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Of Personal Space And Accepting Oneself (Book Review)

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Book: My Space My Body – starring Taka Dimi
Author: Roopa Pai
Illustrator: Archana Sreenivasan
Publisher: Fitkids Education and Training Pvt Ltd
For: Children above 3 years

Books for children is an important responsibility; not just for the publishers and authors, but also for the parents and teachers. It is essential that the books we share with our children should not just be informative and engaging but also educational. My Space My Body (MSMB) is an interesting blend of all the above elements.


With the help of two characters – Taka & Dimi – siblings, the author tries highlight the importance of respecting personal space – physical and personal, both. The book revolves around these siblings and how their parents on a Sunday – a regular day try and inculcate these behavioural changes in them.

To understand this better I requested the author to clarify that why is it important to teach rather introduce the concept of ‘personal space’s’ to children in India?

Roopa replied that, “An understanding of personal space - both one's own and everyone else's - is vital for both children and adults. For children, it is important to understand 'physical' personal space - which is why the bubble concept has been used in the book. If they can learn to respect another's physical personal space, they will not indulge in disruptive behaviours like pushing, shoving, snatching, grabbing, etc. By the same token, they will not allow their own physical space - their bubble - to be breached by others. As they grow up, they will appreciate that people have other kinds of personal spaces - emotional, mental, spiritual and religious - which should be respected too. Understanding personal space is really about understanding how to respect oneself and the other.”

The second part of the book deals with accepting oneself (physically), with the help of a visit to a zoo on a Sunday. The parents of Taka & Dimi, in a fun way make them understand why they have been created they are and that there’s a lot more to do then they can imagine, with what they have been blessed.

Also the book has few activity sheets for children, to keep them engaged.

Overall, MSMB is a good and interesting book to get your kids to read. It attempts to introduce the value of personal and emotion of respect for oneself and others.

I received this book from the publisher against an honest review.
You can buy the book from Amazon.

My rating: 3.5 Stars
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