Kitchen safety
Helps children understand that pans, trays, ovens, and cooked food can be dangerously hot.
The Adventures of Esme & Bailey
Too Hot To Touch
A gentle picture book about stopping, thinking, and staying safe around hot things in the kitchen.
Ages 3–6
Picture Book
Kitchen Safety
In Too Hot To Touch, Esme and Bailey are happily playing together when a delicious smell leads them into the kitchen to see what Dad is making.
Esme reaches toward the pan, but Bailey remembers that hot things can hurt. Later, when the smell of freshly baked cookies fills the air, they both remember the lesson together. This warm and reassuring story helps children understand why pausing to think can keep them safe.
A Simple Everyday Lesson
A story that helps children stay safe around hot things
Too Hot To Touch supports gentle conversations about kitchen safety, waiting patiently, and remembering that some things may look tempting but are not safe to touch. It gives children a clear and practical message they can carry into everyday life.
What This Book Supports
Helpful themes for early years reading
Clear, simple ideas that fit naturally into shared reading and gentle discussion.
Pausing before acting
Encourages children to stop and think instead of grabbing or reaching too quickly.
Learning from experience
Shows how a remembered lesson can help children make safer choices next time.
Everyday confidence
Reassures children that staying safe does not mean being scared—it means being careful.
Inside the Book
A closer look at Too Hot To Touch
Warm illustrations, familiar home scenes, and gentle repetition help children explore the idea of heat and safety in a calm, approachable way. The story keeps the message simple: stop, think, and remember that hot things can hurt.
What this book encourages
Gentle safety themes children can understand
Simple ideas that help children notice danger, pause before touching, and make safer choices in everyday family life.
Ideal Age Range
Best suited to ages 3 to 6
This story is designed for young children, especially for shared reading at home, in nurseries, or in early years settings.
The language is calm and accessible, making it a strong fit for gentle conversations about safety in the kitchen and around hot food.
For Parents & Carers
Why adults may find this book useful
Too Hot To Touch offers a practical and reassuring way to introduce kitchen safety without sounding heavy-handed or frightening. It helps children connect a simple rule—hot things can hurt—to situations they may see at home every day.
It works especially well for children who benefit from repetition, familiar routines, and stories that link directly to real-life moments.
The Heart of the Story
Sometimes the safest choice is to stop and think
When Esme and Bailey smell dinner cooking, they hurry into the kitchen to investigate. Esme is excited and reaches toward the pan, but Bailey remembers that hot things can hurt.
Later, when they smell fresh cookies, they both remember the lesson together. By pausing and thinking first, they make a safe and sensible choice—showing children that learning and remembering can help protect them.
Reading Together
Questions you could ask after reading
Helps parents turn reading into real conversations that build understanding and safer habits
- Why did Esme and Bailey go into the kitchen?
- Why was it not safe for Esme to reach toward the pan?
- What did Bailey remember about hot things?
- How did they make a safer choice later when they smelled cookies?
Bring these conversations to life through the full story
View on AmazonBonus
Free Esme & Bailey Activity Packs
Fun printable activities to keep little ones busy at home or on the go.
More Packs on the way ...
Fun printable activities to keep little ones busy at home or on the go.
More Packs on the way ...
Fun printable activities to keep little ones busy at home or on the go.
More Packs on the way ...
Fun printable activities to keep little ones busy at home or on the go.
More Adventures
Discover more Esme & Bailey books
Explore the rest of the series for more warm, thoughtful stories based on familiar childhood moments.
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