Body positive book for toddlers!

[WomanBornNotWorn]

Great idea - helping small children

mobile.twitter.com/Transgendertrd/status/1199056010520023040

Honestly, have you ever been to a book launch ?

Nope I haven't. Are you the author of the book? Not quite sure how it's rude behaviour really. I am as entitled as anyone else to have an opinion..I find some of the things that you've said equally rude.

Doubt it will stop you commenting either.

You haven't directly said it, but it's the message I've got from your posts.

It is a broad book, it doesn't go into the depths of disability, race or gender. It's a general children's book about loving yourself. There are circumstances girls feel they cannot love their body, forced female circumcision, period poverty, abuse, the list goes on. There are circumstances black or brown people feel unable to love their body, physical or verbal abuse putting them down, perhaps causing physical pain. There are circumstances disabled people feel unable to love their bodies as you have articulated. These can cross over, you could have a black disabled girl who is suffering from every angle. You could also have a black disabled girl whose experience is completely different and is much more inclined to love her body.

This book cannot go in depth on these issues, it'd be too long and confusing for the majority of small children. It's a book which lightly touches over and sends a simple message of inclusion and loving the body your in, I suspect this is a lot more relatable to the majority of children in a UK classroom which as far as I understand this book is presently just sold in the UK. If you want a book that specifically goes into these issues, then no I can't recommend it for that purpose. But I'm struggling to see how anyone can reasonably criticise it for not being the book you want it to be. Do you get so geared up on everything that includes a disability that doesn't match your experience and question what the point of it being there is?

If a child doesn't want to join in that specific way, fine. However if it's because they're trying to will themselves into being different I think that's unhealthy. Your body is your body, it can't change and I think accepting that is important, and embracing that you might not be able to do things the same as your peers. But finding your own way to join in and do things and finding a beauty in that I think is a good message.

Anyway I'm tired of arguing over a sweet simple small children's book with someone who won't even read it
I'm out hooves...

FWIW there is a school for severely disabled children next door to my DD’s primary school. The kids are age 4-16 years old, many have severe autism, others have conditions like spina bifida and Down’s Syndrome. A lot of the kids have poor or no verbal communication.

They’ve had Allsorts and Stonewall trainers in thanks to a non-binary assistant at the school and guess what? Now some of those children are coming out as trans. As if by magic.

Oh Bearded that's awful.

@BeardedVulture that's terrible! I think I've read actually that a large proportion of trans are autistic, does anyone have any idea of the statistics or where I've got that from?
Poor kids don't need confusing, your biology and body is what if Is, personality is something completely different and doesn't need recording on your ID.

I want to know how these kids are expressing this identity, since most struggle to communicate even basic things and the concept of gender identity is complex and hard to explain, even by academics and politicians and activists.

I see the derailing is still going on - by someone who's not even read the book!

BeardedVulture - that is awful.
You'd have to be a brave parent to object for fear that your SEN child might be targeted in school in some way.

Anyway I'm tired of arguing over a sweet simple small children's book with someone who won't even read it

I definitely would read it, I just don't want to.buy a copy in order to be able to read it. If I see it in the library I will absolutely read it.

I've just had a google, there's a higher rate of autistic trans than there is non-autistic trans, not that the majority are autistic!
@BeardedVulture I fear they're blindly taking drugs and having surgery in order to be them. But I don't know, hopefully someone with some insight can share with us.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras Maybe you can make a request for your library to buy it and get it in. I know someone who has done this before with another book and they did!

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

Lol

Spot on there I feel.

As a disgusting bigoted person who's worked across the education sector for over 20 years, I'm really looking forward to picking up my copies of this book. I'm going to take them into my local primary school. I've a good relationship with the head and I'm hoping they see the positive message!

Oh and I'm also a person who had major surgery as a child, which still effects me now. If that somehow qualifies me to comment.

Yes I will three

I've come to enjoy the FWR brand of filibustering. It's a kind of addiction to own goal-scoring, I think.

Anyway. I've bought three copies of this lovely book which is a refreshing counter to the awful queer theory, dysphoria-inducing shite being put out and I have donated to the local pre-school, the local primary school and the community library.

I'll be buying more in the New Year and donating them too.

I did wonder about the wheelchair tug of war - at the same time, when a child at school that I've taught has been in a wheelchair, they've been included as much as possible. And if we had a tug of war, they'd be given a safe spot.

I think what a poster here is trying to say wrt disabilities is that treating people equally does not mean treating them the same. The same as able bodied or 'neurotypical' people.

The book is not about this.

There are other children's books about this. It's a very hard concept to get across along side the prevailing approach of inclusion and equal treatment/ opportunities etc - something which I don't actually always agree is right for all children, particularly some children with autism.

I have invisible health conditions and I've found life really hard at times because my body can't do what others' can do.,

But this book is, as I said before, about how we look, the likes we like and the freedom to be who we are and do what we like without thinking our body is wrong.

It's a primer for filters and selfies and the sharing of our photos on social media and then feeling shot that we don't look the same as others or personally prefer certain clothes no one else does, accepting our differences and the differences of others. Not telling them they are wrong and must change.

The girl at secondary school who hates make up. She needs to know that that's ok. The girl who uses make up to hide her perceived 'imperfections,' and feels distressed when she doesn't feel in control of her looks and weight. She's a victim of a perfectionist judgy society. (I say this as that girl)

This is different to a personal experience of disability. And those stories need to be told too, this book isn't about that.

I wondered why this thread kept floating to the top of FWR, but now I can see the answer

I'm not sure some people achieve what they think they're achieving with their behaviour.....

And yes, that boy who likes pink, long hair, playing prams and hair dressers - there's nowt wrong with him.

And there's more children on the autism spectrum who can sometimes get into all the things associated with the opposite gender stereotype because of two main things: they are not aware of social conventions at an age when other children become very aware of peer opinions and also because there can be a large sensory processing element with clothes and likes.

Temple Grandin talks about hating dresses, hating long hair, needing to wear trousers and invented the squeeze box to help her feel at ease. (Tight clothes can help some children - 'bear hugs' are effectively like binders and are prescribed by OTs for strict timed sessions)

Other children with autism love the sensory feedback they get from soft or sparkly or colourful swishy material. And so like dresses and patterns and glitter.

These clothes are only acceptable to society if your sex fits the gender stereotype. And this message is being fed more and more. Children's clothes and toys are far more 'gendered' than ever before..

Thank you NeurotrashWarrior for seeing where I'm coming from.

You've summed it up really well - I don't like the way in today's society how people with disabilities are expected to be the same as able bodied people. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this properly. But it's like you can't express how you feel because it makes others feel uncomfortable. Instead you're expected to put on a brave face and throw yourself into life, grateful for the adaptations that are made for you. I think that's fantastic if people are truly happy doing that but I know from talking to a lot of people that many feel.as I do. They're angry, sad, railing against the unfairness and I think they should be able to express it.

I compare it to dying - some people can achieve acceptance and peace about their imminent death and others fight against it, angry that it's happening. I don't think the latter should be silenced or ignored because that is the reality of their experience.

Maybe this book isn't telling children with disabilities to accept it, to love their body and not compare it with others. Maybe it's just how other posters are describing it that makes it come across that way.

If I ever see the book I'll read it and see.

So having cleared that up, hopefully we can now get back to discussing this charming book for children.
Good idea re the donating LangCleg. I'll be donating one to a local infant school library that I have connections with.

I've also bought three copies- one for my son's birthday, one for my daughter's school, and one for DS' childminder.

@ClaraVulliamy is running a smear campaign against the author and illustrator of the book over on Twitter.

I'm buying one and will quietly leave it in the local cafe where lots of families stop by

mobile.twitter.com/ClaraVulliamy

It's crazy to me that people do stuff like that. I guess it's similar to a boycott.
Fair enough if there is something in the book you disagree with - post the text and say why it's wrong.

At what point shpuld Transgendertrend say “fuckit” andtake some of these organisation to court for defamation?