All Bodies are Wonderful

Written by Beth Cox, Inclusion and Equality Consultant and a co-founder of Inclusive Minds, All Bodies are Wonderful is informative, inclusive and inspiring. Her approach is to explain that differences in us, our bodies, is not just normal but inevitable. From this starting point, she is able to prove convincingly that indeed, all bodies are wonderful.

The book not only explains how humans develop physically (the opening pages cover stardust, atoms and DNA), it also shows readers how the world we grow up in shapes us too, e.g. through the family we are born into. Helpfully, it alerts us to the ways in which our brain can make us stereotype others without our noticing, as well as showing how such stereotypes can even affect the way we see ourselves. The text is clear, well supported by Samantha Meredith’s lively illustrations, and the examples given throughout will be readily understood by young readers. A spread entitled ‘Baby Labels’ explains the difference between gender and sex in ways that children of this age will understand, while pointing out too that both are spectrums, and that people can fit anywhere on them. The child characters whose voices explain the science include youngsters with spina bifida, vitiligo, cerebral palsy and ectrodactyly.

It’s particularly good to see that as well as encouraging everyone to feel comfortable in their body, it offers practical things to do to help achieve that, including simple ways to tackle unhelpful thinking styles. An inclusive and supremely helpful guide to talking about bodies that will be useful in classrooms, at home, and to individual young readers.