When my three daughters were very small, we visited the library constantly. In every trip, we found loads of amazing picture books. But never did we ever find beautiful stories that celebrated disability, or the diversity within disability. Fast forward ten years… and the book of our dreams, by debut children’s book author Jenna Elyse Johnson, has arrived!
Meet EVERY BODY MOVE! by Johnson, illustrated by Ananya Rao-Middleton (Barefoot Books) — a joyful celebration of mobility aids. Lucky me, I first read this book as a manuscript, as Jenna’s PB Chat mentor. When we first started working together, Jenna shared many promising manuscripts, this story among them. It’s fun, triumphant tone caught my attention right away.
Here’s a summary of the story:
An original singalong celebrating kids with disabilities and the tools that help them access our world!
What helps your mobility? How do you groove?
Full of possibility! Every body move!
From flittin’, flyin’, flowin’ walkers to dartin’, jumpin’, dazzlin’ braces, there are so many cool inventions that help people move! Every Body Move! is an energetic affirmation for children who use mobility tools and a joyful celebration of an accessible world– set to an original groovy tune!
EVERY BODY MOVE! is a technicolor party that welcomes and invites readers to champion themselves and their friends. The catchy prose is punctuated with touches of rhyme, repetition and alliteration, creating a bouncy, musical, energetic read aloud that’s great for story time… and any time.
So, how did the book come to be? Jenna Elyse Johnson is here to tell us more. Come along as we go… Behind the Book!
How did this story come to you?
EVERY BODY MOVE! first came to me as a phrase. “Babe with a mobility aid.” I believe that was actually the original title for the story. Well, for the original version of the story that inspired the final version that is now published.
It’s a phrase that is used quite often within the disability community. It’s meant to highlight the fact that you can be fashionable with a mobility aid. You can be cute! You can be fun! Mobility aids don’t take anything away from you. They add freedom! That was the idea I was running with.
I grew up using a variety of mobility aids, though I didn’t feel a sense of joy from them. I, quite frankly, felt the opposite. Shame. Embarrassment. Different. I wanted to hide my mobility aids, and really my disability, from the world. But now, as an adult who has embraced the disability community, and who has been embraced BY the disability community, I want to reframe my thinking. So that’s when the idea for this story sparked.
Plus, kids today can have all sorts of fun, bold designs on their assistive tools. They can really show off their personalities! When I was little, my AFOs were white plastic. That was it. In high school, I got an arm brace that had kittens chasing yarn. I thought that was really cute. But I only wore that at night.
As for the actual phrase “babe with a mobility aid,” editors did NOT like it. I got many rejections early on, just from the title alone. They felt it didn’t sit well in the picture book space. And they are probably right. The word “babe” is tricky. Is it a baby? Or a teenager? Either way, not a picture book aged child. But I did keep the phrase in my dedication. :)
How did it evolve, as it came fully into being?
This story evolved in so many ways, as it came into being. You were a big part of that process, as my PBChat mentor, so THANK YOU!
First, the PBChat Mentorship in 2022. You helped me get the story into, well, a story! That version had many elements of the published version. And you helped me write a strong pitch and query letter, something that I think helped sell this book, in the end.
Then, in late summer of 2022, after sending it out to an agent, I got feedback that the story was really two stories in one. One more narrative story about a girl receiving her first mobility aid and one more concept story about bodies/mobility aids/movement. So I revised (again with your help!) and focused on the concept story. I renamed it to EVERY BODY MOVE! Then, DVPit rolled around and I submitted a pitch on Twitter. (Ah the good ole days of Twitter pitch parties!) And Autumn Allen of Barefoot Books liked my pitch! I was floored! I messaged her and she sent me instructions on how to submit to her.
ONE YEAR LATER: Autumn emailed me and asked if the story was still available. It was! By then, I was agented and looped the fantastic Christie Megill in to negotiate everything for me.
Before we signed the contract, Autumn asked if I was interested in the book becoming a sing-along? UM, YES! Who would say no to that?! Plus, I had seen Barefoot’s sing-along line and was honored that they wanted my little story to be among them.
As we came into the first round of edits, there wasn’t a lot for me to do. There were only three lines of text that changed from the original manuscript that I sent to Autumn.
But then, as we developed the song, things got interesting! Because the book is also a song, the story needed a chorus, or a repeating refrain. That was NOT in the original text I submitted. I worked really closely with Michael Flannery, the musician who wrote the music for the song, to make sure the lyrics fit well, musically. We ended up changing a few words throughout the text, to make sure that the song flowed well. I am SO happy that Barefoot brought Michael on, because I don’t really know anything about songwriting or music.
Barefoot also hired two sensitivity readers, to make sure that we were being as inclusive as possible. I am disabled and my main passion is to highlight disability joy through my writing, but I cannot speak for the entire disability community. I am grateful that Barefoot brought on more disabled creators to give feedback.
What is your biggest hope for this story?
My biggest hope for this story is that it helps ALL kids feel seen. Truly seen. And heard. And felt. And appreciated. And included. Especially disabled kids.
I hope more people get comfortable with the word “disabled.” It’s not a scary word. Or a bad word. Or a word we need to whisper. It’s way better than any euphemism like “differently abled” or “handi-capable.” That’s my opinion, anyway.
I hope that this book finds its way into both schools and homes. For both disabled and non-disabled readers. This book is for everyone! Music teachers can use this book to teach about music. You can download the score for free from my website or from Barefoot Books. Classroom teachers can use this book as an introduction to mobility tools and assistive devices. There is backmatter that explains more about each tool that is used in the book. Or this can just be a fun read aloud or movement break. The video animation and song is SO fun! Parents can read this book or play the song as often as they like with their children. And have whatever conversations they need to have.
This is the book I wish I had when I was little. So I guess my biggest hope is that a kid like me, a little Jenna, will read this book, and say, “Hey, that’s me!” And will finish this book with a smile on their face. I’m not sure you can ask for more than that.
Thank you for visiting Behind the Book, Jenna! So many readers will find themselves in this book, and the MANY books you have on the way. I’m so deeply honored to know you, as your early mentor, current critique partner, and forever friend! Here’s how to enter to win your copy of Jenna’s debut book:
Win a copy of EVERY BODY MOVE!
Visit @anitraroweschulte on Instagram
Like and tag a friend on the EVERY BODY MOVE! post by EOD Sunday, Nov. 2.
US entries only
The winner will be announced on Monday, Nov. 3. Wishing you the best of luck!
