Every Body Move!

Jenna Elyse Johnson is a children’s author, teacher and bookseller with a particular passion for writing stories that highlight disability joy. Having grown up with cerebral palsy, and now living with other chronic illnesses, Jenna enjoys creating stories that feature all types of characters. She lives in Northern California, USA, with her service dog, Hamilton. www.jennaelysejohnson.comAnanya Rao-Middleton is an illustrator and disability activist who uses her art to advocate for greater representation and understanding of disability, diversity, and resilience. Her work highlights the beauty of difference and the power of empathy, aiming to empower children of all abilities to see themselves in the stories they read. Beyond her illustration work, she actively engages in social issues, drawing on her own experiences to create art that inspires a kinder, more inclusive world. Ananya lives between Lisbon, Portugal, and London, England.Audra Mariel earned a BFA in theatre from Kean University where she explored her love for Shakespeare and classical texts. After graduating, she performed, assistant directed, and directed local, educational, and touring productions. At 28 she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy IV, a degenerative muscular condition. Though she continued to perform in the theatre for many years, eventually she switched her focus to a less physically demanding creative expression for her – music. Audra is currently writing and performing her own original songs as Martin Howth, performing with her band, Audra Mariel & A Real Human Jazz Band, and with other jazz ensembles in and around New York City.

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.– Kirkus Reviews