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FAT POSITIVE PICTURE BOOKS, an extraordinarily short thread since some people have been asking.
ABIGAIL THE WHALE by Davide Cali. The only one I genuinely love and the only picture book I've read that I feel accurately reflects FAT ACCEPTANCE, not just "body positivity" etc. Please read my review as to why: http://fatgirlreading.com/review-abigail-the-whale-by-by-davide-cali/
ROCK WHAT YA GOT by Samantha Berger. This isn't about fat acceptance but I think it's a good place to start conversations with kids about how we can talk to ourselves with love and kindness and be appreciative of our bodies and self exactly as we are. http://www.samanthaberger.com/books_rock_what_ya_got.html
BACKYARD FAIRIES by @PhoebeWahl - which has literally nothing to do with being fat EXCEPT the main character is a fat girl (she has a double chin!) and she goes on an adventure and discovers fairies and is very present in and on every page.
NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE by @DifferentAshley - I have LITERALLY been waiting for this one since the deal announcement because they specifically mentioned her body size and Ashley has been upfront discussing that element of the story: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062798602
HILDA MUST BE DANCING by Karma Wilson. This one I get you might be hesitant about because it's about a hippo that LOVES to dance, much to the chagrin of the other animals in the jungle since she is constantly stomping and crashing around. They wish she'd stop...but she doesn't.
so it becomes the rare picture book where an animal of size (a hippo) bashes her way into her true calling (WATER BALLET) by never giving up and believing steadfastly in her own talents, fuck the rest of the jungle. The last pictures of her in the water are simply joyous.
VOICE OF FREEDOM: FANNIE LOU HAMER by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes - because Fannie's body is present and powerful and kids need to see that in REAL LIFE fat people are capable of amazing, wonderful things without needing to change their bodies.
MY GREAT BIG MAMA by Olivier Ka - this one is translated (as is ABIGAIL) and I recommend it with some reservations. It has lovely, wonderful, glowing descriptions of the narrator's mother's big fat body. In fact he is PROUD when people call her fat https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6227697-my-great-big-mamma
but then she goes on a diet? ? so he does too, to show her how silly she is being ?? but then she admits the diet was just because of "what other people say" ?? and she stays fat. So... lot going on there, lol. But there's a lot you could dig into for convo and positive language.
And a brief shout-out for, I know this is ridiculous but true, a lot of the media related to the movie TROLLS. Because the TROLLS franchise has a fat troll named Bridget who is a queeeeeeeen. And she gets to be fun and cool and funky and lovely in the related books/comics.
And that's it! That's the whole list! Those are the only ones I can really recommend for showing fat bodies in a positive, loving light and almost all of them will still require further conversation with kids and a little stretch.
It's ... frustrating!
It's ... frustrating!
if you are an illustrator of books for children: ask yourself if you EVER feature fat people in your work. And if you do ask yourself how they are portrayed and where they fit into the universes you create.
if you are an editor looking for someone to illustrate a picture book, considering hiring a fat artist and letting them include fat bodies so they can make the world ... look the way the world actually looks. if you don't know any fat illustrators...start asking, be deliberate.
and, in conclusion, I obviously need to write a picture book.
once one of my storytime kids, one of my best and beloved, pointed at me and asked with ZERO MALICE: "Why is your tummy so big?" his mother gasped in horror. "I AM SO SORRY! SO RUDE I AM SO SO-" I smiled at him and said, "Because I'm fat." Another gasp of horror from the adults.
"I'm fat and that's just the way my body is. That's why my tummy is big." and the kid nodded and said, "OK."
That's it. No needs for gasps of horror.
That's it. No needs for gasps of horror.
also this thread is NOT JUST about fat kids in picture books! I mean fat adults too. Statistically, every kid you know, in your classroom, in your library, has at least one adult in their life they love and hang out with and care about who is fat. Where are THEY in picture books?
where are these characters in picture books? https://twitter.com/misskubelik/status/1031975223770247168
As I work on an article about this 
I want to add books by @yuyimorales, specifically LITTLE NIGHT/NOCHECITA and LADDER TO THE MOON (written by Maya Soetoro-Ng.) The way that Yuyi creates maternal figures who are literally the world AND fat and beautiful is beyond compare.
I want to add books by @yuyimorales, specifically LITTLE NIGHT/NOCHECITA and LADDER TO THE MOON (written by Maya Soetoro-Ng.) The way that Yuyi creates maternal figures who are literally the world AND fat and beautiful is beyond compare.
Also wanna add FRY BREAD by @noblemaillard and @juanamartinez, which is full of round, happy bodies (of all ages) who share love, food, and community, there's even some double chins. Juana's art in EVERY book is very full of love for different body sizes and shapes.
THE TRUTH ABOUT GRANDPARENTS by Elina Ellis. Not only tackles head on stereotypes about old people but throws in fat love too. A big, fat, joyous grandma who moves, loves, dances, lives !! with much delight and joy. This book made me cry with happiness. https://twitter.com/misskubelik/status/1231002344399216642
