Every Body: A Celebration of Diverse Abilities

Centering youths with varying abilities, body types, and skin tones enjoying activities, animals, and friendships, photo-filled pages and first-person accounts introduce kids who “play... learn... and... love in our own way.” Beginning with the phrase “Everybody has a body,” Rotner’s spare sentences acknowledge that “even though we’re the same in many ways... we’re different shapes, sizes, and shades, and our bodies work in different ways too. That shouldn’t matter. We’re ALL kids!” A spread about communication features a child who uses hearing aids and another who uses sign language, while a spread on sensing the world shows a child using a white cane and another wearing glasses. Acknowledging that not all conditions are visible, the pages crucially feature kids describing their own experiences: “Sometimes I have a hard time getting my words out,” “I have to get checkups for my heart,” and “I like to read but the letters get mixed up.” It’s an energetic read that ends with an important invitation: “Let’s be kind to everybody and every kind of body!” Back matter includes profiles of disability advocates and a glossary. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)