The shape of me and other stuff

One of the most beloved health communicators of all time was (and will always be) Dr. Seuss.

Long before going green was fashionable and we understood the social determinants of health, he gave voice to big ideas in such tales as The Lorax and The Sneetches.

Today, in the supermarket discount bin, I discovered yet another sweet classic Seuss tale:  The Shape of Me and Other Stuff.  It's a book celebrating the differences between forms; human, inanimate and otherwise.

I wish it were longer... With just eleven stiff board book pages to turn, one can hardly scratch the surface of body image narrative diversity.  And yet, in the single illustration to the left, one can notice how Dr. Seuss subtly subverts boy-girl pairs.

Dr. Seuss stood for the truth and that is why he could say,  

Just think about the shape of strings ... and elephants ... and other things. 

That is why he ends his book elated, saying:

  Hooray for the shapes we're in! ...