I Love My Body Because
by Shelly Anand (Author) Erika Rodriguez Medina (Illustrator)
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School Library Journal
K-Gr 3--Children of a variety of ethnicities and abilities, some using wheelchairs, are shown in bright colorful illustrations doing various activities--playing, reading, swimming, running, roller skating, etc. Although the images are cheerful and fun, depicting a variety of bodies, and the authors' intention was clearly to provide a message of body positivity and inclusiveness, the central concept of the book becomes lost in the vignettes. It veers from activities ("I love my body because it takes me where I want to go," "It can swim, lie on the beach, and build sand castles"), to its capacity ("My body is home to my brain"), to reminders about hygiene such as washing hands and brushing teeth, and continues on to sympathetic statements, e.g., "We can get frustrated and mad when our bodies don't do what we want them to." Some odd juxtapositions interrupt the already uneven flow of the text, such as the sentence, "It's strong enough to decide what it wants to do," next to a boy sitting in a wheelchair. The language is often stilted: "Together, with our bodies, we can take a stroll down a boulevard." Characters are depicted with skin tones ranging from very light tan to dark brown. VERDICT There are better books on body positivity such as Tyler Feder's Bodies Are Cool.--Sue Morgan
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.SHELLY ANAND is a picture book author and human and civil rights attorney in Atlanta fighting for immigrants and low-income workers from marginalized communities. She received her BA from Wellesley College and her JD from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. She lives with her husband and two small children. NABI H. ALI is a Tamil American illustrator who enjoys creating diverse works that showcase an array of cultures and people. He illustrates digitally, but he also has a secret love of inks, color pencil, and acrylic paints. His hobbies include drawing (of course), doll collecting, reading, learning about South Asian mythology and folklore, and researching history.
JUV074000 - Juvenile Fiction | Diversity & Multicultural
Picture books
Self-esteem
Self-acceptance
Self-esteem in children
