As adults, our relationships with our bodies can be abstract, fraught and politicized. Those things we learn about beauty standards and body ideals start in childhood, which is giving a growing number of children’s books creators the goal to intervene before negative thoughts take root.
These picture books offer a space to learn about bodies with joy and curiosity, even having an impact on the adult readers. Host Anita Rao takes a deep dive into the creation of these books to learn how authors and illustrators take complex topics — like body positivity — and turn them into something kids understand and internalize.
Anita talks with Tyler Feder, the author and illustrator behind the book “Bodies are Cool,” about the overwhelming amount of body representation she put into “Bodies are Cool” to make all kinds of kids feel seen — and how she hopes the book can give kids and parents alike the language to talk about body differences in a neutral or positive way.
Shelly Anand, the author of “Laxmi’s Mooch,” also joins the conversation to talk about how picture books can help kids who are first starting to notice the difference between their bodies and those of their peers. She describes how literature like that was missing for her as a kid, and the way that books like “Laxmi’s Mooch” are essential for young kids of color.
And special thanks to Anita’s niece, Mira, for reading a bit of “Bodies Are Cool” for us!
