While I’m usually thinking of bodies of water or landscapes, the last eight months I’ve been thinking, talking, and teaching about our own body images. In other words, how we view our human bodies. As we grow and age, our bodies change. Some changes we welcome, others we resist. At the same time, we are bombarded with verbal and visual messages from the media, peers, family—even strangers—about what we should look like. We are told what bodies are healthy, beautiful, and strong. And which ones are not. It’s challenging to turn down the noise all around us about bodies, and really listen to our own voice and body. It’s similar to taking the time to connect with nature. To slow down to listen, look, smell, taste, and breathe in what makes sense to us.

Yep, our bodies are part of the natural world. And just like in nature, we are all similar but unique, and predictably unpredictable in our beauty.

Reading books about body images allows us to slow down and take a look at a new perspective on body image. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed reading with kids these past few months:

More than Fluff by Madeline Valentine
It Feels Good to be Yourself by Theresa Thorn and Noah Grigni
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Guy Stuff: the Body Book for Boys by Dr. Cara Natterson
The Girl’s Body Book: Everything Girls Need to Know about Growing Up! by Kelli Dunham
Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks
I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots by Lid’ya C. Rivera and Nina Mata
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder
Big by Vashti Harrison
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer