Bodies
Bodies
A secret safe to tell
A picture book that tells the author's personal story of child sexual abuse. The story is told gently without specifically mentioning sexual touch specifically. It encourages conversations about body safety, the importance of not keeping secrets and confiding in trusted adults if something is making you uncomfortable.
ABC
Learning resources mapped to Australian Curriculum. Includes: videos about the human body, viruses, bacteria.
eSafeKids
eSafeKids educates, equips and empowers children and young people to have safe and positive experiences. eSafeKids support and inspire parents, carers, educators and other professionals to talk with children about Protective Behaviours, body safety, esafety, digital wellness and pornography. Services include: professional development, parent/carer and student workshops. Resources to teach: protective behaviours, body safety, consent, media literacy, digital wellness, cyber safety, pornography and more.
Everyone's got a bottom
A picture book to start conversations about public and private body parts, introducing the concept of protective behaviours. Written in a light and positive tone.
Foetal development
A GDHR illustration showing foetal development during pregnancy within a side view of the body at 4 week intervals to 40 weeks.
Growing up song
Animated nursery rhyme about growing from a baby to a child (2min)
Hair in funny places
A 32 page picture book. Light-hearted book outlining the changes during puberty.
It's not the stork!: a book about girls, boys, babies, bodies, families and friends
A 64 page book with illustrations that tackles questions young children have about how they were born and their bodies.
Let's talk about body boundaries, consent and respect
A 42 page picture book that teaches children about body boundaries, both theirs and others, and consent in relation to their personal space. Child friendly, providing scenarios for parents and trusted adults to discuss a child's growing sense of self with them.
Jayneen Sanders reads the book (13min 36sec – length of video) .
Let's talk about the birds and the bees
Non-fiction
Cartoon illustrated book for parents to read to children about differences between male and female reproductive systems, private body parts, sexual intercourse, love, puberty, what touching is ok/not ok, families. Simple facts as a starting point for conversations.
Book review by Cath Hak 6min (external link)
Age: Parents and teachers of 4 to 11 year olds.
Let's talk about where babies come from
Non-fiction
Comics and cartoons outlining: similarities and differences between girls and boys, growing up, reproductive organs, how babies are made, what sex is, what is love, same sex attraction, conception, pregnancy, different types of birth, genetics (e.g. hair colour), different kinds of families, keeping safe (consensual touch), HIV (but not other STI/BBVs). A book that parents/teachers can read to younger children, or older children can read themselves.
Book review by Cath Hak 4min 36sec.
Age: 7 to 11 years.
My body belongs to me
Fiction
A straightforward story of a young girl that was sexually abused by a friend's uncle. The young girl tells her mum and dad who help her. Explains that it is not her fault. A rhyming book.
My underpants rule!
Fiction
A story that explains to children that what is under your underpants is private. No one is allowed to touch private parts and how to say no.
No means no!
Fiction
A story about bodily autonomy, personal space, consent and protective behaviours.
Play and learn: Paperdolls anatomically correct
Non-fiction
Anatomically correct paper dolls for learning about the human body. A series including paperdoll friends, paperdoll families and paperdoll superheroes.
Purchase Play and learn: Paperdolls (external site)
Cath Hak's review of Play and learn: Paperdolls (6min 8sec) (external site)
Portrait of Lotte 0-18 years
A video showing a girl (face only) growing from a baby to a teenager in 5min 28sec.
Portrait of Vince 0-18 years
A video showing a boy (face only) growing from a baby to a teenager in 3min 46sec.
Sex is a funny word: a book about bodies, feelings, and you
A 160 page comic book for the early primary school years that opens up conversations between young people and their trusted adults on bodies, gender and sexuality for children in a safe way.
So what is a vulva anyway?
This UK resource is aimed at educating young people about the vulva (the outside part of the female reproductive system that is often misnamed ‘vagina’). The booklet uses illustrations to normalise the wide range of ‘normal’ when it comes to the appearance of the vulva. It also details the changes which happen during puberty that are often not described.
Someday
Fiction - 42 pages (one sentence per page)
A story about growing from a baby to elderly person and experiencing different things