Book Review: Body Talk Animated (kids read body language)(OT)

Body Talk Animated, The Big Kid's Course in Body Language by James Pyle and Maryann Karinch (Armin Lear Press, 2023, 98pp, $16 PB)(OT) Review by Skye Anderson.

Start with Emojis!

Body Talk Animated is a book for everyone. Just as the subtitle says, it is either a course for big kids, or, with poetic license, a big course for kids. Or, even a big course for big kids! But, definitely a course.

It starts explaining the FUN fundamentals of reading body language, which stand for Face, Upper body and Naval down: F for how the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, forehead ("wrinkle and crinkle"), etc., move to show what a person is feeling and what you would do if the signals conflict with one another. U is for the 'Upper body' - shoulders, etc., while N for 'Navel down' draws your attention to the legs and feet, among other parts.

Four types of expressions are then described and even the scientific names for a few of the 600 muscles! (Kids will remember the darndest things!)

And finally the reader will learn a 4-step process to use with real people, with movies and even with cartoons. With a movie trailer, first watch it for enjoyment, then with the sound off followed by a rerun with the sound on but your eyes closed (can you recognize the characters by their voices only?)  and finally with everything intact but scrutinizing for details. 

It's a little book but so chockful of information that you will have to take it slowly and do the exercises (fun homework to practice feelings and snap the expressions with your camera).

Knowing body language will come in handy in life situations, especially for kids, and, as a bonus, the authors occasionally give warnings. For example, if you receive conflicting signals from a stranger, get out of there, leave, go find an adult.

And Finally. . . . 

Pages of animated movies* with what to watch for. For example, could Snow White have been saved from being 'poisoned' if she had been able to read the facial expressions on her stepmother's face?

*Youtube has 6 minutes of "The Bad Guys" to practice on. . . .