Hello. This is Molly and I'm writing a personal blog post today because I want to share something that feels pretty monumental.

I've written my first ever children's book! Every Body is being published on 20th June by Puffin, for children and young people aged 9+. And you can pre-order it now!

Phew. It feels good to finally be able to say that.

A gender inclusive guide to body image and embracing the miraculous body changes of puberty, Every Body is for readers age 9+ … but also: if you have a body, you will benefit from this book! It’s about body image - and so much more.

Pre-order your copy here

Every Body has lived in my head since 2021, back when I had just finished the main thrust of publication activity around my first book, Body Happy Kids. Back then, I knew I wanted to write a book for kids, but I wasn't sure exactly what it would look like.

Fast-forward to September 2021 and I sent an email to my agent. It went something along the lines of "I've had an idea..."

That email turned into a meeting, and then another meeting, and then more emails (so many emails), and then lots of writing, and more meetings. And a year later, September 2022, we finally had a polished idea in the form of a proper proposal and sample chapter.

A week or so went by and I found out a publisher was interested. Then another publisher showed an interest too. By October 2022 I had signed with Puffin, the biggest children's book publisher in the world, and in November I went along to their headquarters in London for a meeting to hash out the nitty gritty of the book. Puffin is owned by Penguin Random House so their office is in the Penguin headquarters which - for a huge book nerd - is a Very Exciting place to visit.

I started writing a week later, and then worked on each draft of the book all throughout 2023 too. It went to print in January of this year. And last week, I finally got to see a copy of it with my own two eyes. Yes, I cried.

“Every Body will make the world safer, more inclusive and more compassionate for all bodies.”

— Laura Thomas PhD

I'm really looking forward to sharing more about the book in the coming weeks, but for now, here are the headlines:

💛 It's a gender inclusive guide to body image, because body image issues aren't solely experienced by teen girls.

💛 It covers all the things you'd hope for (puberty and body changes, social media, bullying, mental health) AND SO MUCH MORE. Think: the history of appearance ideals, how to navigate wellness advice online, and why health isn't just about eating lettuce.

💛 It's funny! And engaging! And full of warmth! Because what kid wants to read a text book of boring facts after a full day of learning at school?!

💛 The illustrations are NEXT LEVEL. Mollie Cronin, an artist and cartoonist based in Canada, absolutely understood the assignment and has made the book into something so very precious.

Here are three things you can do to support the book

Pre-order - pre-orders are SO IMPORTANT and can make or break a book’s success. So if you’re thinking of buying PLEASE DO pre-order. I like to think of pre-orders as like an act of kindness to my future self. You don’t get charged until the book gets shipped, you forget all about it and then - WHAM - the book drops through your letterbox on publication day.
Let your local library know - did you know you can request books at your local library? This is the joy of libraries! Email your local library or ask at the front desk next time you are visiting and request they pre-order some copies of the books for their children’s department.
Let your school know - we are currently taking requests for school author visits around publication week in June (this is being organised by the team at Puffin - send us an email at hello@bodyhappyorg.com if you’re interested and we will pass on the details!). BUT ALSO you can ask your school to purchase a copy for their library too. Or even better - buy a copy for them (we all know school budgets are super tight, this would make a nice present).

THANK YOU

All that remains to be said is THANK YOU for supporting the book, and for engaging with the work we do here at The Body Happy Organisation ™

If you know someone who might benefit from the book you can always send them this blog post too.

I appreciate you,

Molly 💛

Introducing... Every Body - a new book for readers age 9+

Here are three things you can do to support the book

THANK YOU