Every Body: A Celebration of Diverse Abilities

by Shelley Rotner

Overview

Join this photographic celebration of differing physical and neurological abilities from a National Geographic photographer.

We have different ways to move around.

Celebrating children of different abilities, this photographic book presents large, clear images of children moving around their community, using scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, and more. The text presents their experiences navigating the world, from the park to the beach, in simple relatable language. Every Body celebrates children with varying abilities, covering neurological differences, physical differences, and health challenges.

The book includes contributions from internationally-known disabilities activist Judith Heumann whose work is profiled in the oscar-nominated Netflix documentary Crip Camp.

Shelley Rotner, a National Geographic photographer and prolific children's author, applies her trained eye for crisp details in this latest book for young readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823451913
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	121,776
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.39(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Shelley Rotner is the author and photo-illustrator of more than thirty books, including the Hello Seasons! series and Families. Her collaborations with Sheila M. Kelly include Shades of People, an ALA Notable Children's Book, and her solo work includes Colors, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Rotner's photography has appeared in Time, National Geographic, Food and Wine, and many other publications. She lives in Northampton, MA.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2023

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.)

Publishers Weekly

"The pages crucially feature kids describing their own experiences. . . ."—Publishers Weekly

"From the moment readers open this book, they are treated to an album of beautiful, joyous children. . . . The message . . . has been expressed before, but rarely through such memorable images."—The Horn Book

"An upbeat, welcome introduction to disability."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-01-25
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)

Kirkus Reviews