Body positive book for toddlers!

I've seen lots of posts online with pics of this going 'Hateful!' 'TERFs!' and thinking 'God, you haven't seen the inside of it any more than I have!'

I can't give an opinion of it as I haven't seen the contents, though I am pretty sure there is nothing in it that is hateful, anti-trans etc in it.

Clearly the main agenda is to address trans gender issues so why bring race and disability into it?

I'm sorry, do you think that the only children likely to fall victim to the "your body is the wrong sex for your personality, let's butcher it" cult are white with no disabilities? Should all the dozens of illustrations only have depicted white, able-bodied children? Why on earth would you think that?

Is this book suitable for Sea Lions? Asking for a friend.

And the illustrations are by Jessica Ahlberg - daughter of the wonderful Allan and Janet Ahlberg.

I was so excited when I realised that. We had many Ahlberg books when my kids were little. So lovely to now have one illustrated by Jessica!

hairyxmasturkey
I've also ordered copies for the little ones in my life. And the illustrations are by Jessica Ahlberg - daughter of the wonderful Allan and Janet Ahlberg.

hairyxmasturkey

Have you read it?

It's a really good book - positive messages and very gentle. A pleasant change from some of the current gaslighting 'you've been born in the wrong body' crap currently being targeted at young children by certain groups of adults.

Maybe it is a good book for dealing with sex and gender, but why is disability brought into it? How is disability dealt with in a positive way, without dismissing a child's feelings about their body in relation to their disability?

It's a really good book - positive messages and very gentle. A pleasant change from some of the current gaslighting 'you've been born in the wrong body' crap currently being targeted at young children by certain groups of adults.

Well, hooves. It's a book that is helping young kids celebrate their bodies, in very simple terms and gentle ways, suitable for very young kids, and it might help kids find acceptance, and be comfortable with their bodies. It's really not anything much more complicated than that.

I'm sorry about your issues, I really don't think this book is worth focussing your anger at. But there you go. Maybe don't buy it.

Thanks for this thread. The people being horrible to the author and illustrator are doing a great advertising job- I've just bought two copies.

Regardless of the trans topic it's a lovely thing to teach young children.

FamilyOfAliens

Yes I did answer that.

This book should be clear about what it's addressing. If it's that gender doesn't, or at least shouldn't exist and that boys and girls can wear and do exactly what they want, then keep it at that.

Why try and address issues of gender, race and disability all within the same book and all with the same message?

I honestly dont think that the difficulties experienced by children with disabilities can be addressed or solved just by telling children to love their bodies or that their bodies are just right as they are.

I think that dismisses all of the feelings that children who have disabilities may well experience.

I think each condition or particular disability will come with individual difficulties. Not all disabilities are equal. Not every child with X condition will feel or experience the same things so I cannot see how a book which seeks to address gender, race, sex and disability can possibly hope to do so with just one message - love your body.

Whenever trans gender issues are discussed on here and a poster asks if someone would hold the same views based on race or disability they are told off for co opting these protected characteristics and dragging them into the argument yet this book would appear to be doing just that.

Clearly the main agenda is to address trans gender issues so why bring race and disability into it?

I'd like someone to describe how disability is dealt with in the book. Is it addressed directly or is it just that a child who happens to have a disability is included in a picture? Another poster said it's useful for her to use to teach her able bodied child about including a child with disabilities in their games - I just find that incredibly patronising. Children with disabilities don't exist so that you can teach your able bodied child about inclusion.

The sad fact is that children with disabilities can't always do what able bodied children can do. Their conditions or illness may well limit their choices, they may have adverse effects on them that cause them to be sad or angry or have other negative emotions. Is it helpful to teach children to ignore those emotions by telling them that they should.love the body that they have? For me, as a child and as an adult, what I needed was for people to actually confront those feelings with me. Not to come over all Pollyanna with me.

I am curious why the book isn't for sale in other outlets. It'd be good to have it in bookshops, etc.

This looks like a lovely book. I am a woman who has struggled to love her body at times (ED), but would love my DD to grow up feeling positive about hers. Also very helpful for the gender debate, which she will no doubt get exposed to in time .

zebra

You didn’t actually answer the question of what message you would be giving if you were the author.

I’m wondering if you’d prefer no message at all unless everyone has exactly the same experience and thinks the same way about their bodies. Which of course is never going to happen.

It's probably more about free expression and freedom to like and dislike different things. That clothes are the costume of your body, not actually you.

Thank you Neurotrash. I really like the sound of it for a wee girl who overthinks everything! Though I'm hesitant to give it as a gift because googling the title will bring up TRAs badmouthing it. I think my niece is currently safe from trans indoctrination, in Northern Ireland, so I've never talked to her mum about this stuff... Maybe I should do that. Even NI won't be safe for long.

Hearhooves, can I ask, and I'm really not trying to goad here, what message you would want to put across to children if you were the author?

Honestly, I would separate out the issues. I wouldn't include disability in a book like this. I think disabilities should be treated as a separate issue because there are so many different challenges facing children with disabilities. I really do think it's too simplistic to give the same message of love your body, it's just right as it is, to both able bodied children and children with disabilities.

This book is not about children who are in hospital having medically-required surgery.

So it isn't aimed at children with disabilities who need surgery then?

What is penis news? I darent google It sounds like something involving porn? Why are they reviewing a children's book?

Pink news. Very niche LGBTQA++++++++ online publication that gives out annual awards to politicians for services rendered/about to be rendered/might be rendered in the future. A place to be seen it would appear.

Why are they interested in a children's book? Who knows.

zebras

I’m not aware of anyone else apart from you posting about how a book they haven’t read is giving the wrong message because it isn’t about their experience, and telling people it shouldn’t be in schools, but if I did I would say the same to them - read it, and come to the discussion from a position of being informed.

Hearhooves, can I ask, and I'm really not trying to goad here, what message you would want to put across to children if you were the author?

Yes I have that one too!

This is one of our favourites, it shows the only difference between boys and girls as being anatomical and in how they change physically as they grow.

www.amazon.co.uk/About-Babies-Bodies-Families-Friends/dp/1406306061?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

This book had s profound impact on me as a child and it's a shame it's not still in print though clearly still about. it's in a similar vein.

wordery.com/people-peter-spier-9780385244695

I'll have to look again kan; if there's any criticism from me (and I love it!) it's that I'd have like to have seen a child wearing headphones 🎧 to block noise for example or have a chewy. I'll have to look
More carefully though, life has been crazy since it came.

It's probably more about free expression and freedom to like and dislike different things. That clothes are the costume of your body, not actually you. Whereas today's children are brought up to think that their clothes and style matter more than them. It shows how interchangeable this is. And that bodies come in different shapes and sizes.

For a 3-6 year old the message "love your body" is a good one.
For an adult "talking therapy can help you come to terms with the limitations you can't change" is going to be better. But this book isn't for adults.

so why include disability in that?

Because if anyone is ‘born in the wrong body’ it’s kids like my daughter, who’s own body tried to kill her?

Anyway, I’ve read the book, it’s charming and uncomplicated.

People who haven’t read it protecting their own agenda onto it is unhelpful and pointless.

And no, ‘lived experience’ does not confer greater knowledge than science (and education and professional learning). That attitude is what got us into this identity politics bollocks in the first place.

Incidentally does this book in fact say "your body is just right as it is?" or does it say "love your body, be kind to your body, and treat it with respect?"

Somehow the two concepts seem to have got conflated in this thread, possibly because it's very difficult indeed to concoct any objections to the latter.