“Springs Dog Park is my happy place.” What a great way to start an interview. It’s my happy place, too, and I’m happy to have that in common with New York Times Bestselling Author and East Hampton local Susan Verde.
I met Susan on a beautiful day, surrounded by the joyful sincerity of dogs, at the Springs Dog Park, and conversation unfolded easily. What followed was a thoughtful exchange about her latest book, out this fall from Abrams Books, Body Beautiful, the messages we carry from childhood, and why the Hamptons still feels like home to her.
Verde’s ties to the Hamptons run deep. Longtime locals, like Ina Garten, will remember The Kitchen Classics, the beloved shop once owned by her family. That sense of connection to the East End has only grown stronger over the years—she raised her children here and now shares her home with two rescue pups from Wags & Walks, Archie and Thelma.
Good children’s literature is clear and direct, but that should not be confused with a lack of depth. The messages we receive as children have a real, lasting impact. “My latest book, Body Beautiful, is meant to help build a foundation of self-love at a young age.” A simple, but beautiful message.
SPOILER ALERT: The book’s final takeaway is a powerful, easily understood message with an important nuance: “your body is you.” That, to me, is easy to forget and important to remember.
Body image, especially, is something we bring with us throughout our lives – even if it doesn’t change and grow to match the seasons of our lives.
Susan’s inspiration for this book came from, “speaking with illustrator Steph Littlebird at a conference when we realized that neither of us could remember learning to appreciate and love our bodies—in fact, it was often the opposite. We both had plenty of memories of learning things to dislike or be anxious about.”
“All of my writing is meant to be a gateway to holistically introduce social and emotional skills, empathy, literacy, communication – any big idea distilled down to something simple. In Body Beautiful, the big idea is ‘how do we talk about our bodies.’”
Susan Verde and Steph Littlebird have created an essential resource for parents and educators in an often-overlooked subject: learning positive self-talk and developing appreciation for our bodies.
“Our bodies are all so different; it really is beautiful. But somewhere along the way, kids start to worry about how their body fits into categories. Social media doesn’t help. I hope the book Steph and I have made can be part of a foundation for appreciating and loving ourselves as we are.”
Like loving the Springs Dog Park, there is a universally recognized, obviously positive message: It’s good to teach kids to be confident and proud of their bodies. There is no commentary or opinion that is more geared toward adults than it is toward kids. “The point is that all bodies are beautiful; there is no competition or impossible standard.”
Body Beautiful is beautifully illustrated by Steph Littlebird, whose colorful and expressive artwork is engaging for all ages. “Steph’s ability to connect our bodies and our own beauty to nature, and represent a diverse and wonderful group of characters, is what allows the readers to see themselves and feel proud of their bodies as they are.“
Susan’s memories of summers out east are tinged with both nostalgia and gratitude, reflecting a genuine affection for the community she’s called home for decades. Verde’s family has been coming to Amagansett since the 1970s, and somewhere along the way, she “just stayed.” “I loved being a city kid and coming out here for weekends and summers. Back then, there were very few shops and hardly any traffic. It was all about riding our bikes and hanging out at Asparagus Beach. But soon it became a community. A place I craved to be in. As a teacher in Bridgehampton and then a parent, my community grew and my connections deepened, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, especially with kids and dogs.”
As a mother of three, Susan’s three children have been an audience and, at times, “my focus group” for the author’s extensive catalog of children’s books. So, what are their favorites? “My son Josh would say The Water Princess (he chose the title!); my daughter Sophia would choose I Am Me, and Gabe’s favorite is probably I Am Human.”
As we wrapped up our chat, the dogs were still running laps, blissfully unaware of the conversation their humans were having. For a longtime East Ender who has raised her kids, rescued her pups, and written stories that help shape how children see themselves, it’s fitting that her latest work circles back to the heart of it all: feeling at home in your own body.
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