Bodies Are Cool

by Tyler Feder, Tyler Feder (Illustrator)

Overview

This cheerful love-your-body picture book for preschoolers is an exuberant read-aloud with bright and friendly illustrations to pore over.
 
From the acclaimed creator of Dancing at the Pity Party and Roaring Softly, this picture book is a pure celebration of all the different human bodies that exist in the world. Highlighting the various skin tones, body shapes, and hair types is just the beginning in this truly inclusive book. With its joyful illustrations and encouraging refrain, it will instill body acceptance and confidence in the youngest of readers. “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! BODIES ARE COOL!”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593112625
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Tyler Feder is a Chicago-based artist whose work explores Big Feelings, feminism, and pop culture. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Radio/TV/Film and a fancy certificate in Creative Writing for the Media. After college, she studied comedy writing at The Second City Training Center and began posting drawings online, both of which were equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Since then, Tyler has illustrated Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin’s Unladylike, Leah Henderson’s Together We March, and many angsty self-portraits. Tyler wrote and illustrated the award-winning graphic memoir Dancing at the Pity Party, and she continues to sell prints and the occasional portrait at her long-running Etsy shop, Roaring Softly. Tyler’s favorite color is pink (obviously).

Editorial Reviews

2022 ALA RISE: A Feminist Book Project List Pick

★ "A bustling celebration of body positivity that lovingly features bodies, skin, and hair of all kinds . . . Feder chooses clear and unapologetic language to describe body characteristics, challenging the negative connotations that are often attached to those bodies . . . Depicting societally marginalized human bodies in all their joyful, normal glory, this book is cool." —Kirkus, starred review

★ "With such a joyfully inclusive range of humans, all taking part in community and taking pleasure in each other’s company, it’s hard to imagine a stronger statement of body affirmation and pride." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "[T]his unabashed promotion of body positivity packs a punch and reminds readers to respect and love every body—including their own. This is a timely message with universal applications." — Booklist, starred review

★ "With colorful pages of people in all shapes and sizes, this book both serves as a joyous read-aloud for small and large groups and as a book for individual study and discovery . . .  With lilting dancelike rhythm through word repetition and brightly colored detailed images, this is a timely and worthy addition for every collection." —SLJ, starred review

"Feder's rhyming text and double-page spreads filled with all kinds of people celebrate the variety of our physical attributes. The joy-filled cartoon illustrations pack a lot of bodies into the settings (e.g., subway car, pool, backyard barbecue) and offer plenty to consider." —Horn Book

"This inclusive book shows and celebrates all types of bodies in the park, in the pool, at a party—everywhere. That’s exactly where all our bodies are . . . . It’s truly transformative not only to be seen by others but to see yourself. To see yourself just as you are. To see yourself included. To see your body as good, as cool . . . a great resource to start conversations about fatphobia and anti-fat bias and to help a kid struggling with their self-image." —Lisa Fipps, author of Starfish

From the Publisher

★ 2021-04-14
A bustling celebration of body positivity that lovingly features bodies, skin, and hair of all kinds.

“Big bodies, small bodies / dancing, playing, happy bodies! / Look at all these different bodies! / Bodies are cool!” begins this engaging picture book, extolling the variety and splendor of human bodies in gentle, singsong text. With shared public spaces as the backdrop of her full-bleed spreads—and a refreshing lack of fanfare—author/illustrator Feder depicts people of many races, genders, disabilities, and physical attributes enjoying one another’s company, emphasizing connection rather than explanation. Whether riding a crowded bus, painting a community mural, or playing in a public park, no individual’s body is on particular display. Instead, young readers are able to people-watch through the pages, observing difference within the context of community. Most notably, Feder chooses clear and unapologetic language to describe body characteristics, challenging the negative connotations that are often attached to those bodies. Though the illustrations are a bit jam-packed, their richness and detail easily make up for the busy feel. Perfect for read-alouds, this offering shows young readers that vitiligo, assistive equipment, scars (including those denoting gender transition), fatness, dark skin, and textured hair (among many other features) all belong. Expanding visually beyond her celebration of the body, Feder also takes care to include queer families and characters wearing headscarves and turbans as well.

Depicting societally marginalized human bodies in all their joyful, normal glory, this book is cool. (Picture book. 3-10)

Kirkus Reviews