Consent and Body Autonomy Book Recommendations

You can have read all of the articles and followed all of the people, prepared everything you’re going to say and even prepared answers for the questions you think your kids are going to ask. You can take a deep breath, make a cup of tea, do all the right things and it can still be incredibly intimidating having a consent conversation for the first time if you haven’t done so before.

Below are some amazing books that you can get to give you a little bit of a helping hand and can take the pressure off you initiating the conversation.

C is for Consent by Eleanor Morrison

This book is a fantastic introduction to consent and a great conversation starter. This one is suitable for little ones as soon as they are born. It is a quick, easy read that follows Finn at a gathering where his parents are encouraging him to make his own choices regarding affection and bodily autonomy. My favourite part of this book is the last 2 pages where example questions and answers have been provided both for older kids and grownups and is a really nice wrap up to the story and a way to continue the conversation.

Only for Me by Michelle Derrig

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

It is targeted for little ones from 3-8years old and is a beautifully articulated and light approach to a really big topic. Through it’s rhyming nature it gently teaches kids about protecting their body and where they can seek help. It goes through the proper name for body parts from eyes to vulva to feet. On the last 2 pages it asks the reader or listener who are 5 adults they can trust and “what happens next” – it let’s the little one know that the next steps after they tell an adult is that it is the adult’s job to help them. This book articulates a critical message and everyone should have a copy of this book.

Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent & Respect by Jayneen Sanders

This book does an excellent job teaching kids about consent and boundaries in an age appropriate fashion. The book is suitable for kids anywhere from around 4 – 10 years old. It is a lovely articulation about not only the listeners/readers body boundaries and how they can expect them to be respected but also they have a responsibility to respect others boundaries as well. This book also provides further discussion questions corresponding to page numbers to continue the conversation long after the story is finished which is an incredibly valuable resource.

Welcome to Consent by Yumi Styles & Dr Melissa Kang

The blurb on the back of the book describes Welcome to Consent as “an inclusive, frank and funny guide to navigating consent for tweens and teens of all genders” and I think they have hit the nail on the head with that description. It is a non-combative yet extensive ‘one-stop shop’ consent book for older kids. It goes through everything from what a yes and no looks like, unequal treatment, how to set boundaries, feeling horny, the right to pleasure (I love that this is included because it is not talked about nearly enough with adults let alone teens), calling out adults and that’s not even the half of it. This book needs to be on the reading list in schools and a staple in every household with a teen and/or tween.

This is not even close to an exhaustive list – doesn’t even scratch the surface – however it is a great starting point and the above resources cover from 0-18 years old.