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Everybelly
From acclaimed picture-book artist Thao Lam comes a joyful celebration of an oft-maligned body part — the belly!
Maddie and her mom spend a sunny day at the local public pool where she meets and greets friends and neighbors. Maddie is waist-high on most of them, and she knows there’s an interesting person behind every belly she passes — like Jackie, the artist with a splatter of ice cream across their belly. Maddie’s splatter painting often leaves Mama speechless, too!
The poolside belly parade keeps Maddie How bellies can make excellent tables, how hard some people work to keep their bellies flat when Maddie prefers her belly full, and how you should never, ever stick your hands in other people’s bellies, no matter how soft and doughy they might look. (Maddie’s cat taught her that the hard way.)
As Maddie dances, swims and makes the long climb up to the diving board, Thao Lam’s celebrated cut-paper collage portrays bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes — bellies with scars, tattooed bellies, growing bellies, growling bellies, bellies with six-packs, stretch marks, insulin monitors, freckles and more — proving that every belly deserves its place in the sun.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Maddie and her mom spend a sunny day at the local public pool where she meets and greets friends and neighbors. Maddie is waist-high on most of them, and she knows there’s an interesting person behind every belly she passes — like Jackie, the artist with a splatter of ice cream across their belly. Maddie’s splatter painting often leaves Mama speechless, too!
The poolside belly parade keeps Maddie How bellies can make excellent tables, how hard some people work to keep their bellies flat when Maddie prefers her belly full, and how you should never, ever stick your hands in other people’s bellies, no matter how soft and doughy they might look. (Maddie’s cat taught her that the hard way.)
As Maddie dances, swims and makes the long climb up to the diving board, Thao Lam’s celebrated cut-paper collage portrays bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes — bellies with scars, tattooed bellies, growing bellies, growling bellies, bellies with six-packs, stretch marks, insulin monitors, freckles and more — proving that every belly deserves its place in the sun.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2025
90 people want to read
About the author
Thao Lam
12 books30 followersThao Lam has been creating pictures for as long as she can remember. For her, drawing has always felt as natural as breathing. She has an insatiable love for coloured and textured papers, which she uses to create her exuberant collages.
Passionate about children’s books, Thao is especially interested in visual storytelling. She draws inspiration from the stories she hears, from the beauty in everyday things, and from the work of the many illustrators she admires. As an art buyer for an educational publishing company, she has the opportunity to work with thousands of different artists from all around the world.
Since studying illustration for three years at Sheridan College in Toronto, Thao has developed her dual careers of illustrating and art buying. Her art works have appeared in publications such as Cricket and Highlight magazines. In 2008, she won the Highlights Five Pewter Plate award for verse illustration of the year. She has twice been chosen for the American Illustration Awards.
Passionate about children’s books, Thao is especially interested in visual storytelling. She draws inspiration from the stories she hears, from the beauty in everyday things, and from the work of the many illustrators she admires. As an art buyer for an educational publishing company, she has the opportunity to work with thousands of different artists from all around the world.
Since studying illustration for three years at Sheridan College in Toronto, Thao has developed her dual careers of illustrating and art buying. Her art works have appeared in publications such as Cricket and Highlight magazines. In 2008, she won the Highlights Five Pewter Plate award for verse illustration of the year. She has twice been chosen for the American Illustration Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 19, 2025
although I like the artwork, it was intentionally lgbtq and somewhat a bunch of disconnected thoughts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 28, 2025A joyous celebration of bellies through the lens of one kid at the pool introducing all the people-- and accompanying bellies— they know. Better for one-on-one or small group reading since there's a lot in the beautiful collage illustrations and they are indivisible from the text.
Themes: Bellies, Bodies, Fat Justice/Positivity, Pool, Community
Age range: Toddler-Early Elementary
Themes: Bellies, Bodies, Fat Justice/Positivity, Pool, Community
Age range: Toddler-Early Elementary
September 22, 2025
I really wanted to like it because of the theme and the author, but I just couldn't get into the writing. The illustrations were awesome; it's the best feeling to see so much diversity in one book. But the writing felt disjointed at times, even though I wanted to like what the narrator was saying.
December 31, 2025
I loved the realistic differences in this book. Some eoe have hairy legs, different skin colors, and body shapes.
March 11, 2025
Everybelly is an inclusive love letter to bellies of all shapes, sizes, and shades. A light-brown skinned girl named Maddie introduces us to the idiosyncrasies of her fellow neighbors as she greets them at the community swimming pool: “Vibhuti’s in a band. They know how to keep a beat!” and “Mr Duffy used to be a bus driver…the map of the city etched on his skin.” Maddie notes that bellies have a variety of uses: to grow babies, eat cookies, form a table for a snack, a pillow for another’s head, or display artwork– “Whoa, what’s the story behind that masterpiece?” The text celebrates childrens’ natural curiosity and wonder, while issuing a humorous reminder to respect boundaries: “DO NOT–stick your hands in other people’s bellies. Trust me, my cat taught me the hard way.” Thao Lam’s paper-cut collage illustrations are attractive and playful, emphasizing each body and belly as unique to its owner. Everyone is pictured from Maddie’s point of view: adults from the neck down in colorful bathing suits; the squirming bodies of young children and babies in full. Themes include community, celebrating differences, and self-love. Lam’s belly-positive message answers back to western diet culture and idealized body types. As Maddie says: “When my belly is full, it’s nice and round. But an empty belly goes flat. Mama works hard to keep our bellies full. Some people work hard to keep their bellies flat. But why?” Maddie’s observations and gentle wisdom will leave readers of all ages with a more well-rounded perspective on this most tender body part. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
May 5, 2025
Our delightful lead introduces us to many of the occupants in their building, but instead of us seeing the residents' faces, the focus is instead on their bellies! And what a wonderful variety of bellies it is! Big bellies, wrinkled bellies, bellies with age spots, and stretch marks. There are c-section scars, heart surgery scars, and scars from masculinizing chest surgery. There are caramel bellies, chocolate bellies, and bellies that look like speckled cream. In other words, there is wonderful diversity and body positivity!
I also like that there is some great humor mixed in (it's likely only adults and older kids will catch onto some of it). For instance, "Mr. Popov lives below us. He loves it when I tap dance. He always keeps time with his broom," and "I am an expert in splatter painting. My works of art often leave Mama speechless." There's a bit of humor (mostly relating to jellybeans) that little kids can appreciate, too.
This has great body positivity for almost all types of bellies, but it does seem to cast a little shade on flat bellies, "Some people work hard to keep their bellies flat. But why?" Hmm, after looking back through the book, I guess there are a couple of flat bellies of people who don't have to work hard to keep them so. Also, since that's often the "ideal," I guess, most people with flat bellies don't really need reassurance about how their bellies are (though I have known the rare person who struggled with gaining weight and was self-conscious of their being so thin).
I also like that there is some great humor mixed in (it's likely only adults and older kids will catch onto some of it). For instance, "Mr. Popov lives below us. He loves it when I tap dance. He always keeps time with his broom," and "I am an expert in splatter painting. My works of art often leave Mama speechless." There's a bit of humor (mostly relating to jellybeans) that little kids can appreciate, too.
This has great body positivity for almost all types of bellies, but it does seem to cast a little shade on flat bellies, "Some people work hard to keep their bellies flat. But why?" Hmm, after looking back through the book, I guess there are a couple of flat bellies of people who don't have to work hard to keep them so. Also, since that's often the "ideal," I guess, most people with flat bellies don't really need reassurance about how their bellies are (though I have known the rare person who struggled with gaining weight and was self-conscious of their being so thin).
December 17, 2025
Thao Lam’s Everybelly is a joyful celebration of bodies and the stories they carry. With her signature cut-paper collage style, Lam invites readers to view bellies—not as flaws to be hidden, but as fascinating, expressive canvases that reflect a life lived. From the freckled and tattooed to the scarred and stretch-marked, each belly in this book tells a quiet, powerful story.
What’s especially delightful is how Lam filters the narrative through Maddie, a curious young girl who meets all these bellies at the public pool. By placing Maddie at belly height, Lam quite literally shifts our perspective, helping readers see the beauty in parts of ourselves that are often stigmatized. It's a clever, loving approach that fosters body neutrality and self-acceptance without ever sounding didactic.
I was immediately drawn in by Lam’s recognizable visual language—the color palette, the textures, the playful chaos of the collages. But what lingers long after reading is the parade of diverse bodies that fill these pages with quiet joy, reminding us that no two bellies are the same, and every one of them belongs in the sun.
What’s especially delightful is how Lam filters the narrative through Maddie, a curious young girl who meets all these bellies at the public pool. By placing Maddie at belly height, Lam quite literally shifts our perspective, helping readers see the beauty in parts of ourselves that are often stigmatized. It's a clever, loving approach that fosters body neutrality and self-acceptance without ever sounding didactic.
I was immediately drawn in by Lam’s recognizable visual language—the color palette, the textures, the playful chaos of the collages. But what lingers long after reading is the parade of diverse bodies that fill these pages with quiet joy, reminding us that no two bellies are the same, and every one of them belongs in the sun.
May 27, 2025
This is a celebration of the many sizes, shapes, and appearances of bellies in the world.
A young girl and her mother go to the public swimming pool one day. She makes observations about all of the bellies she sees.
Told from the viewpoint of the short girl, most of the illustrations show most of the people from just below their chest down to their feet. There is a wide range of diversity to be seen in the story: older people, young people, buff bodies, many colors of skin, tattoos, big bellies, differing abilities, a nursing mother, and even one with a surgical scar!
Thao's illustrations were created using cut-paper collage. She uses white space to great effect. The horizontal form of the book works well with the top portion of adult figures bleeding off the top of the book - very effective!
A fun summertime read to share with young ones.
Recommended for ages Toddler-Pre-K.
A young girl and her mother go to the public swimming pool one day. She makes observations about all of the bellies she sees.
Told from the viewpoint of the short girl, most of the illustrations show most of the people from just below their chest down to their feet. There is a wide range of diversity to be seen in the story: older people, young people, buff bodies, many colors of skin, tattoos, big bellies, differing abilities, a nursing mother, and even one with a surgical scar!
Thao's illustrations were created using cut-paper collage. She uses white space to great effect. The horizontal form of the book works well with the top portion of adult figures bleeding off the top of the book - very effective!
A fun summertime read to share with young ones.
Recommended for ages Toddler-Pre-K.
April 11, 2025
I love cut paper collage!
And Thao Lam may just be the best at it. (One Giant Leap is so underrated!)
The pictures are definitely the shining star here, but on the whole, this is a wonderful story about body diversity and positivity. This just might be the most diverse book I've seen. And it is just all in the background and in the details.
And the details! The way Lam designed and created each of the bodies in this book is beautiful. And it showcases the beauty of every body - even ones with scars, stretch marks, big ones, small ones. All the things about bodies that we've been told to cover up or be ashamed of are on display in all their glory here.
It's fun and its great. Love it.
And Thao Lam may just be the best at it. (One Giant Leap is so underrated!)
The pictures are definitely the shining star here, but on the whole, this is a wonderful story about body diversity and positivity. This just might be the most diverse book I've seen. And it is just all in the background and in the details.
And the details! The way Lam designed and created each of the bodies in this book is beautiful. And it showcases the beauty of every body - even ones with scars, stretch marks, big ones, small ones. All the things about bodies that we've been told to cover up or be ashamed of are on display in all their glory here.
It's fun and its great. Love it.
April 17, 2025
What a unique look at the wide variety of people (and bellies) at what appears to be an apartment or neighborhood pool! The narrater is a belly high girl who tells about all the people who live near her and are enjoying a summer’s day in the water. Thao Lam’s wonderfully textured and colorful collage illustrations shows those people from belly down…because isn’t that the perspective of the speaker/narrater? By the time she is done and has settled in and relaxing on her favorite belly (her mom’s), readers will have seen a diverse set of people-all ages, skin tones, body shapes, and an equally diverse set of food preferences, jobs and personality traits. All in all, a great celebration of all people. And all bellies!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful book with me, Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful book with me, Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
April 3, 2025
I received access to a copy of Everybelly from the publishers through work.
I LOVE the illustrations here! The paper collage adds so much texture and visual interest to this story as we follow a kiddo from their apartment to the community pool. I love that we get a kids view of the world -- belly height -- and only other children have faces. I love seeing cellulite and scars of all kids -- c-sections, open abdominal surgery, top surgery -- and stomas and diabetic monitors. Seeing big bellies, soft bellies, bellies that work out, bellies with hair. It is so beautifully done!
I LOVE the illustrations here! The paper collage adds so much texture and visual interest to this story as we follow a kiddo from their apartment to the community pool. I love that we get a kids view of the world -- belly height -- and only other children have faces. I love seeing cellulite and scars of all kids -- c-sections, open abdominal surgery, top surgery -- and stomas and diabetic monitors. Seeing big bellies, soft bellies, bellies that work out, bellies with hair. It is so beautifully done!
April 12, 2025
A girl goes to the pool and sees all kinds of bellies. I love the format of this book. The illustrations are made out of paper, and you only really see everyone from the neck down, or mostly their bellies. The little girl we see the whole of, and she tells us about the different people, and what they like to do, who they are and what they like to eat. We get to know them and their bellies through the images and text. The message is clear, that everyone has a different body, but they are all special and beautiful. Unique and amazing. Really special book.
May 7, 2025
Grab this picture book that helps kids feel good in every body!
EVERYBELLY is a brilliant, sun-soaked celebration of bodies in all their beautiful forms. Through the eyes of one spirited kid at the pool, readers are introduced to a vibrant cast of characters, each with their own unique belly and story.
Thao Lam’s paper-cut collage illustrations are vibrant and full of personality, highlighting the uniqueness of every body and belly with charm and playfulness. Written with warmth, humour, and heart, this book invites us to embrace body positivity and community, one belly at a time.
EVERYBELLY is a brilliant, sun-soaked celebration of bodies in all their beautiful forms. Through the eyes of one spirited kid at the pool, readers are introduced to a vibrant cast of characters, each with their own unique belly and story.
Thao Lam’s paper-cut collage illustrations are vibrant and full of personality, highlighting the uniqueness of every body and belly with charm and playfulness. Written with warmth, humour, and heart, this book invites us to embrace body positivity and community, one belly at a time.
July 2, 2025
The collage art is pure delight: the textures sing on the page and it makes me want to cut paper into my own designs. They would be awful, but this artwork is so good that it still makes me want to try it myself.
The entire book reads from the perspective of a child and so the reader sees all the bellies at that level. We also follow a stream-of-consciousness kind of story from that same level. Delightful.
The entire book reads from the perspective of a child and so the reader sees all the bellies at that level. We also follow a stream-of-consciousness kind of story from that same level. Delightful.
July 22, 2025
Thank you to Groundwood books for sending this book our way to read and enjoy.
This was a cool book because the way the artwork was done, it’s like paper cut outs almost, it reminds me of claymation and I love it ahha. We really enjoyed the way the author did show all types of bodies/ bellies and it’s okay, no one is perfect and everybody looks different. It also teaches some things to know, like never touch people bellies, especially if it’s your cat haha.
We would recommend this read.
This was a cool book because the way the artwork was done, it’s like paper cut outs almost, it reminds me of claymation and I love it ahha. We really enjoyed the way the author did show all types of bodies/ bellies and it’s okay, no one is perfect and everybody looks different. It also teaches some things to know, like never touch people bellies, especially if it’s your cat haha.
We would recommend this read.
October 26, 2025
Kirkus's picture book of the year, this delightful humorous silly concept book looks at all the shapes and sizes of bellies. From a young girl Maddie's view, readers see so many members of his community on their way to the swimming pool. Views and opinions and attitudes about bellies are presented: the way some people work to keep their bellies in shape, others feel bad about their belly.
Delicious pictures in cut paper collage highlight the diversity of bellies in pastels.
Delicious pictures in cut paper collage highlight the diversity of bellies in pastels.
November 24, 2025
This book is a celebration of bellies! And also of a community coming together at the apartment pool. And moms. And yummy food. Plus it is very, very funny! And has a wonderfully diverse representation of people. It also promotes self love. It doesn't matter what your belly looks like or even how it sounds. But it's a good idea not to poke someone else's belly. Especially the cat.
Also - jelly beans are great. But not in the toilet.
Also - jelly beans are great. But not in the toilet.
June 23, 2025
Summary: Maddie and her mom went to the local pool. As they walked or swam by the neighbors, Maddie shared funny stories about them, observing their bellies.
Comments: A funny and diverse book about the many bellies around the neighborhood.
The illustrations were created in cut-paper collage.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Comments: A funny and diverse book about the many bellies around the neighborhood.
The illustrations were created in cut-paper collage.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 27, 2025
I love this joyful, silly, inclusive celebration of bellies. With breast feeding mothers and pregnant women and people whose bellies have undergone surgeries, I love how this book features people from many different walks of life. I also appreciate the high energy and positive perspective of Maddie, the narrator, who loves bellies and doesn't understand the desire to minimize or shrink them.
May 8, 2025
One little kid innocently describes unique facts about life and the world while we as the readers see different types of bellies. From stretch marks to tattoos, top surgery to body hair,
this innocent youth provides a great perspective on the celebration of bodies!
Love that!
this innocent youth provides a great perspective on the celebration of bodies!
Love that!
November 12, 2025
Honestly, the story part of this is very random -- it definitely feels in tune with the narrating child, having a swimming pool outing. I love the body positivity and the inclusivity. Great message for us all.
December 28, 2025
The paper pieced illustrations captivated me! I love the concept and how everyone in the book is so normal. I also loved the inclusion that characters represented: hearing aids, wheelchair, young and old.
Fantastic book!
Fantastic book!
December 30, 2025
This is a picture book that needs rereading for it all to come together. The loosely connected thoughts of the narrator sometimes speak to the bellies of the people talked about and sometimes not, in a very kid-logical way. Neat collaged illustrations by the author.
April 5, 2025
Loved it. Great message!
April 11, 2025
Sometimes a book breaks into us and shows us things we didn't know we needed to hear/see. The textures, colors, and details in this book are extraordinary.
April 23, 2025
Very cute!
June 3, 2025
I understand the reason for the book, but I don't think it's intention matched the words and illustrations to elicit a warm celebration of everyone's body.
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June 8, 2025a well done story about all the bellies, beautiful paper illustrations
June 10, 2025
Such a beautiful book! Celebrates ALL bellies! Shows bellies of all different ethnicities and body types. Bellies with tattoos, diabetic pumps, top surgery scars, stretch marks, and hair.
July 30, 2025
Great, fun book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews