'God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies' Book Review

I'm a mom to six kids, ranging in age from 15 to 1. I'm also a foster mom and a part of our Children's Ministry staff at church. So keeping kids safe is a big part of my life. That said, it can often be difficult to find the right words to talk to our kids about being fearfully & wonderfully made, while also discussing the fact our private parts as areas others shouldn't been looking at or touching. 'God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies' does an excellent job at assisting parents and affirming children!

DO NOT purchase this book and just hand it to your child to read alone. Read it yourself a few times, and then gauge the best way to read it to or alongside your child. It is also critical that you yourself become very comfortable in discussing private parts as well as their names--if you can't openly and honestly have a conversation, how will your child ever feel like he or she can really come to you with questions or concerns? Shame & embarrassment have no place within your verbiage. You MUST be proactive so that your child KNOWS you are 100% available in every way they might need you.

Ultimately, I think this book is even more for parents than it is for the child. But once the parent-or other safe adult-gains insight to the richness of this book, they will be able to teach their kids some fantastic Bible verses while opening up conversations that can be properly adjusted based on the child's age and comprehension.

This book is an excellent resource, and discusses a critical topic we so often avoid. I highly recommend it, and see it as a way to stop the silence and start the needed conversations so we can be the safe haven and advocate God expects us to be for our children.

* I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.*

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God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies(New Growth Press, September 2015)

“God made every part of you!”

It’s easy to convey the message to children that their bodies—or particular parts of their bodies—are shameful. This misconception fuels confusion, embarrassment, and secrecy, and often prevents children from recognizing or reporting sexual abuse.

God Made All of Me is a simply-told, beautifully-illustrated story to help families talk about these sensitive issues with two- to eight-year-old children. Because the private parts of our bodies are private, the home is the ideal environment where a child should learn about his or her body and how it should be treated by others.

God Made All of Me starts from the fundamental truth that God created everything and applies that truth—the doctrine of creation—to kids and their bodies. It equips parents to talk with both boys and girls about their bodies and to help them understand the difference between the appropriate and inappropriate touch of others. God Made All of Me allows families to build a first line of defense against sexual abuse in the safety of their own homes.

God Made All of Me is the first children’s book written by Rid of My Disgrace authors Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. Parents of young children themselves, the Holcombs regularly counsel victims of sexual abuse and are profoundly aware of the dangers kids face. Their simple and relatable story, designed to help children protect their bodies, will be an important resource for every family with young children.