by Krupa Bhojani Playforth, MD
Illustrated by Julia Bereciartu
5 stars
A great resource for talking with young children about consent and private parts.
The book talks about the uniqueness of bodies, the anatomical names for private parts, what private parts are, times when it’s appropriate for others to see and touch your private parts (bath, doctor visits), consent, and what to do if someone does something that makes you uncomfortable or asks you to keep a secret.
At the beginning of the book is an introduction that addresses the importance of talking about private parts, their anatomical names, and removing shame from them. I really appreciated this and its focus on keeping children safe and making them more likely to talk about it if something did happen. It also discusses how to use this book as children get older and are ready for more details as well as how to practice boundaries and consent.
I loved the presentation of the information in the book. The writing is straightforward and appropriate for the concrete thinking of young children. A great approach of talking about private parts just like any other part of the body.
Great messaging about private parts, consent, boundaries, not keeping secrets, and the importance of trusted adults.
The illustrations are wonderful. Great diversity in the people and bodies presented including some representations of disabilities (wheelchair use, hearing aid). The illustrations also depict diagrams of a vulva, penises (both circumcised and uncircumcised), and the anus. This works great to teach about these parts while also maintaining the idea it isn’t okay to look at other people’s private parts.
I understand why this book is a bit controversial and that some adults do not feel comfortable presenting children with information such as the anatomical names of private parts and depictions of them. If that’s the case, there are other books on this topic that don’t include that information. But I do think the information is presented very well in this book and that the more comfortable children are with such information, the more likely they are to hold their boundaries when someone tries to cross them and feel more comfortable talking about it if something does happen.
Well-written and presented in an age-appropriate way with nice, colorful illustrations to engage young children. A great resource to return to again and again, and to discuss as children age.