Body Talk for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Everybody has a body! Even at a young age, kids notice bodies (their abilities and differences) and start asking questions about how bodies work. Here are some picks for cultivating a sense of awareness of our amazing, fascinating, and sometimes bizarre bodies to share with toddlers and preschoolers.

Also look for our list on Disability Visibility - Picture Books.

Updated May 26, 2023
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LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Happy Valley Library
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The human body
Brown, Carron
Paper Book
Discover the secrets of the human body with this beautiful new Shine-a- Light title.
Power up
Fishman, Seth
Paper Book
"Innovative." --New York Times Book Review "For the four- to eight-year-old who goes nonstop." --Philadelphia Tribune The companion to the popular and award-winning A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars. This captivating and educational picture book from Seth Fishman and...
The big bath house
Maclear, Kyo
Paper Book
A joyful celebration of Japanese cultural traditions and body positivity as a young girl visits a bath house with her grandmother and aunties NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY New York Public Library . NPR . Publishers Weekly . Kirkus Reviews ....
Under our clothes : our first talk about our bodies
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
Key Selling Points This book offers an age-appropriate and straightforward introduction to the complex topic of body image and safety. The World Around Us series discusses difficult topics through an organic conversation starting with a common observation and continuing with...
Big
Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams. She grew and grew and grew. And it was good... until it wasn't. When the girl grows big, the world begins to make her feel small. She feels out of place and invisible, and soon she isn't...
Who has what?: all about girls' bodies and boys' bodies
Harris, Robie H.
Paper Book
Young children ask lots of questions. It's one of the ways they learn about themselves and about their bodies.Join siblings Nellie and Gus on a day out at the beach as they ask questions and figure out the similarities and differences between boys and girls in a humorous and honest way. With...
Beautifully me
Noor, Nabela
Paper Book
From designer, creator, and self-love advocate Nabela Noor (@Nabela) comes a much-needed picture book about loving yourself just as you are. Meet Zubi: a joyful Bangladeshi girl excited about her first day of school. But when Zubi sees her mother frowning in the mirror and...
Bodies are cool
Feder, Tyler
Paper Book
This body positive picture book is a vibrant, joyful, and judgement-free celebration of every body shape and size. My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! BODIES ARE COOL! This heart...
Eyes that kiss in the corners
Ho, Joanna
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller and #1 Indie Bestseller · A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year · A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021 · Included in NPR's 2021 Books We Love List · Featured in Forbes, Oprah Daily, The Cut, and Book Riot · Golden Poppy Book Award...
Families
Shrivastav, Archaa
Paper Book
2021 Stonewall Award Winner - the first ever board book to win an American Library Association medal! Beautiful photos of real LGBTQ and ally families showcase all the wonderful forms of family, gender, and sexuality while poetic text builds both vocabulary and empathy. FAMILIES helps families and...
Little Faces Big Feelings : What Emotions Look Like
Morrison, Amy.
Paper Book
Learn about the emotions behind the faces of over 90 different children, then use the included mirror to practice understanding your own feelings! See why kids are happy, sad, mad/frustrated, surprised, scared, brave, bored, silly, and/or tired with beautiful photographs showing every bit of...
Don't hug Doug (he doesn't like it) : a story about consent
Finison, Carrie
Paper Book
Meet Doug. Doug doesn't like hugs. He thinks they're too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. However, Doug is a master of high fives (and low fives and side fives). Some people like hugs, other people don't. The only way to find out is to ask!
Stella's stellar hair
Moises, Yesenia
Paper Book
Black girl magic takes the solar system in Stella's Stellar Hair, a celebration of hair, family, and self-love from debut author-illustrator Yesenia Moises! It's the day of the Big Star Little Gala, and Stella's hair just isn't acting right! What's a girl...
Your body is awesome : body respect for children
Sigr©ðn Dan©?elsd©?ttir
Paper Book
*Silver medal winner in the 'Self-Esteem' category of the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2015* Bodies do all sorts of amazing things, like move around, grow bigger and heal themselves. Bodies also come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and we need to take care of them so that they...
Eyes that speak to the stars
Ho, Joanna
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling team Joanna Ho and Dung Ho present Eyes That Speak to the Stars, companion to the acclaimed Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. "A brilliant treatise to love of self and heritage." --School Library Journal (starred review) "A beautifully...
Will ladybug hug?
Leung, Hilary
Paper Book
You loved Will Bear Share? and Will Sheep Sleep?, now get to know Ladybug in a hilarious new high-fiving and hugging-themed addition to creator Hilary Leung's animal books!One ladybug.Many friends.One timeless question: Will Ladybug Hug?Meet Ladybug. Ladybug loves...
Don't touch my hair!
Miller, Sharee (Illustrator)
Paper Book
It seems that wherever Aria goes, someone wants to touch her hair. In the street, strangers reach for her fluffy curls; and even under the sea, in the jungle, and in space, she's chased by a mermaid, monkeys, and poked by aliens... until, finally, Aria has had enough! This humorous...
Rissy no kissies
Howes, Katey
Paper Book
A lovebird who doesn't like kisses?! Rissy's friends and family wonder if she's sick, confused, or rude. But kisses make Rissy uncomfortable. Can one little lovebird show everyone that there's no one right way to show you care? Rissy No Kissies carries the...
More than fluff
Valentine, Madeline
Paper Book
A fresh, funny, and timely picture book about a fuzzy chick navigating autonomy and consent. The perfect conversation starter on the topic for young children. Daisy happens to be fluffy--she's a young chick after all. Her friends can't help but want to pet her, squeeze her, and...

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