EVERYBELLY

Take a dip in a pool where everyone is welcome.

A brown-skinned child is gearing up to take a belly flop from the diving board. Along the way, the young narrator encounters members of the community, including Mr. Mendoza, who “is really quiet except on Sundays,” and Mr. St. Clair, who can’t swim (“but wow, does he sparkle” in his bathing suit). Since the child is only about as tall as most adults’ waists, readers generally don’t see other characters’ full faces, but their bodies—including their bellies—are on full, glorious display. Through cut-paper collage illustrations, Lam spotlights a noteworthy diversity; the bodies feature belly rolls, stomachs that hang over the waists of brightly colored shorts, six-pack abdomens, cellulite, stretch marks, vitiligo, freckles, scars (including some that appear to be from top surgery), insulin pumps, prosthetic limbs, and tattoos. Lam’s text brims with a childlike wonder that hints at the protagonist’s mischievousness (“Mr. Popov lives below us. He loves it when I tap dance. He always keeps time with his broom”). The characters vary in skin tone and ability, and the protagonist’s matter-of-fact, accepting attitude about everyone’s bodies is laudable—as is the gently integrated lesson on bodily autonomy (“But do not—and I mean DO NOT—stick your hands in other people’s bellies. Trust me, my cat taught me that the hard way”).

A unique, joyful celebration of bellies, bodies, and beauty.