My Body Beeps! Growing Up with Diabetes
Katherine Lockwood
North Street Book Prize 2025 (view all the winners)
First Prize, Children's Picture Book
Critiqu
e by Jendi Reiter
Katherine Lockwood's cheery and educational picture book My Body Beeps! Growing Up with Diabetes, illustrated by Olga Sall, features an active little girl named Katie who just wants to play hide-and-seek like her other friends, but the sound of her glucose monitor keeps giving her away. A pal with asthma helps her find humor and companionship in their differences. Playful in spirit, with vibrant illustrations, this book has appeal beyond those directly affected by its topic, as kids in this age group can easily relate to the push-pull of independence versus safety.
First-round screener Annie Mydla explained why this story stood out from the mass of entries about kids coping with disabilities: "The character doesn't simply 'get over' her frustration or 'grow up about it'. Instead, a practical adaptation helps her above a certain comfort threshold, making the situation manageable."
I really liked how resilient and matter-of-fact Katie appeared. In Sall's colorful illustrations, Katie is often smiling, robust-looking, and active. She enjoys being a kid. Diabetes is just an ordinary part of her life, like wearing glasses or being short. It requires some work-arounds but doesn't make her an object of pity.
This book succeeded in combining two objectives that are hard to mix in the proper proportions. It's an "issues" book that has to get across a message within the constraints of a short and simple story, and it has to tell that story in a way that's engaging for kids. How does it pull that off?
For one thing, narrating it as a mix of dialogue and Katie's internal monologue keeps the text concise. Many message-heavy picture books in our entry pool go with third-person exposition, which tempts the author into wordiness and too-adult vocabulary.
Another good strategy was to focus the story on just one way that diabetes complicates Katie's life. Moreover, the problem in question is kid-sized and has humorous potential. It's not a scary medical complication or an issue that requires adult intervention. For readers who want more background about juvenile diabetes, there's a two-page spread at the end of the book with Katie writing an explainer on a blackboard. Her body language is energetic and upbeat here, too. The back-cover flap includes discussion questions.
We also gave this book high marks for text/image integration. The font is friendly and easy to read, with color changes that always make it pop against the background. The physical book is a sturdy paperback with not too much gloss on the pages. A professional effort, all around!
Read an excerpt from My Body Beeps! (PDF)
Buy this book on Amazon.
