Review by Booklist Review
This joyous, uncompromising, vividly illustrated picture book celebrates bodies--everybody's bodies. Each page is dedicated to one physical aspect: height, size, shape, skin color, arms, tummies, scars, prosthetics--just about any feature that young kids might notice (and comment on). Three lines of rhymed verse list various manifestations ("Leg hair, armpit hair, / fuzzy-lip-and-chin hair, / brows-meet-in-the-middle hair") followed by the repeated message: "Bodies are cool!" The wonderfully detailed illustrations (drawn by a "left hand with a crooked index finger," according to author and illustrator Feder) spill from the pages, showing an array of multicultural, multiabled, multishaped characters of all ages fully enjoying everyday activities: the beach, an ice-cream store, a picnic, and so on. The spread that showcases eyes ("Hazel eyes, brown eyes,/ monolids and round eyes, / Blind and wearing-glasses eyes") is set in a dark movie theater, with the glowing whites of characters' eyes emphasizing the variations. This would make a great read-aloud, especially as the "Bodies are cool!" refrain invites audience participation. Intended for young audiences, this 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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Big bodies, small bodies,/ dancing, playing, happy bodies!/ Look at all these different bodies!/ Bodies are cool!" In an act of resistance against ubiquitous, homogenous images of human figures, artist Feder (Dancing at the Pity Party) offers up an inclusive celebration of endless variation in rousing verses and group settings, including public transit, a seasonal market, and a pool. Feder employs bold black linework and a luscious palette of candy colors. Bouncy text, on each page ending with the refrain "bodies are cool," attends people of varying abilities, ages, body shapes, religions, skin tones, and hair textures; a range of gender identities and sexual orientations are shown throughout. In one outdoor campfire scene, two brown-skinned adults snug- gle--one shirtless with top surgery scars, the other with stretch marks and leg hair who wears a crop top and shorts. Across the spread, someone breastfeeds an infant in a hammock, and a variety of ethnically varied kids--one hijabi, one wearing an eye patch--play around a tree. 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. Ages 3--5. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--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. It works as an introduction to diversity without being explicitly about that, which is a gloriously refreshing take on the universality of the human experience. Young readers can look at the full-page color cartoon drawings for true-to-life representation of people in everyday group situations, such as a public swimming pool, the park, dance class, movie theater, and public transit. Displayed is a richly detailed tapestry of people with many skin tones, hair colors, shapes and sizes, clothing choices, and abilities; examples include wheelchairs, a hijab swimsuit, prosthetics on adults and kids, diabetics with insulin pumps, etc. More importantly, in a book about body positivity, the drawings represent people as they are in real life, "tall, short, wide, or narrow." The approach to both body image and body concepts is to use people-centric language and imagery that doesn't divide along explicit lines. Each spread with its dense drawing of people joined together in a group activity focuses on traits (body shape, skin tone, hair, eyes, faces, etc.) in a repetitive, rhythmic sequence. Feder includes representations of Africans, Asians, Muslims, and whites from small sizes to plus sizes in all positions. This book is an excellent pairing with Todd Parr's It's Okay To Be Different. VERDICT With lilting dancelike rhythm through word repetition and brightly colored detailed images, this is a timely and worthy addition for every collection.--Vi Ha, Los Angeles P.L.
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Review by Horn Book Review
"Lanky bodies, squat bodies, / Tall, short, wide or narrow bodies, / Somewhere-in-the-middle bodies, / Bodies are cool!" 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. Each scene highlights one feature: physique, skin color, hair ("lots of hair or no hair"; "leg hair, armpit hair"), eyes ("monolids and round eyes"), tummies, legs ("roll-up-to-the-table legs"), scars ("marks-that-tell-a-story scars"), and more. The titular refrain keeps the book's message front and center. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
