We Listen to Our Bodies

Synopsis:

Deja helps young children recognize their emotions by listening to their bodies

Body awareness is a key foundation of consent. We Listen to Our Bodies gives children a vocabulary to understand and communicate their feelings, develop personal boundaries, and build their social and emotional skills.

Through body awareness and recognizing how emotions physically manifest, young children can listen to their bodies for clues about how they’re feeling. Their bodies might feel shaky when worried or like one big sigh when calm and relaxed. By recognizing that physical sensations are trying to communicate something, children can understand when they feel unsafe, calm, or in need of healthy touch.

We Listen to Our Bodies follows Deja and her preschool classmates as they learn to build emotional self-awareness by listening to the physical cues of their bodies. Using the book as a read-aloud, educators and families can model the language Deja’s teachers use to support children as they learn body awareness. The author, who hosts workshops and trainings on teaching consent for families and early childhood educators around the country, offers additional activities in the back of the book.

Digital content includes a song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable MP3 files and sheet music.

Reviews
“This picture book imparts notable lessons about body awareness.”—Publishers Weekly 

“Very highly recommended.”—Children’s Bookwatch

“We Listen to Our Bodies is the book parents have been begging for to help us articulate to our curious littles how to connect with their bodies and put words to what they are feeling. As the parent of both a child with extra needs and a neurotypical child, this book is perfect for both levels of understanding. With kind and gentle authorship and beautifully inclusive illustrations, Lydia and Isabel help parents and children see themselves within these pages. Whether you are a parent, an educator, or someone who recognizes how desperately our kids deserve to understand their bodies, their feelings, and their mental well-being, you won't regret adding this beautiful book to your collection!”—Brynn Burger, The Mama on the Rocks, national speaker, educational resource creator, and parenting coach 

“I absolutely love this beautifully inclusive, trauma-aware book that provides parents and caregivers with a great tool to support a child’s connection to their instincts, feelings, and the signals their body sends to help keep them safe. The characters and illustrations are thoughtfully crafted with representation of diverse identities, abilities, and families, making this a wonderful addition to every home. It’s a must-read if you want to raise a powerful, consent-conscious next generation!”—Melissa Pintor Carnagey, LBSW, founder of Sex Positive Families

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 3 to 5.

Centered around a class of preschoolers, the We Say What’s Okay series helps teach young children the social and emotional skills they need to understand the complexities of consent. Each book covers a consent theme, such as how to recognize the physical sensations that emotions create, look for body language cues, ask for and listen to choices, and know that our bodies have value. With believable, everyday situations and diverse characters, children can see themselves and others reflected in each story—and develop a vocabulary to communicate consent and feelings. Every book in the series is accompanied by a song from Peaceful Schools with downloadable audio files and sheet music.

Guided Reading Level: H

Lexile Measure: AD490L

Additional Information
36 pages | 10.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover