EVERY BODY MOVE!

A celebration of the ways we dance, explore, and thrive.

Centering both movement and disability, this picture book feels like it’s in constant motion. Each turn of the page reveals a different type of mobility tool, from canes of all sorts (“chunky canes, skinny canes, / swinging-back-and-forth canes, / TIPPIN’, TAPPIN’, TWIRLIN’ canes”) to walkers and wheelchairs. Bucking stereotypes, the book depicts disabled youngsters as active, busy, and exuberant. Johnson’s text is packed with related action verbs (cruisin’, flyin’, vroomin’, whizzin’), with scenes to match. The refrain “What helps your mobility? / How do you GROOVE? Full of possibility! / Every body move!” is a resounding cheer. Though many children’s books offer tokenizing depictions of disability, Rao-Middleton has taken great care with her portrayals; the images of wheelchairs and canes in particular showcase several distinct versions that are also named in the text. The backgrounds are colorful and simply drawn; characters range in skin tone, though there’s little variability in their facial expressions. The final page provides a glossary of mobility aids with child-friendly explanations of each. This book serves as a much-needed window and mirror for children. A QR code links to an animated video accompanied by a song version of the text, performed by jazz vocalist Audra Mariel.

Welcoming, joyful, and truly inclusive.