TOB for Tots (Pauline Books and Media)

Theology of the Body (TOB for short) can be a deep and sometimes confusing subject for even the most educated Catholic. Pope John Paul II talked and wrote on the subject extensively, even before his pontificate. In the simplest of terms it discusses the human body and sexual love. That is the barest of barest details about it, and I have tried to read on it many times and have always walked away scratching my head and with more questions than answers. That's not to say it's not worth studying. It just means I don't have the intelligence to tackle it yet, but hopefully one day. With all of that said, imagine my surprise when I open up a box and discover three board books dubbed TOB for Tots. "How are toddlers supposed to grasp these concepts, when even I can't?" I said to myself, but I decided to give them a shot.

The book titles in the series are Everybody has a Body, Every Body is Smart, and Every Body is a Gift. Looking at the product codes, I believe this is the "proper" reading order. That's not to say you can't read them in any order as the message of each book can stand on its own. Each board book is twelve pages and contains pictures of children of all different races (always appreciated) in the toddler range, as well as their parents, and grandparents. The word body is in bold lettering everywhere it appears to reinforce the focus of the books. Everybody has a Body's main message is that God made our bodies, and how boys and girls are alike, but also stresses that boys and girls have different bodies as well. It does this without explicitly spelling out the differences. Everybody is Smart talks about listening to their bodies when they are hungry or tired and making good choices, like knowing to be quiet in church or eat something healthy and not just cookies. Everybody is a Gift teaches the children about love and how we can show love to others. At the end of each book is a section for adults to help you put the book and teachings in perspective for you and your children.

Overall, I was very impressed by this series. We are just now starting to slowly understand the beauty which is Theology of the Body, and I believe we should be trying to teach it children as early as possible. These books help accomplish that. I hope that there will be more in this series, and also a that there will be series for older children, tweens, teens, etc. I highly recommend these books for parents of young children, teachers, and catechists.

These books were provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review. If you found these books helpful, please click here, here, and/or here and hit Yes!