"be proud of your bottom. it's lovely!"

CINDERELLA'S BUM
by Nicholas Allan - Red Fox Picture Books, 2004
ages baby to 12 years / emotional resilience, funny, read-it-before-you-need-it
 

I'm pretty sure the reason I read this book so many times had nothing to do with the funny story, the cute illustrations or the healthy body image messages.  

And I’m pretty sure my kids found it totally hilarious that I kept reading the word ‘bum’ out loud.

It was a forbidden word usually. But even when they were giggling, I hope they caught some of the message, the reason I kept reading it – people come in different shapes and sizes and that’s just fine. 

There’s also the other message, which comes through at the very end – sometimes we just need to look at a problem in a new way.

This is a FUNNY book. The pictures are funny and it’s funny to keep saying ‘bum’, which makes it easy to read often and easy to settle into when there’s a bit of gloom around the place. 

Essentially, the story goes that a little girl’s big sister won’t go swimming because her swimsuit is too tight and she's worried that her bum is too big. 

The little girl then launches into a monologue about the virtues of a big bum. She even says that sometimes she wishes she ‘had a bigger bottom too’. (To soften the blow on a bumpy donkey ride!) 

Then, after a whole list of reasons why her sister should embrace a big bum, she finishes by pointing out that her big sister had actually been trying on the little sister’s swimmers!

I love the line:

“So I said to my sister, ‘Be proud of your bottom. It’s lovely!’” 

If only we all had an appreciative little sister to keep reminding us of that!

You can buy Cinderella's Bum via these direct links: Amazon - Book Depository - Booktopia