Any Body

An honest, humorous and factual book for children and early teens who want to understand and feel at home with their own bodies.

Sometimes we feel uncomfortable in our own skin, sometimes invincible. Expert Katharina von der Gathen's many years of experience working with children as a sex educator are the basis for this witty encyclopedia covering interesting facts about skin, hair and body functions alongside the questions that may affect us through puberty and beyond-gender identity, beauty, consent, self-confidence, how other people react and relate to us, and how they make us feel.

With accessible and warm text, Any Body gently acknowledges common feelings of ambivalence about our bodies. Through showing body diversity and positivity, it encourages acceptance of self and others. The illustrations are relatably funny and include charts, cartoons and more-even a handy page of visual compliments.

This compendium is an encouraging starting point for conversations with children navigating puberty and laying the foundations for body acceptance in a straightforward and highly entertaining way.

Translated from the German edition by Shelley Tanaka.

Katharina von der Gathen works in the area of sex education with children and adolescents from a wide range of backgrounds. She lives in Germany.

Anke Kuhl is one of Germany's leading children's book illustrators, whose awards include the German Youth Literature Award in 2011.



Bodies from the outside
Body difficulties
Bodies from the inside
Poster pages
Changing bodies (and minds)
How we change our bodies
Other people and your body

Praise for Any Body
"A whimsical, enlightening, and empowering volume to set readers on the path toward self-acceptance and body positivity."-starred, Kirkus Reviews

"This factual guide in an eye-catching package will appeal to curious browsers."-Booklist

"A wonderfully browsable - and amusing! - book to help a kid understand their body and their feelings about it as they go through puberty."-Youth Services Book Review

A California Reading Association Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award, Silver Honor