What’s this? A book about nudity for kids? Surely that’s a bit, well…weird?
In short – NOPE. I think it’s fabulous and it’s perfect for showing children that our bodies are wonderful things which need to be celebrated and looked after.
The text is minimal but the pictures speak volumes. The gorgeous illustrations show us bums and tummies both big and small. We see nipples in a wide range of hues and forms. There are pages on male and female genitalia, body hair (including ladies with underarm and leg hair) and certain skin conditions.
The characters are diverse and inclusive. They show us different races and ages and we also see characters with disabilites including a wheelchair user, a girl with a prosthetic leg, a man with one arm and a man with restricted growth. There are also people with scars and a lady who has had a breast removed.
The first time we read this there was naturally a lot of giggling from Ivy but once she got that out of her system there was a barrage of questions. It has prompted so many useful discussions and I feel like it’s broken down a barrier for her. It really isn’t rude to be nude and this book normalises all the wonderful shapes, sizes and tones our bodies come in.
Unfortunately I do have one small issue with the book. I applaud the use of the word ‘vulva’ when talking about women’s bodies, but for some reason they use ‘willy’ when talking about men and allude to the fact they look a bit silly. Whilst I don’t dispute this fact (!) I think that boys should be able to read this book and come away with the same body-positive message as girls. It feels like this has been diluted a little bit by the choice of language. However, I see this as an important discussion point during reading, rather than a reason not to buy the book at all, because aside from this it is wonderful.
Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2TnKrVb
I would love to hear your thoughts on this book as it’s potentially a controversial one! Will you be buying it for your little one?