Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Tall, short, wide, narrow, fat, thin, hairy, bald, skin of many different colors…bodies are cool!  This is the repeating refrain that concludes each of the catchy rhymes (“Freckled bodies, dotted bodies, rosy-patched or speckled bodies, dark-skin-swirled-with-light-skin bodies. Bodies are cool!”).  Each two page spread shows lots of different types of people all enjoying fun activities like swimming, eating ice cream, or going to the movies.  Conclusion? “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! Bodies are cool!”.  32 pages; ages 2-7.

Pros:  What’s not to like?  The positive images and words accept all different types of bodies and body parts, including those that are sometimes deemed “ugly”.  The busy illustrations are a joyful celebration of humanity, and, combined with the catchy rhymes, will have preschoolers up on their feet dancing.

Cons:  I can’t help feeling envious that this message is in the world for kids now…I wish it had been the case when I was growing up.