There aren’t many children’s books that put a plus-size girl on the cover and tell her, in plain and gentle language, that her body is beautiful exactly as it is. Her Body Can is one of them, and it’s why we love it.
Written by two bloggers from Atlanta, Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke, Her Body Can features an illustration of a plus-size little girl on the cover and is, in the authors’ own words, “a book of poetic self-love and body positivity declarations for all young girls.”
Crenshaw and Meschke were inspired to write the book to help kids not only accept and love themselves, but accept and love others for their differences too. They believe body positivity needs to be taught from a young age — not introduced later as damage control.
Her Body Can, illustrated by Li Liu, is available to buy from booksellers and online retailers.
About Her Body Can
The book’s description reads:
“Her body is beautiful — strong, kind and wise. All bodies are lovely no matter their size.”
Her Body Can is a book of poetic self-love and body positivity declarations for all young girls.
Its aim is to encourage young girls to build a reality for themselves in which they love themselves and their bodies for exactly who and what they are, instead of learning to judge themselves and dislike their bodies for what they are not.
The message at its heart: our girls’ bodies are capable of amazing things, and their worth isn’t measured by anything except how much they love themselves.
Written for girls from newborn to age 8, the book sets out to teach young readers that their bodies can do anything, and that what they look like is beside the point — we are all beautiful exactly the way we are.
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The Book’s Launch
When Her Body Can launched, Katie Crenshaw shared the news on Instagram:
“Today has been wild! We cannot thank you all enough for your support and good energy. We are so proud of this book and the conversations it will start in homes and in classrooms all over the world.”
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Katie, a mum of three, told Glamour Magazine that Meschke had once asked her, “Are there any PLUS sized princesses in children’s books?” Realising they couldn’t think of any, the pair decided to write a children’s book where the main character is plus-size.
Katie explains that her own daughter has a large facial birthmark, which made her especially aware of the lack of representation in children’s media, and hyper-aware of making sure her daughter knew that what made her physically different didn’t define her happiness or success.
As Crenshaw puts it, “Having atypical-looking children represented in the media our children consume is incredibly important.”
While plenty of books teach kids how to overcome bullying or other adversity, Crenshaw and Meschke wanted to teach kids to be kind — to themselves and others — in a positive way, from the start. We couldn’t agree more.
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What do you think of Her Body Can? Leave a comment below and let us know — we’d love to hear from you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Her Body Can?
Her Body Can was written by Atlanta bloggers Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke, and illustrated by Li Liu.
What age group is Her Body Can written for?
The book is aimed at young girls from newborn to around age 8.
What message does the book send?
It teaches girls that all bodies are beautiful regardless of size, and that their worth isn’t measured by appearance but by how much they love themselves. It also encourages readers to accept and celebrate differences in others.
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- More books and reads to encourage confidence in kids, from our Learning hub
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