Celebrate the Human Body with a Read-Aloud

Katie Fitzgerald reviews a new picture book from Paraclete Press: Every Body Wonderfully Made.

Every Body Wonderfully Made: God's Good Plan for Boys and Girls

by Courtney Siebring; illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich

A major concern for today’s Catholic parents is finding ways to counteract our culture’s erroneous and damaging messages about marriage and gender. It can be especially difficult to know how to talk about these things with young children without robbing them of their innocence too soon. My children are all under the age of 11, and the youngest are preschoolers, so for us, the emphasis has largely been on teaching and emphasizing truth so that when they do eventually hear a dubious message, they will recognize it for the falsehood it is. Every Body Wonderfully Made, written by Courtney Siebring and illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich, is the perfect book to support this approach.

Every Body Wonderfully Made

In rhyming text, this book relates God’s plan for human beings and their bodies. Details about the five senses demonstrate the wonderful gift that our bodies are. The text also emphasizes that boys grow up to be men and girls grow up to be women, and that nothing — not a costume, not a mask, not another person’s opinion — can change who God has made each person to be.

The book talks about the contributions men can make as fathers and uncles and women as mothers and aunts, and reminds us that marriage is intended for one man and one woman. The tone is light and cheerful, creating a pleasant mood surrounding these truths that is appealing to young children and encourages them to have a positive view of Christian beliefs.

An ideal read-aloud

The rhythm and rhyme of this book also make it an ideal read-aloud. Young children, especially, love rhyming books, and this one flows smoothly and is pleasing to the ear. This makes it a great choice for bedtime, circle time, story time, or any time in the day when a child is ready to hear a good book.

The colorful illustrations highlight the dignity of all human beings, including those with disabilities, the young, and the old. The pictures have a celebratory feel to them that drives home the joy that can be found by living in accordance with God’s plan. The diversity of the people depicted in these images also reinforces the idea that we are all different, but that God made each of us exactly as He wanted us to be in order to fulfill a specific purpose.

At no point does this author raise any of the untruths that are so prevalent in our culture. This is not a book for teaching kids to argue the Christian worldview or to explain their beliefs. Rather, this is a book to lay a strong foundation in Christian truth that parents can build upon as their children grow and become more aware of these topics. For parents who want to ensure that their children understand Christian truth but do not yet want to discuss the specifics of disordered secular viewpoints, this book hits just the right notes.

Recommended for Catholic families

Every Body Wonderfully Made would be a perfect addition to a Catholic preschool classroom, a homeschool family’s health curriculum, a church lending library, and/or the bookshelf of any young Catholic child. With its appealing illustrations, kid-friendly text, and unapologetically Christian message, this is a book I recommend highly to anyone who reads with little ones. Reading this book is the perfect way to immerse children in the beauty of our faith’s teachings about bodies so that they are well-prepared to learn more as they grow.

Ask for Every Body Wonderfully Made at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Paraclete Press.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

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