There are many children’s books about the human body. what do you think fascinates people enough to keep publishing new books on the same topic?
Your body is part of you and who you are, and you can’t separate them. you go from being a baby to be held to a fully-functioning, fully-grown adult, and as your body changes, so does your mind. so I think it’s very important that children understand it. often, when children are very young, they are not separated from their parents. Usually, it’s only when they reach the age of three that they realize they’re a different person, and later, a completely different person.
You are reading: Human body books for kids
It’s hard for kids to understand this cognitively unless you actively explain it to them. That’s why it’s important to read books about the human body and use words like “your body,” and give children a sense of ownership over it. In addition, what we hope, as a professional body of pediatricians, is that if the children of this generation have a better understanding of nutrition and exercise, then they will be healthier adults physically and mentally.
Do you think that if children read books to become aware of everything that happens in the human body, they could develop healthier habits for life?
yes, healthier bodies and minds. Above the age of nine, the frontal lobe, which controls your emotional connections, begins to expand significantly. they also gain an understanding of the consequences. Children often suddenly begin to experience significant anger, frustration, worry, and anxiety about tests when they might not have thought about it before. I sometimes find that children come to see me in the clinic for very physical feelings in their body that actually have emotional triggers. my wish for all children is that they have an understanding of themselves, their physical body, their mind and their thought processes and feelings. The sooner we start teaching children not only about their physical body but also about their feelings, and understand the difference between feelings and behaviors, the more it will help them deal with the world. With the explosion of social media, children are exposed to a lot of unfiltered information. photos of people on social media are not a reflection of their real life. With an understanding of their bodies when they are young, hopefully children will respect their own bodies, treat themselves with kindness, and hopefully be able to separate fantasy from fact when they are older.
Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (And Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by Adam Kay, Illustrated by Henry Parker
In that sense, let’s start with the book about the human body that you chose for children from 8 to 12 years old, which will help them receive reliable information. Adam Kay is well known in the UK for his adult bestseller about his time as an obstetrician, and now writes for children as well.
what I love about kay’s anatomy is that it uses a lot of humor. breaks the body down into its component parts and explains the practical uses of what that part of the anatomy is supposed to do. but it ties into funny stories, jokes, and history, things that the Romans did, things that happened at different times in history, around the body. if you manage to inject some sort of humor and storytelling then people can usually remember things better and the subject is demystified. I have to talk to the kids about a lot of personal things about their bodies. I have to make them try to trust me to tell me what’s going on so I can try to understand what might be going on with them. Kay’s anatomy gives children confidence. These books allow me to have a common language with the children I care for and keep them from feeling scared by talking about urine and poop and the heart and eyes and lungs. the images are also very good, because they are all almost comical and the graphics are great. any book that discusses the fear factor for a hospital appointment is great.
This book is packed with information about the human body and random facts that kids are likely to enjoy. but it also addresses medical conditions that children may experience. and touches on anxiety, body image, alcohol, and other issues that people may face, but often feel shouldn’t be written for children.
I can understand why we have a tendency to want to protect our children. the main cause of death in children under two years of age is usually congenital problems. between two and five, there is the introduction of injuries and cancers, especially brain tumors, and more infections. between five and nine, you have the same thing: significant accidents, brain tumors and cancers, and still some infections. but after the age of nine, the stark reality is that the most common cause of death in children is suicide. Between the ages of nine and 13, most boys go through puberty. so even though you can’t see it on the outside of their bodies, their hormones are ramping up to a more adult pubertal pattern. And those hormones affect not only your physical organs, in terms of growth; they also affect your brain. we have to talk about all these things with our children so that they are much better prepared, so that they can understand that if they are suddenly angry with their mother, it may be something that she has done, but often it can be to do with her emotional lability during puberty.
Between 9 and 13 is also when we gain a more conscious understanding of time. that’s often when grandparents or people we love are really sick. It’s important for children to understand disease processes because they realize that one day Grandpa was there and the next minute he wasn’t, and why do I feel the way I do? well, grief is the loss of love and an expression of sadness for that loss. So, I think it’s important that we discuss these things. As parents, it can be incredibly awkward to bring up emotional well-being or sexual health in tweens and teens, but it’s our job to prepare kids for the world around them.
This type of children’s book about the human body can be very helpful for parents if there are things they want to talk about with their children, but don’t know the answer or are uncomfortable starting the conversation.
Often the best time to talk to a teen about their health is when you’re walking next to them or in the car, in a downtime when there’s no agenda. if there has been a death in the family or a relative who has been ill, it is very important to talk about the grief, to be open about your own emotions related to grief or sadness, because children are very perceptive, they are very good at understanding if the adult in your life is unhappy or unwell.
adam kay’s book demystifies the body, but what I also really like is that he looks at some of the emotional issues that begin to affect children at this age, when they’re too young to fully understand what the impact is, but know that something is not right. they themselves will be used to waking up every morning feeling really happy and suddenly won’t understand why they are sometimes in a bad mood or just fed up. It is important for children to understand that emotion is normal. Human beings have a terrible habit of thinking in a binary way: black or white, happy or sad, cool or not cool. culturally, for the last decade or so, it’s always been about maximum positivity, but it’s okay to talk about both the negative and the positive. Books like this give children the words to understand.
the author is so enthusiastic. he obviously is fascinated with the wonderful and sometimes quite repulsive nature of the human body and I think he manages to convey that enthusiasm to children in this book.
yes, kay’s anatomy is wonderful for breaking down barriers of discomfort and allowing for engagement. you know, the longest journey you’ll ever take is with your own body. The sooner kids get used to using sunscreen the better, and the sooner they understand their feelings the better, because the person you’ll be spending the most time with will be you.
in fact. Have you heard the audio version of this book? apparently it is quite special.
I haven’t heard it, but my friend’s daughter has heard it. she loved him; she thought it was wonderful.
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look inside your body by louie stowell, illustrated by kate leae
Let’s move on to the next book on the human body, for slightly younger children, probably five to nine year old readers. why did you choose this?
I love Usborne’s books, especially their illustrations. it’s engaging, with images that are slightly cartoonish. again, this book demystifies the human body a bit for children. I like the fact that there is a lot of interaction and engagement with him. so it keeps it fun and not scary. it’s just the right amount of disgust and apprehension for kids in this age group.
a lot of information is packed in a very accessible format. there are flaps to lift with text underneath, so this book contains a lot of text about the human body, but it doesn’t look dense on the page.
yes and it’s also a journey of discovery with all the interaction that it has. you are not just sitting around reading lots of facts; turns it into a game and gets your imagination flowing. children between the ages of five and nine, are absorbing and learning facts all the time. anything that engages them, anything that makes their learning interactive, is a complete gift. Books that help children understand the body can allow children with chronic illnesses to express their concerns or understand what is happening with their body or the body of a friend.
A book like this, which can help kids understand what happens when they’re sick, do you think it helps make it less scary?
I think they’re still scared, but I think the more information kids have, the more they’ll be able to process what’s going on. I often use this book in the clinic with children after they have been in the hospital to talk about what happened. It is not only the parent who needs to understand everything that happened to the child, the child needs to understand it for themselves, if it was something bad that happened only once or if it is something that will stay with them. in that case, I need them to understand that it’s part of them, but it doesn’t define who they are.
In terms of understanding normal anatomy, demystifying it, interacting with it, and giving kids different words about the body, this book is excellent. but it is also an incredibly useful tool for parents, and especially for a professional in the clinic. it’s something non-threatening that I tend to keep on the table in the clinical room. I first ask them if they like storybooks and 99% of the children say yes. then I open the book to the right page and I talk about their body, I talk about what happened and what medicines they received and why. once they have the book in their hands they don’t feel as intimidated or scared and often you see them understanding themselves better and why they need to continue on a medication or why they had a lot of medication and now you’re fine.
body of stephanie babin, illustrated by ilaria falorsi
Shall we move on to your next selection of children’s books about the human body?
yes, this one is for kids ages two to five. again, it has good illustrations. he doesn’t talk much about the show, but it’s not necessary at that age. it has just the right amount of information and very friendly language.
and it’s interactive with pull and push tabs to reveal the skeleton on the x-ray and that sort of thing, a sturdy looking board book.
yes, anything that allows kids to interact is great because they can interact with the book themselves if you’re not reading it with them.
This human body book for kids is much broader than anatomy, right? It’s about the five senses, feelings, eating, going to the bathroom, going to the doctor…
Yes, this is a fantastic all-round book to start kids on their journey with their own bodies. and it will help them realize that it is their body, so anything that gives them that gift of understanding and makes them feel a little more in control is helpful. it is very important that they know what their body is; they can be in charge.
pirate pete’s chamber pot by andrea pinnington, illustrated by melanie williamson
Let’s now turn to a key topic of the human body: a children’s book on how to learn to use the toilet.
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the reason i chose the pirate pete potty, and there is also the pirate polly potty and the princess polly potty, is that 15% of referrals to our pediatric outpatient clinic are for constipation. so those are kids who are bad enough to have needed a referral from their local doctor to a hospital. a 2018 study showed that 48% of consultations for children between the ages of two and five who went to see their GP were related to constipation, potty training, or related anxiety.
that’s extraordinary.
is a big problem. the amount of money spent on constipation in a year by the nhs [the uk’s national health service] is staggering and totally avoidable. If the foundation is laid for the child to understand the function of the intestines, the function of urination, the fact that they must drink and eat regularly, then we know that the best intervention is a good routine: being able to sit correctly on the toilet or potty and flat feet, and a good healthy balanced diet. we call it idiopathic constipation when there is no disease. everyone worries about thyroid disease and celiac disease and I understand that, but last year of all the kids I saw for constipation, only one of them had a health problem. that patient was anemic and the others were absolutely fine, but they were not drinking enough water. some drank too much milk and did not eat a sufficiently nutritious diet. some just weren’t taking the time for their bodies to have this function because they were on the xbox or running around here and there. Often during vacations in hot places, children do not drink enough water, constipated and have hard poop and feel sore, and then they will try to hold the poop. so it goes round and round in a vicious circle and then we tend to see them in November and December at the clinic. this is totally avoidable for most children who do not have specific learning or social communication needs. That’s why I think this book is important.
This book suggests that children get involved in choosing some underpants and, in general, tries to support the process of potty training. Do you think it can help eliminate the stress of what can be a complicated situation?
I think kids who haven’t made it tend to feel like they’re lonely and bad as people. What I really like about this book is that Pete has an accident and it’s okay to have an accident. this is his body that you will be with all your life, so let them have a sense of control over him again. when I see the children in the clinic, they often feel that they are not in control at all. So I’m talking about the nervous system, how there are a bunch of computers that are in charge of your belly, your intestines, and your urine. what I like about this book is that it explains that it can be difficult for them, that they can have accidents, but it allows children to understand.
I guess this book would be just as useful if you don’t want to use a potty, but maybe one of those little removable seats and a step stool?
yes, absolutely. if the child is going to use the bathroom, make sure there is a set of steps or a big hard box that they can put their feet on so that their feet are nice and flat and instead of dangling, because if their feet are dangling under of the toilet, then they would not have enough muscular strength to push. if your feet are flat, all of your muscle groups will help. Another benefit of using the book to frame the activity is that it acts as a little distraction if they are sore or uncomfortable. so they’ll associate going to the bathroom with being fun, and generally speaking, anything that’s fun in their routine allows them to gain that understanding. It goes back to the same thing about adam kay’s book: anything that injects humor into an activity and an explanation is ideal, because then it removes the fear factor.
There is a “hooray” button sound in this book which I’m sure motivates some kids, but it may drive their parents crazy or parents may like to minimize battery usage. Do you have any recommendations for a book without the sound?
there are sticker variations of the princess polly and pirate pete ringless books, and there is a company called penwizard that makes a potty training book that you can order with your child’s name so that the story become them. they have masculine, feminine and non-binary versions. Or, if the child doesn’t particularly like storybooks, she can use reward charts. you can order stickers at wardcharts4kids.com, for example, with the child’s name, and most of their stuff is free. In addition, there are two very good websites for families regarding healthy eating and bathing: www.infantandtoddlerforum.org and www.eric.org.uk.
jonathan litton’s anatomy for babies, illustrated by thomas elliott
Let’s move on to your latest selection of children’s books on the human body. This one is for very young children, from birth to around two years old, another board book that helps children think about all the things the body can do.
yes, it’s sturdy, which is good because it’s going to get thrown around a lot. the reason I chose this booklet for very young babies is, again, because of their sense of awareness. Often when health workers assess a child’s development, they will say things like “can you point to your eyes?” and “where is your nose?” and they will make an assessment of how that child is developing based on their understanding of the anatomical parts. that song ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ is a good song to sing with children when they are around two years old, because it helps them learn about their body. Having a book and using it for story time helps children begin their journey with their body, understanding and explaining it. I’ve had kids when they’ve been sick point to the right body part and say they’re not okay and if I get the book they’ll point it in the book. is incredible. they may not have complex language yet, but they can point and a book to help explain it to you.
One thing I’ve noticed with these books, except kay’s anatomy, which is for middle grade readers, is that they use cross-section diagrams to illustrate, without showing the genitals. do you think it is age appropriate or would it be healthier to have a more realistic attitude towards all parts of our body?
I would appreciate a more mature approach. I think with these books there are a lot of limitations in different countries on what you can and can’t show. but certainly, in terms of talking to very young children in a practical way about their bodies and their genitalia, the national society for the prevention of cruelty to children has a very good program called pants. it is very important because it is about getting children to understand and speak up if they have any concerns about sexual abuse. the way they do it is that they talk about what’s in your pants and that it only belongs to you. It’s great for preschoolers and kids up to about seven years old, it uses songs and a fun story to convey an important message.
so you talk about your private parts belonging only to you, without associating any shame with those body parts?
yes, there is no shame, it is very practical. there’s a song called ‘pantosaurus,’ and they have all these dinosaurs running around in their underpants. the song is nice, it says that your pants cover your private parts and things like that. gives advice to parents on when to talk about this topic with children and why it is important. children, even very young children, if something happens to them, you can see that they have a feeling that something is not right, but they do not know what. and so it’s really important to try to get them to have that understanding. sexual abuse transcends all social classes and all children need to understand that their body is a gift to them and that they have the right to control it. so if something is happening that is wrong, they understand that it is wrong.
I am very interested in children understanding their bodies. If children understand anatomy and know that it is their body and no one else’s body, then they will know how valuable their body and mind are to their future.
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