Everybody Has a Body

Starred review from June 1, 2023
Ehlert and Tu offer a primer on body neutrality. In simple, straightforward text, readers are reminded that "Your body is your body. It doesn't look like anyone else's. It doesn't feel like anyone else's." Depicting characters who are diverse in terms of race, age, size, ability, and preference, different pages focus on the myriad ways bodies can exist in the world. "Some move in different ways, / some see in different ways," among them an older dark-skinned person with a cane and a guide dog, a younger Asian-appearing person stimming with headphones on, and another younger dark-skinned person using a fidget toy. The text "Some just got here, / some have been here a long time" is accompanied by a touching image of an elder cradling an infant, both brown-skinned. The illustrations include enough kinds of people, all shown as friendly, rounded, and smiling, that nearly all readers will be able to point at someone and say, "That's like me!" The plain language belies the profound message that some will be able to pull out; an afterword more fully defines body neutrality, or the idea that readers need not love their bodies but that we should all respect and accept them. "Allow yourself to just feel meh" and "Think of your body as a house" are especially important messages to instill in people just learning how to conceptualize their physical selves. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Honest, loving, and powerful. (Picture book. 4-7)

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August 1, 2023
Preschool-Kindergarten This simple introduction to body autonomy is aimed at very young audiences. The book uses a simple repetitive phrase (""Everybody has a body"") and sparse descriptors (""Some are short, some are tall. . . . Some just got here, some have been here a long time"") to indicate various physical attributes. Other sentences refer to activities (""Some adventure outdoors, some adventure indoors""), and how bodies feel at different times (""Some feel good playing, some feel good resting""). The best parts are the illustrations, which show vibrant cartoonlike characters with all kinds of skin colors, abilities, sizes, shapes, ages, expressions, clothing, and moods participating in everyday activities that should be familiar to most young children: playing, dancing, doing simple chores, attending a birthday party, going to school. The words and graphics combine to radiate reassurance and project cheerfulness, and the pleasantly busy pages give kids lots to look at. The final page provides adults with conversation points and offers five tips for practicing body neutrality. This is a gentle and visually appealing introduction to body inclusivity.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 25, 2023

Gr 1-2-What may seem a trite title at first turns out to be quite the opposite. The story opens with a basic premise we can all agree upon. Bodies come with the standard equipment that make them work: hearts, lungs, brain, other necessary organs, and the familiar shape of the human contour. Bodies vary enormously beyond those basic characteristics. Skin color, overall stature, gender, hair color, eye color, all combine to make everyone unique in specific ways. The standard equipment allows for movement, singing, dancing, climbing, running, sitting, and observing. Young or old, everyone is a human being who ages over time and follows different interests and desires. The art is engaging and showcases the wide spectrum of fellow humans with varied, lively vignettes and spreads. The energetic art engages readers and makes the point that that what makes an individual is not the appearance and equipment, but what one does with it. VERDICT This positive look at the differences we see and enjoy everywhere we look every day is an important viewpoint that should help children see differences that are to be celebrated in every corner of our world.-Joan Kindig

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 2, 2023
Employing digestible, body-neutral text in this necessary read, Ehlert explains many ways that bodies can look and behave as they “take us through the world.” Throughout, the repeated statement “everybody has a body” is followed by conversational text that explains how as “we move and play and feel, our bodies are part of who we are,” and notes that bodies both “look different ways” and “have different needs.” Via sometimes abstract, sometimes fully detailed illustrations, Tu’s scribbly, thin-lined art depicts characters of various abilities, ages, body types, and skin tones. In one art gallery scene, individuals using forearm crutches and a wheelchair are shown with a person walking with a seeing-eye dog and cane, a child manipulating a fidget toy, and another wearing headphones and sporting the infinite loop symbol representing autism. Ending text affirms that “your body is your body. It doesn’t look like anyone else’s. It doesn’t feel like anyone else’s.” An end note defines and offers suggestions for practicing body neutrality. Ages 4–8.