Everybelly

This story has many themes, including kindness, being unique, body neutrality, body activism, body positivity, feeling that you are enough and loving yourself as you are. Discuss each theme and its meaning with students, then ask them to share any personal connections they have with a theme.

Show the front cover. Ask students what they notice about the illustration on the front cover. Where do they think the story takes place? Ask them to look at the adult swimming. Then, ask them to explain why they think that the illustrator did not show the adult’s face. Ask students to discuss the title in relation to the front cover illustration. Does the illustration support the title?

As a class, look through each page of the book. Ask students to predict what they think the book will be about. Ask students to look at all of the people in the illustrations. What can they tell about the characters by looking at the pictures? Where does the story take place? Why are all the characters showing their bellies? Record student responses to confirm predictions after the story has been shared.

Ask students to think about one thing that makes them unique. Ask students to think about their family. How is their body and their features like those of their family, and how are they different? Then ask students to share what they like best about themselves.

Tell students that the story is about Maddie going to the pool with her mom. Maddie is about waist-high to most of the people she meets. Maddie notices all of the different kinds of bellies at the pool. Ask students if they have ever noticed how everyone’s body is different. Ask students to brainstorm all of the ways that bodies are different.

Read the story to the students. Use the questions below to interact with the students as you read aloud (begin on the title page as page one).

• Page 2-3: Read page two. Ask students what they think is happening in the picture. Why is Maddie pointing to her mom’s belly?
• Page 4: Before reading page four, ask students what is happening in the picture. How is Maddie’s mom’s belly and Mr. Popov’s belly alike? After reading the page, ask students what they can tell about what kind of person Mr. Popov is from what Maddie says.
• Page 6: Read pages six and seven. What does Maddie mean when she says Auntie Nam is older than dinosaurs? What makes you think she is old, when you can’t see her face? Why do you think the illustrator chose not to show her face? What is the focus of the illustration?
• Page 8-13: Read each page. Ask students to look at the illustrations. Ask them to describe each belly. What did they learn about what each person likes or dislikes?
• Page 14: Before reading this page, ask students to look at the illustrations. What do they think Maddie is going to do? How can they tell? What is a belly flop? Why do you think Maddie is thinking about hippos and mammals? What does each have to do with bellies?
• Page 16-end of book: Read each page. How does Maddie describe bellies? What are bellies useful for?

• Why do you think the author wrote this book?
• Describe the different kinds of bellies in this book.
• Describe the different personalities and how the people were unique.
• Turn to page eighteen. What does the author mean when she writes bellies make great tables? Have you ever used your belly as a table?
• On page eighteen, why do you think Maddie thought that Mr. St. Clair’s belly sparkled?
• Turn to page twenty and notice the birds’ bellies. What shape are they? Are they alike or different in size? Why do you think Maddie starts talking about food?
• Why does Maddie think her mom’s belly feels like home? What does she like about her mom’s belly?
• Discuss how the illustrations are filled with detail and help convey the meaning of the story. Have students explain how the illustrations help tell the story, citing specific places in the story.

Go back to the predictions made during the Picture Walk. Ask students to confirm their predictions they made before the story.

Use the pictures of some of the characters in the story to practice saying something kind to the character based on what you know about them.

Have students practice reframing negative thought patterns into positive statements. For example, instead of saying, “Maddie is not as tall as Susie,” reframe and restructure the statement to “You are just the right height to give Susie a hug.”

Ask students to think about if their belly could be a home for their heart. Is this possible? What could this mean? Why should people be accepting of their own bodies or of other people’s bodies? What happens when people judge other people based on their body type? How do you think the person being judged feels?

Ask students to describe their body. What does their body like to do?  Remind students that their body might not be designed for long distance running or being a dancer, but it may be perfect for swimming or bowling.

Ask students to share three ways in which they like to move. Ask them to share their interests in extramural activities. Encourage students to think about what they are naturally good at. As a class, brainstorm some activities where kids can interact with each other. Ask students to think if they have any friends that have the same types of interests as they do. Finally, ask where they can go to meet other kids with the same interests.

Share with students that it is important that everyone is kind to themselves. Have students find a partner. Each partner describes their body to the other partner using positive only statements. Remind students that they should always speak nicely to and about themselves.

Share with students that our bodies help us in many ways. As a class, brainstorm a list of the ways that our bodies help us. Have students find a partner. Partners work together to practice positive affirmations for how their body helps them. For example, “My legs help me to play kick ball.” Have paired students to come up with five positive body affirmations. The affirmations can be written on cards and decorated for an affirmation station.

Encourage students to start showing both awareness and kindness by noticing and affirming other students’ actions. For example, when they hear another student saying something nice, encourage them to affirm the other student by saying something like, “That was so kind and caring what you said to _____.” Or “That was such a kind think you did out on the playground.” Or “I noticed you let ____ go first when playing kickball, that was so kind of you.”

If you saw someone getting picked on because of their body type or a disability, would you join in with the bully or stand up to the bully? Would you tell someone or walk away? Why? What words would you use?

Explain to students that everyone feels a little socially awkward at times. Create an affirmation station in the classroom where students can make affirmation cards to remind themselves that they are enough just as they are. Encourage them to go to the station at least once a day and write one thing on a card that they like about themselves or a saying that can encourage them and keep with them as a gentle reminder to love themselves or be resilient in hard times. Students can also make affirmation cards for other students or family members to show random acts of kindness.