Short Summary
This book is a storybook for young children and a great way to start having conversations about bodies, body safety, boundaries, and consent.
What This Book Is About
Everyone’s Got a Bottom is a great first step towards educating your child about their body and boundaries, which is the first step towards sex education. It talks about:
- The different parts of the body (including which parts are private and how it’s important to use the right names)
- Having their own choice whether they want to hug or kiss certain people or not (consent)
- How kids should eventually start caring for their own bodies (by bathing, brushing their teeth, etc.)
- How it’s not okay for other people (especially other adults) to ask to see a kid’s private parts or show their own private parts
- How it’s important to talk to a trusted adult when an adult makes them feel uncomfortable and does something they don’t like
Reflection and Comments
This age appropriate book is simply written and beautifully illustrated and can lay the foundation. Child sexual abuse statistics are really high all over the world so it is important for your child to know this information, even though you might be feeling anxious or nervous. It starts off talking about 3 siblings, Ben, Jack and Emma (who is a baby). Everyone’s got a bottom teaches children the real names for body parts, about safe secrets, boundaries, touch and about networks. It encourages them to talk when they feel hurt or unsafe. There is then a little rhyme that is repeated throughout the book to reinforce a message to children that only they can touch and see their private parts, no one else and it goes like this. From my head to my toes I can say what goes. At the back of the book is a section for parents that offers practical tips about things like signs of sexual abuse, disclosure, strategies to help you talk to your child and what you need to tell them.