Inclusive Body Books for Emerging Adolescents

The last time I wrote a review of “Body Books” seems like ages and ages ago.  It was 14 months.

2020 has been positively elastic, in the worst way. But on top of this has been a noticeable shift in availability of books for kids about all kinds of bodies. Silver lining?  Maybe a thread, but I’ll take it.

When I was a kid my parents made sure we had accurate and compelling books explaining how our bodies worked from before we could read (Where Did I Come From? and How Babies Are Made). For all that I have struggled with understanding my body’s signals, I have never had any trouble understanding how it worked.  My parents bought me the “What’s Happening to My Body- Book for Girls” AND “What’s Happening to My Body- Book for Boys” long before puberty was in the foreseeable future.  Because it’s important to understand what is going on around you.

When I looked for books a year and a half ago I expected to find some great ones that included bodies outside of the gender binary.  They really were not there.  And then I blinked and they were!  Now there are several, for many different ages!

I’m including a list of all the decent books for imminent adolescents that I know about so far.  There are some popular books out there that I do not consider “decent,” especially with the excellent new literature since they’ve been published.  For example, if you want to know why I don’t like the ubiquitous American Girl series, check out my old post here.

I didn’t include links to Amazon, because I’d like to encourage purchasing from other places. You can find all of these many places online.

Let me know what your family likes!  What am I missing? 

The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies and Families

By Rachel E. Simon, LCSW, Illustrated by Noah Grigni

I love this new book.  Lots and lots of detail, but they don’t use tons of words to get you there.  Concise and to the point with compelling and informative graphics.  Inclusive in so many ways. 

Basic Info: A

Fun attitude.  Clear and descriptive text and plenty of sweet but accurate photos.  Talks about puberty, sexual intercourse, and staying safe in specific and clear terms.  Includes the trans and nonbinary experience in the text, not as an afterthought. 

LGBTQ+ Inclusive:  A+

This book was clearly written starting from a place of inclusion.  Experiences inside and outside the gender binary are discussed with equal weight:  “There are lots of ways to be a girl or a boy or another gender whether you are cis or trans!” and “No matter what your sexual orientation is, people who feel attracted to other people can experience things like butterflies, crushes, and feeling romantic and sexual love.”

Body Positivity: A+

The pictures are well balanced between bodies of different sizes, shapes, genders, and races. The joyful pictures of different people have character and emotion, and everyone is normalized.   

Sex-Positivity: A+

Specific and clear information about different kinds of sex.  Separate chapters on: Love and Attraction, Sexual Intercourse, Eggs and Sperm, Pregnancy, Birth, Keeping Your Body Safe and Sex in the Media.

Diet Culture: N/A

Not mentioned at all. I kind of want to give it an “A” just for that!

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health

By Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberly

You may already know Harris and Emberly from their books for younger kids: It’s Not the Stork!  and It’s So Amazing!.  This one also features cute chatty animals talking about sensitive subjects.  Of all the books on this list, this one might be the most wordy, but they keep it accessible with plenty of pictures and graphic story panels. If you are looking for a picture to explain something, it’s probably in here somewhere.

Basic Info: A

It’s all there: genitalia, different kinds of sex, puberty, pregnancy, birth, staying safe in many ways.   

LGBTQ+ Inclusive: C

Unfortunately there’s quite a lot of binary phrasing (“boys and girls..”), but the book does talk positively about being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.  I wish these experiences were incorporated into the whole book instead of largely being relegated to one chapter. Honestly, in 2020 this seems old-fashioned.

Body Positivity: C

This book suffers from a common issue.  The only image of a fat person is in the picture meant to normalize being different sizes and shapes.  There’s no actual normalizing going on. It’s just lip-service.  As a whole, every single picture of a person in this book is straight-sized, except for one large two-page spread of naked people who are very fat and very thin and everything in between, including a person in crutches and in a wheelchair. Not one other picture in the book is of a non-straight-sized person. At least they tried?

Sex-Positivity: A

There is a whole chapter on masturbation.  Thank you!  Lots of positive info about sex, no scare-mongering. 

Diet Culture: A-

There is a tiny bit about how to take care of your body: “eating healthy foods, exercising and keeping fit, keeping clean, and getting enough sleep can help a boy or girl [there they go with the binary] feel healthy and good about all the growing and changing that go on.”  It’s not that there is anything wrong with the statement, but “healthy” and “fit” are such fraught words in our culture that I wish they would talk more about what they mean. Or leave them out entirely. It opens the door to an obsession with diet and fitness that can become disordered for young kids. 

Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!): The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls

By Sonya Renee Taylor and Bianca I Laureano

I love this author.  The book feels so positive and affirming, and offers some lovely excitement about how amazing our bodies are in this journey of life.  Highly recommend with one caveat: this is written with cis girls in mind. I would definitely make sure your library has a more gender-inclusive book to balance it out.

Basic Info: A+

Excellent basic figures of genitalia, and not leaving out the clitoris.  Thanks, Sonya! This book normalizes discharge, celebrates getting a period, mentions menstrual cups, shows how to use a tampon with pictures.  Hallelujah!

LGBTQ+ Inclusive: D

Definitely focused on the cisgender girl experience.  A small mention that other experiences exist and are also valid.  

Body Positivity: A+

The author is renowned for her body-positivity.  This is no exception:  “You are a capable, confident girl.  How do I know this? Because you came to the planet that way.” and “Shaving is sort of like diets: Companies make tons of money trying to convince you to buy their hair removal products.” There’s representation of bodies of all races, ability and sizes.  Hurrah! And, there is a whole section on “Stop Body Talk.”

Sex-Positivity: N/A

Not mentioned.  That’s fair, though I kind of think it’s a missed opportunity.

Diet Culture: A+

Includes nutrition and exercise info, but in a lovely celebratory and loving way, without stigma.

Sex is a Funny Word

By Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth

This is in the same series as Silverberg and Smyth’s book for younger children, What Makes a Baby. Like the earlier book, it has a fun and colorful character.  This one reads kind of like a graphic novel. The drawing style put me off at first, because it’s a bit chaotic.  But I really love everything else about this book.  Highly recommend.

Basic Info: A

Talks about the different meanings of sex.  Great picture of genitalia, and talks about the clitoris (not just a label). Thank you!  “The clitoris can be very sensitive and touching it can feel warm and tingly.”  Yup.  That’s it. Talks about erections, both with a clitoris and penis, normalizes it and gives good info. Great explanation of touch that makes you feel good or bad, and a nice long piece about “secret touching.”  Of all the books I have read, this one seems the most loving and helpful way to help children who may be being abused. 

LGBTQ+ Inclusive: A

“Some bodies have a penis and some bodies don’t.” This book gracefully avoids gendered language.  Very inclusive.  Targeted to all kids, not just one gender. For example: “... having a penis isn’t what makes you a boy.  Having a vulva isn’t what makes you a girl.  The truth is much more interesting than that!” I love that this is right in the middle of the book, just as important as everything else.  “There’s no right or wrong way to have a crush.” I also love that the characters that lead you through the book include a person who might be asexual. 

Body Positivity: A

Pictures of people of all colors (we are really talking colors here, though, not shades of brown and tan), hair textures, hairstyles, body shapes, abilities, all throughout the book. 

Sex-Positivity: A

“Part of sex is feeling joy and pleasure.” Yay! “Sex isn’t a bad word.” “There is room in the world for people who are happy to talk about sex and for people who never want to talk about it.”

Diet Culture: N/A

Not mentioned at all. I kind of want to give it an “A” just for that!