Celebrating and Respecting Bodies
Bodies are Cool; The How and Wow of the Human Body; Consent (for Kids!)
As my close, impersonal friend, Tig, says: HOOOOOOOOOOO BOY! It’s been a week. The Supreme Court has officially reversed protections for reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy, with impending consequences for marriage and intimacy. We’ve just heard disturbing details about the coup attempt by the person who is responsible for this reversal, our former and potential future president. And one of my kids is on the verge of being dismissed from summer camp because his 5-yr-old impulse control is lacking. Now, I realize there is a vast gulf between a preschooler kicking people, and the fuckery of POTUS AND SCOTUS, but they are all rooted in a way of thinking and acting that insists on control without regard for the safety of others, that prioritizes MY wants, needs, and beliefs over yours, that thinks “As long as my body is safe, I will do what I want.” I’d like to take this opportunity to share some books about your awesome body, which belongs to you and only you, which you can use and treat in a tremendous variety of ways as long as none of those ways hurt or harm other people. We’ll be reading on this topic for a long time to come — love to hear what you’ve found, too.
Bodies are Cool is an excellent example of fiction that portrays nonfiction. This picture book represents the wide range of variation in how our bodies look and work. It proudly displays features that have long been marginalized. And although the text of the book is extremely simple, every spread presents an awesome range of physical features on people who are engaged happily in ordinary lives surrounded by community. We see folks of every shape and size; with every shade of skin color and pigmentation variation; visible scarring from medical procedures, gender transitions, and weight change; medical assistive devices including glasses, leg braces, tracheostomy tubes, and insulin pumps; teeth with gaps, noses of all shapes; hair of every color, texture and abundance. This book does NOT go into detail or give names for variations that you or your children might not recognize, and that’s ok. This book is about visibility and affirmation. All bodies are good bodies.
Bodies are Cool. 2021, Tyler Feder. Target age: PreK-Gr1 [read aloud, libraries, book stores]
My kids LOVE gross. Gross substances, gross sounds, gross jokes, all of it. Gross meaning anything that makes other people squirm or visibly uncomfortable. Anything apparently taboo. Anything that reveals the inner substance or workings in a way that disquiets composition. And lucky for them, there is a kids’ science podcast that TOTALLY gets them, and *those* folks have recently published a book about the human body that digs into all those meaty bits that really get kids going. Wow in the World: The How and Wow of the Human Body is an informative and hilarious reference book that invites curiosity and will probably inspire your kids to become doctors or will at least add a little color to your dinner table conversation. Also includes an excellent bibliography, an index of related podcast episodes, and very thorough source notes.
Wow in the World: The How and Wow of the Human Body. 2021, Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz, Jack Teagle. Target age: GrK-7 [book trailer, libraries, book stores]
Right. So far we’ve established that bodies are awesome and we have some wonderful facts about the way they work. That’s great. But kids also need to know how to protect and respect bodies – their own, and those belonging to other people. Consent (for Kids!) is a great place to start, formatted as a super approachable graphic novel, with clear and concise information defining consent and boundaries, how we establish them for ourselves, and how to recognize others’. The book also talks about how to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and how a child can seek and provide help if someone is unsafe. This is a great book to make abundantly available to all kids. Resounding messages: your body belongs to you and only you. No one else’s body belongs to you. You decide what your own boundaries are. You must follow safety rules, and your trusted grownups can help you understand your choices for your body within those rules. Every body deserves respect and safety.
Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You. 2020, Rachel Brian. Target age: Gr1-5 [straight forward read aloud from an organization dedicated to assault prevention and survivor outreach, libraries, book stores]