Books can be an excellent way to introduce topics that may feel tricky and can be excellent springboards for discussion as well. This book list is one that has picture books and a couple of board books that cover the topics of consent, personal boundaries, body autonomy and safety. Some of them are more upbeat and light in nature and others are more bold, direct and serious. Some of them are simple and others have lots of information packed inside.
How you want to approach this topic and what you think will work well for your child is sure to vary from what others may prefer or need. Read through these books if you would like some recommendations and choose the one/s that you think are the best fit for you. Also, keep in mind that if you are reading the book out loud you can always add your own input as you read or even change some vocabulary. I hope this list is helpful.
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Miles is the Boss of His Body by Samantha Kurtzman-Counter and Abbie Schiller- It is Mile’s Birthday and he is not liking all the birthday noogies, hugs and other physical attention. Eventually he decides that enough is enough and speaks up about his discomfort and preferences. His family expresses their respect for him and how they will listen to his feelings.
Harrison P. Spader, Personal Space Invader (Little Boost) by Christianne C. Jones and Cale Atkinson- Harrison P. Spader is a personal space invader because he often talks too close, stands too close, hugs a lot and simply struggles with respecting people’s personal space. In the story he learns how to be more self aware and respect personal boundries. This book is definitely a light hearted and fun one, but the message is just as important, relatable and well addressed.
Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent and Respect: Teach children about body ownership, respect, feelings, choices and recognizing bullying behaviors by Jayneen Sanders and Sarah Jennings- If you are looking for an all around awesome book that will cover a lot of scenarios and give you a lot of material for discussion then this book is the one for you! It really addresses topics of consent and respect in relatable way that is easy for children to understand and uses sample scenarios that are familiar to kids.
Do You Have a Secret? (Let’s Talk About It!) by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos and Marta Fabrega- This book talks about the difference between good secrets and not good secrets and how you can tell the difference with an emphasis on how the information makes you feel. It is also a fairly easy one to adapt vocabulary for with families who like to use the “surprise vs secret” verbiage approach to teaching their kids.
C is for Consent by Eleanor Morrison and Faye Orlove- This is an incredibly simple and direct board book that helps teach that children have the right to say no to physical contact that they don’t want. It is a great one for the youngest bookworms that you want something short and clear for. It’s bold and applicable.
My Body! What I Say Goes!: A book to empower and teach children about personal body safety, feelings, safe and unsafe touch, private parts, secrets and surprises, consent, and respectful relationships. by Jayneen Sanders and Anna Hancock- This is anther book by Jayneen Sanders that covers a lot of information as it talks about consent, body autonomy and more. It also focuses on self awareness and helping children recognize feelings that tell them that something is unsafe.
Will Ladybug Hug? Hilary Leung- I love this little board book for introducing consent to the littlest bookworms. It is short, sweet and makes a clear point. It introduces Ladybug as someone who loves hugs and shows her in each page spread getting consent from her friends for a hug. However, sheep does not want a hug and that is okay. They enjoy a high five instead. A great one for toddlers and preschoolers.
Don’t Hug Doug: (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman- Doug loves his rock collection, his sock collection and drawing with his chalk collection, but he doesn’t love hugs. He thinks they are too smooshy. This book does a great job at teaching that some people just don’t like hugs (either sometimes or all the time) and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t like you. It also addresses that others may love them, to find out if it’s okay to hug someone you simply have to ask. This book is done in an upbeat and positive way that is sure to be appealing to kids.
More Than Fluff by Madeline Valentine- This is the story of Daisy who is a super fluffy chick. So fluffy that everyone always wants to hug her and pat her head. Daisy doesn’t like it and decides that she has had enough. She learns ways to stand up for herself, say no and express what she does and doesn’t want. Her animal friends are respectful and learn to give her space when she wants it and enjoy a hug when she does. This is a good book for teaching self advocacy as well as consent. (There is also a trusted adult giving guidance as well.)
God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies by Justin S. Holcomb, Lindsay A. Holcomb and Trish Mahoney- This book is has a Christian perspective and starts by talking about how God made all of us and how every part of us is good. Then it goes on to talk about how “private parts” are to be kept private (with correct vocabulary for anatomy mentioned) and even goes on to talk about consent for any physical contact, surprises vs secrets and talking with trusted adults. An all around wonderful book that covers a lot.
A Hug by Nicola Manton and Magali Garcia- This book is another one that is excellent for introducing the topic of consent to children clearly yet gently. It talks about times that we may want hugs and how wonderful they can be as well as times we may not want one and how that should be respected. (Sometimes for seemingly no reason at all and that’s okay.) It also gives a nice list of other options/gestures such as waves, head nods, and high fives that can be used instead to say the same thing that a hug can say.
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