Are you looking for a way to start a dialogue with a child about child abuse? This story, although a fairy tale setting, encourages children to tell someone if they are being hurt or bullied. It shows there are often different options to deal with the perpetrator so that children can safely share their fears and know that punishment is not their responsibility but will be handled appropriately. In this story Liz, one of the children of the Kingdom of Marmikel suspects that the apple tree is harming some of the children. When she confronts Teddy and Joey, however, they insist they are just "clumsy." When she actually observes a hurting incident, she tells Nick, who is the owner of the property, and he immediately takes steps to keep the children safe. The children learn that the worst hurt is the hurt you hide.
