Original poster

Bonsoir · 09/06/2013 20:38

It certainly doesn't seem that there is much out there. In the case that my DD is exposed to, there are two elements - a family court (to decide with which parent the twins will reside) and police custody that has led to the father being charged with domestic violence. She is curious about both, but obviously not so much into the differences in legal systems between England and France etc - she is trying to work out the justices and injustices and when and where lawyers, the police etc get involved.

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mrsmortis · 10/06/2013 09:32

Not a book I'm afraid, but, my Mum is a magistrate and a retired primary school teacher. She often gets asked to go into schools and take assemblies, etc. about how the magistrates court works, the differences between the magistrates court and the crown court, etc. Perhaps you could get in touch with your local clerk of the court (or french equivalent) and arrange something like that at your DC's school? You can also arrange for classes to tour the court and role play a mock court case, my Mum has been involved in those too.

mrsmortis · 10/06/2013 09:33

Oh and it doesn't have to be a school group - it could be a scout or guide troop or something like that too...

Lilymaid · 12/06/2013 12:48

Slightly older children might be interested in Young Citizen's Passport, England and Wales: Your Guide to the Law in England and Wales - and I've heard of another book on law for school aged children that is to be launched in the next month (but can't remember its name - I think it is an initiative from Lawyers in Schools).

Original poster

Bonsoir · 12/06/2013 13:28

Thank you for more ideas and links! She read the website that BooksandCuppa linked to and loved it!

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BooksandaCuppa · 12/06/2013 18:11

mrsmortis's idea is a great one.

Original poster

Bonsoir · 12/06/2013 18:18

Yes it's great but (a) we are in France (b) I know from bitter experience how DD's school feels about parent-led educational initiatives

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