Jessica Sanders

"A picture book from Down Under that aims to uplift every body.

A Kickstarter campaign funded this picture book, which Australian author Sanders hopes “will comfort…guide…and empower” readers—especially “girls and those who identify as a girl.” Brazillian illustrator Rossetti endeavors to be inclusive, with depictions of a diverse range of bodies, including girls and women with a range of skin tones, hair textures and colors, and body types as well as a range of gender presentations and some visible disabilities. Some people have visible freckles, acne, body hair, cellulite, and stretch marks, and one person appears to have vitiligo. It is hard to track any individual characters from one spread to the next, but that isn’t as necessary as it would be if the text had a narrative. It doesn’t. Instead, this is a book that might best be described as a self-help picture book, filled with affirmations and explicit urgings toward self-care, self-love, and acceptance of others. The text also provides strategies for self-affirmation and for seeking help and support, though some tips are potentially exclusive of people with mobility disabilities and blind or deaf people. This edition’s backmatter offers a list of U.S.–based support organizations, with a pointer to www.re-shape.info for resources in other countries.

There’s much to love here. (Picture book. 3-12)" www.kirkusreviews.com… (meer)