I really liked this book.There are a lot of books that talk about body positivity right now and especially geared towards girls. I appreciate that beyond the encouraging words about loving your body, there are actionable things the reader can do like self-care (and self-care that isn't just face masks!) I also really like the images that accompany the book, the different body types, ability levels, religions, and skin colors.
When I first looked through the book i was disappointed it was so geared at women. However on my second pass, i noticed the authors note at the beginning and thought it was amazing. It explain that while this is geared towards women, it is also gender neutral so it can be read by anyone. They go on to mention what theory this book is based on and the suggested age range for the book which was all great. I do wish the author's note was on it's own page and more visible.

Great book for young girls! I loved it so much I bought it for my daughters! Perfect to show them every body is good!

It’s perfect for my almost 12 year old. I hope she enjoys it as much as me. This is truly a super sensitive subject and this author hit it right on the nail. a great lesson for all...girls...boys..women and men.

This book is necessary in a world where there is too much negativity associated with body image and too much pressure from the media and others about how one should look.

Every so often I stumble across a book I wish I’d had the opportunity to read when I was a kid. This is one of those books.

While acknowledging that all bodies are different (and this is okay!), the focus of this book is appreciating what your body can do rather than what it looks like. Examples include using your hands to create, your eyes to watch television or read and your nose to smell the sea or flowers.

Self care ideas for showing your body kindness are included and seeking help from others is normalised. What you can do for your body and what it does for you are addressed but you are also reminded that you are more than your body. You are kind, curious, passionate and so many other wonderful things.

I absolutely adored the message of this book but it was Carol Rossetti’s illustrations that sealed the deal for me. So many different bodies are represented. Bodies of various colours, shapes, sizes and abilities are included. There’s even cellulite, body hair and stretch marks, and I love that!

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read this book so far. Although the target audience are children, adults who didn’t receive this message as kids will also be able to use this book to challenge the stereotypes they’ve internalised about their own body.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Jessica Sanders does a beautiful job writing the importance of self-love and acceptance. My favorite quote was: “There is no size, ability, or color that is perfect. What makes you different makes you, you-and you are amazing!”

I loved this book and its message of developing a healthy, caring relationship with our bodies whatever shape and size they come in and whatever abilities they have. In the author's note Jessica Sanders points out that although it was written for girls and those who identify as a girl, what the book is saying through words and pictures is universal. I couldn't agree more!
Fabulous artwork by Carol Rossetti. I'll be looking forward to reading more books written by this autor and illustrated by this artist.

This is a good book for children especially girls with some difficulties to see how beautiful and unique they are.
It works even for older children, because you got a good opportunity to get into a conversation with them and discuss how different we all are and the we are all good like we are.
Even as a grown up women sometimes you forget that it is not always about how you look, that it is what's inside you that matters.


Thanks for letting me read this book

This book should be on every child's bookshelf!  It will help to counter the negative feelings that so many kids seem to grow up with in terms of how their body looks and/or functions.  This title encourages and reminds children to appreciate all that their body can do and to love it exactly how it is.  Highly recommended!


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this book.
This would be a great way to introduce body diversity and self-care to your children.
The story shows children that it is important to love yourself and take care of yourself.
The drawings are gorgeous. The characters represent a lot of different body shapes, heights, and skin colours. I also really like that some of the characters are featured multiple times, it gives the book more of a story feel rather than a non-fiction book normally might.
I also really like that there is attention for acceptance and normalization of bad days and a range of feelings. They are an important part of life, happiness doesn't shine without knowing the opposite, and I think it is necessary to teach children how to also deal with the mundane, sad, and difficult.

This would make a great gift and deserves to be a staple in every child's bookcase.

Good message, but not necessary for all girls. I personally think there are a lot more girls that are body confident already. The book is incredibly short for non-fiction. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital review copy.

Beautiful book, especially for little girls who are groing up and experiencing natural body changes. I love the self-love aspect of it, teaching from a very young age to love your body and to accept it how it is. I would say it's a very important read and I encourage teachers or parents to read it to their students / daughters. Plus the illustrations are gorgeous.

This was amazing. This needs to be given to everyone, so that they can read this. The message is so important: that everyone's body is perfect the way it is.

I got this book from Netgalley and the publisher

Review A good colourful way to illustrate to teens that bodies aren't all the same and a way to promote acceptance of this and different abilities, as well as accept people for who they are, not judge their appearence or skin colour. I wish this book was around when I was young. Clear, quick and concise.

5 stars

I Loved this book. This book is meant for young children but I say everyone should read it.

Many people around us cannot accept themselves. Some are tall, short, thin and thick. This is not a defect. Everyone is unique and they should love themselves.

The authors say about self-care and self-love in an impressive way within 21 pages book with lot of illustrations. The ideas narrated to make oneself love from inside and outside is really good.

This was an amazing book that sends a wonderful message. As an asian I really appreciated the diversity. Lots of times people think they are being inclusive and diverse by having one black character. But this book had lots of girls and women from many different ethnicities. I loved how one girl had cellulite and body hair. An overall great read that I highly recommend!

Wow what an amazing and powerful book. I think everyone should read this book and share it with everyone they know! This book helps the reader to love their body and be proud of what your body can do. I really liked the page of self care help and the message of if you still don't feel happy then to talk to someone to help you. Thank you for the opportunity to review this amazing book.

Jessica Sanders writing is absolutely beautiful! The message she displays in Love Your Body is one I wish I had a young child. I read this to my son and he said he got chills. Out of the mouth of babes.

I adored <i>Love Your Body</i>. I think self-love and self-care is such an important message. I truly wish I would have had this picture book when I was younger because I still needed the message this book had. The book also has tips on how to handle negative thoughts which I also think is so important. I like to think if I had had this book when I was younger, I might have been a bit kinder to myself about my beautiful body. Even now, I need to be reminded to be kind to myself.

My Thoughts
I think this book has a great message in general, but is missing one huge component. Here are my pros and cons for Love Your Body:

Pros
1. Encouraging anyone, but girls in particular, to have confidence in themselves in spite of any real or perceived “imperfections” is a good message.
2. The book encouraged girls to support one another.
3. I liked that the book included specific suggestions for girls to try if they are ever having mental health issues.
4. The book encouraged girls to ask for help if they ever felt frustrated or just needed someone to listen to them. There is even information included in the back of the book about organizations that are available to help.

Cons
1. The one gaping hole in this entire book is the need to reinforce physical health!
2. Super repetitive.
3. The font was unusual and I found it a little difficult to read.

Summary
I am all for teaching girls that accepting themselves as they are, flaws and all, goes a long way toward promoting confidence and well-being. However, when we omit the discussion about physical health, I think we are doing girls and women a disservice. We need to be able discuss improving our physical health (when appropriate) along with loving ourselves.

I feel like I can say that because I have spent a large portion of my life telling myself that just because I am fat doesn’t mean I ever should doubt or criticize myself. I told myself that as long as I am happy I shouldn’t have to change just because others don’t like to look at fat people. They are the ones with the problem, not me, right??! I am a strong, confident, educated, and funny person, and if others can’t see past my body, so what! But as I got older, I started to realize that I was using that mantra as a crutch. I didn’t have to be obese. The fact is I was lazy, not eating well, and not taking care of my physical health even if my mental health was just fine. Unfortunately, after years of ignoring my physical health, I became morbidly obese, a pre-diabetic, and suffered from super high blood pressure. I started realizing I was harming myself by “loving myself as I am” and that was not okay. No body confidence in the world was going to help me if I had a massive heart attack and died due to obesity. [Note: This isn’t just about obesity. I used to be friends with a woman that was super thin. She exercised all the time, was super active, and she ate very little. She had a lot of confidence in herself and took pride in how she looked, but in reality she was destroying her organs due to lack of nutrition and was slowly killing herself.]

I guess what I am trying to say here is that body confidence is definitely a good message. I just don’t believe it is a complete message. Yes, we should learn to accept ourselves in all the different forms and abilities that we come in. But, when our “imperfections” can impact our actual lifespan (like being overweight or underweight) we have to talk about steps we can take to be physically healthy, too. Why are we so afraid of encouraging physical health as well as mental health?? We have to be able to discuss both, and in almost every book I read like this one, physical health isn’t openly and specifically addressed. There has to be a balance.

Thank you NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.