Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
From the moment readers open this book, they are treated to an album of beautiful, joyous children, all with one salient feature: âeoeEverybody has a body.âe But not every body is the same. Thereâe(tm)s a youngster using a rollator who says, âeoeI like to take a walk.âe There are two bespectacled kids, one of whom shares the information that âeoeglasses make me see better.âe Other differences, such as one child who has âeoeto get checkups for my heart,âe are not apparent from the photos but are nonetheless noted in accompanying text. This photo-essay shows children participating in a range of activities, including rock wall climbing, swimming, and reading. The message -- âeoeEven though weâe(tm)re the same in many ways, weâe(tm)re different in our own ways too. Letâe(tm)s be kind to everybody and every kind of body!âe -- has been expressed before, but rarely through such memorable images. Brief sketches of three of the children with disabilities as well as one adult advocate and a glossary of physical and learning differences complete the book. Betty CarterMarch/April 2023 p.99 (c) Copyright 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
Kids with disabilities demonstrate the many ways they communicate, learn, and have fun. "Everybody has a body," readers are told, but "we're different shapes, sizes, and shades, and our bodies work in different ways too." However, those differences "shouldn't matter. We're ALL kids!" In simple sentences overlaying color photos, kids with conditions such as blindness, limb difference, and allergies chime in to describe how they learn, play, and love "in our own way." As the text notes "We have different ways to communicate," a child wearing hearing aids explains that they use sign language. On a page devoted to kids with learning disabilities, a child confidently declares, "I know I'm different, but I'm just being me." Importantly, the narration acknowledges that disabilities aren't always visible; for instance, a child mentions needing medication for their heart. The text concludes by encouraging readers to "be kind to everybody and every kind of body!" Vibrant, expressive photos of racially diverse disabled kids reading, swimming, cycling, cuddling pets, and more present disability as a natural facet of being a kid. Though the kids' collective narration is well spaced and presented in a large font, comments by individual kids, rendered in a smaller font, blur slightly against the photos. Backmatter includes profiles of advocates with disabilities and further information about disability rights. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An upbeat, welcome introduction to disability. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
