Book Review: Your Body Belongs to You | By: Committee for Children by Cornelia Spelman, illustrated by Teri Weidner Reading level: Preschool to Grade 1 Messages to young children about personal safety should be simple, brief, and not scary. Your Body Belongs to You hits the mark on all three counts. Author Cornelia Spelman opens with a positive message about touch: “Most of the time, you like to be touched. It feels good to get a hug or kiss.” She moves gracefully into the topic of unwanted touch, framing it in an unalarming light when she writes that you can still be friends with someone even if you don’t want them to touch you right now. In simple language, she tells young readers how they can tell—or show—someone that they don’t want to be touched, and get help from a trusted adult if the person “still doesn’t understand.” The rule about other people not being allowed to touch your private body parts is clear, as is the description of these parts: places on the body covered by a bathing suit. Spelman’s reassuring message comes full circle at the end, reminding readers, “Sometimes you like to be touched, and sometimes you don’t. But mostly, getting a hug or kiss and being close to other people feels good.” Teri Weidner’s soft illustrations support the book’s gentle approach. Your Body Belongs to You is an excellent companion to the Talking About Touching Pre/K and Grade 1 programs, in particular Unit II, Touching Safety. Spelman’s introductory note to parents emphasizes the need for children to receive plenty of warm physical affection and to learn how to say no to unwanted touch, and for adults to respect their reactions and boundaries. Social-Emotional Lessons in Your Body Belongs to You During Child Abuse Prevention Month or any time, parents and educators can read Your Body Belongs to You and then perform simple role-plays with their children, having them demonstrate how they would let someone know they do not want to be touched. For example, a child might say, “No, not right now!” Or a child can show he or she doesn’t want to be touched by pulling away or not hugging back. Challenge the children with questions like, “What if it’s someone you like, but you don’t want a hug from her?” “What if someone is tickling you and it’s fun at first, but then it’s too much?” “What if the person doesn’t understand right away that you don’t want to be touched?” Above all, make sure you respect every child’s boundaries—if she doesn’t want to kiss Grandma, she shouldn’t have to. Maybe she can wave or blow a kiss instead.