It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (The Family Library)

I took a look at four books on puberty and reproduction with the help of my children, ages 7, 12, and 15. The books are Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole; What's Happening to My Body by Lynda Madaras, a title which has both a girl book and a boy book; and two books by Robie H. Harris, It's So Amazing and It's Perfectly Normal. I'll paste this review for all four books since it contains comparisons. We are keeping Cole's book, still considering Madaras's book, and returning Harris's two books. My favorite of the four books is Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole of Magic School Bus fame, and I confess that it led me to think of a number of inappropriate MSB titles for it that made me snicker like the target age group. But I digress. This book is written in simple question and answer format under different sections. For instance, early in the book, there is a heading Finding Out About Sex with two questions: Is it normal to be curious about growing up? and Is it okay to ask about sex? With these questions, she simply answers that yes, it's perfectly normal, without falling into the pitfall that other books on puberty and reproduction can fall into, making children self-conscious and embarrassed with their constant stressing of how self-conscious and embarrassed the child probably is. Instead, the matter-of-fact tone assures children that it's all good. Asking About Sex and Growing Up covers the questions simply in a conversational tone and seems largely unbiased to me. For instance, in many of the questions, she mentions different points of view, such as how some people are opposed to sex before marriage while others disagree. This leaves room for parents to further discuss these issues in light of their own beliefs. This book does discuss abortion, but I felt that Cole kept her bias on this topic to herself, too. After reading her answers to four different questions about abortion, I'm not sure what she personally believes about it, which is as it should be in an educational children's book. She also covers topics like sexual abuse and STDs. I also love that she has a section stating that the most important thing to know about sex is respecting both oneself and others. Overall, I really like this book. I like that it is not specific to either boys or girls, instead covering all the information for both sexes. I also feel like it could be used for either secular or religious households because she does maintain a respectful understanding that people of different beliefs feel differently about many of these topics. Second place goes to What's Happening to My Body, though I'm still not 100% sure about this one for reasons I'll explain. First, I'll comment on the positives. One of the things that I particularly like about this one is the inclusion of quotations at the beginning of each section from different adults who have completely different points of view. For instance, the first chapter begins with four quotes about puberty from four adult men who all had different opinions on what puberty was like for them. I think that can be helpful to let children know that whatever they think of what their bodies are doing, it's okay. Like Cole's book, this book is really detailed and goes into all kinds of topics, including masturbation. Both Cole and Madaras are matter-of-fact about this issue and assure kids that it's not harmful and, most importantly, that there's not anything wrong with them if they do so. And since I mentioned this topic in the reviews for the other books, I'll mention that this book does not discuss abortion at all though there is information about abortion and Planned Parenthood in the Resources section. I am confused at some of the negative reviews, however. Many of the topics, including slang words for genitals, that people reported do not seem to be in my edition of this book. However, other topics are present that I'm disturbed by. I'm not convinced that the book needed to include a discussion of hymens, blue balls, or boys masturbating together. Because of these topics, I might let my 15 year old son read the book, but I would not let my 12 year old read this one. I expected the Robie H. Harris books to be preferred by my children because of the simple, cartoon style of the books. However, none of my children cared for these books at all. The older two said that What's Happening to My Body was far more detailed--they didn't always appreciate the extra details, but they agreed that if we're reading books for information, more details beat fewer. They also simply didn't find the two cartoon characters at all amusing and questioned their inclusion. Their preference is why we chose against these books. However, I have my own issues with these books, and that issue is in the bias. Don't get me wrong here--I knew that It's Perfectly Normal contained information about abortion before we got it, and I felt that Cole's book mentioned above handled the topic well. That said, I particularly didn't like that this chapter is biased while pretending that it's not biased. The chapter begins by defining abortion as "a medical procedure performed for the purpose of ending a pregnancy," and it mentions that it can be an emotional decision. So far, so good. But this is followed by a full page speaking of abortion with positive descriptions and a long list of reasons people might want an abortion. Another page and a half is devoted to discussion of court cases and laws. And in one single paragraph, children are told that some people think abortion should be illegal, that they believe "that an embryo or fetus has a right to life--a right to grow in a woman's body and to be born whether or not that woman wants to have a baby." So, emphatically not unbiased. As this is a book for the education of children, and the cover states that the book is for ages 10 and up, I personally feel like the discussion about abortion could have just had the first paragraph--it's a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy and people's feelings about it are not always simple. No more is necessary for the stated age group. Even worse, she mentions that sometimes an abortion happens on its own, which is called a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. That may be accurate, but equating a miscarriage with the medical procedure in a book written for 10 year olds is out of line. I was also disgusted to see it mentioned in It's So Amazing, which is for ages 7 and up. This one has only a paragraph about abortion, but even that is inappropriate for the age group in my opinion, and this page, which also discusses adoption, ends with the cartoon characters agreeing that they "like to have lots of choices." So in the end, I agreed with my children regarding the amount of information contained in these books compared to the others, and I also dislike them for these additional reasons. In the Cole review, I mentioned a common pitfall of puberty and reproduction books, that of potentially making children self-conscious about the subject by harping on how the reader is probably self-conscious. All four of these books avoid this pitfall. One thing that I did like about Harris's books (even though my children didn't) is the cartoon characters, specifically that the bird is excited and wants to know more while the bee seems to feel like the entire subject is TMI. All of these books attempt to make it clear that a child's feelings about this subject are fine, regardless of what those feelings are, and I imagine that they are largely successful.

This book is a planned parenthood endorsed piece of garbage. It’s disgusting, lacks accuracy/honesty and discusses anal, oral and vaginal sex with cartoon pictures. It also teaches about abortion. Don’t be fooled by the copies sold

I bought this to see with my own eyes of what schools would be teaching our children! Not happy with the content! I as an adult was very uncomfortable with this!! This is like rated X stuff!!!

This is extremely inappropriate for adolescents. The illustrations are unnecessarily graphic (do we need to see naked people bending over?) I'm all for giving kids real facts and information to protect their health and to teach them to use birth control correctly, but this book is just gross. Maybe the point is to creep them out so they'll practice abstinence?

unfortunately I had to return the book because there are several pictures that are unnecessarily vulgar, When I read about the illustrator I learned he is not qualified to teach children about sexuality, he has no degrees related to this field, no art degree, he is not a parent, nor teacher, and not heterosexual. He is not qualified to teach most children about sex and sexuality. Also the age recommendation of 10 years is ridiculously low.

I'd think this is more appropriate for a 13+ year old, I was looking for something a little more basic without going crazy about everything sex related. Not for a 10 yr. old quite yet.

This is not what I wanted my son to learn about sexuality. It is the parent’s job to explain heterosexual, homosexual love and all things related.

Please note that this book does not hold back when talking about sex nor does it hold back with its pictures. You need to decide your comfort levels about sex and what you feel is appropriate for your children. I found this book to be very informative and written at a level for preadolescent kids to be able to easily understand. It's laid out with illustrations and small comics in a way to help keep their attention. It does show naked bodies, genitalia , people having intercourse, and so forth. It covers a variety of topics that are important in today's world such as no means no, how to stay safe online, be careful what you text and email, and of course, safe sex practices.

This is absolutely not appropriate for children. Sexualizing children & telling them how good sex feels is appalling. The images look like pronagraphy for kids. They even have a spot where it tells my 10 yr old how they can speak to a health official about birth control without my concent. Then the very next chapter is on Abortion. Are you kidding me, who thinks this is appropriate for a 10 year old. Absolutely nothing good can come from teaching children anel, vaginal, and oral sex feels good. It makes it seem like it's normal behavior for children to have sex. Even stating this is a way you can show someone you care about them. Horrible!!!!!!!

Too graphic, in my opinion for the age listed. I am glad we read it before we have it to our son. We returned it.

I took a look at four books on puberty and reproduction with the help of my children, ages 7, 12, and 15. The books are Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole; What's Happening to My Body by Lynda Madaras, a title which has both a girl book and a boy book; and two books by Robie H. Harris, It's So Amazing and It's Perfectly Normal. I'll paste this review for all four books since it contains comparisons. We are keeping Cole's book, still considering Madaras's book, and returning Harris's two books. My favorite of the four books is Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole of Magic School Bus fame, and I confess that it led me to think of a number of inappropriate MSB titles for it that made me snicker like the target age group. But I digress. This book is written in simple question and answer format under different sections. For instance, early in the book, there is a heading Finding Out About Sex with two questions: Is it normal to be curious about growing up? and Is it okay to ask about sex? With these questions, she simply answers that yes, it's perfectly normal, without falling into the pitfall that other books on puberty and reproduction can fall into, making children self-conscious and embarrassed with their constant stressing of how self-conscious and embarrassed the child probably is. Instead, the matter-of-fact tone assures children that it's all good. Asking About Sex and Growing Up covers the questions simply in a conversational tone and seems largely unbiased to me. For instance, in many of the questions, she mentions different points of view, such as how some people are opposed to sex before marriage while others disagree. This leaves room for parents to further discuss these issues in light of their own beliefs. This book does discuss abortion, but I felt that Cole kept her bias on this topic to herself, too. After reading her answers to four different questions about abortion, I'm not sure what she personally believes about it, which is as it should be in an educational children's book. She also covers topics like sexual abuse and STDs. I also love that she has a section stating that the most important thing to know about sex is respecting both oneself and others. Overall, I really like this book. I like that it is not specific to either boys or girls, instead covering all the information for both sexes. I also feel like it could be used for either secular or religious households because she does maintain a respectful understanding that people of different beliefs feel differently about many of these topics. Second place goes to What's Happening to My Body, though I'm still not 100% sure about this one for reasons I'll explain. First, I'll comment on the positives. One of the things that I particularly like about this one is the inclusion of quotations at the beginning of each section from different adults who have completely different points of view. For instance, the first chapter begins with four quotes about puberty from four adult men who all had different opinions on what puberty was like for them. I think that can be helpful to let children know that whatever they think of what their bodies are doing, it's okay. Like Cole's book, this book is really detailed and goes into all kinds of topics, including masturbation. Both Cole and Madaras are matter-of-fact about this issue and assure kids that it's not harmful and, most importantly, that there's not anything wrong with them if they do so. And since I mentioned this topic in the reviews for the other books, I'll mention that this book does not discuss abortion at all though there is information about abortion and Planned Parenthood in the Resources section. I am confused at some of the negative reviews, however. Many of the topics, including slang words for genitals, that people reported do not seem to be in my edition of this book. However, other topics are present that I'm disturbed by. I'm not convinced that the book needed to include a discussion of hymens, blue balls, or boys masturbating together. Because of these topics, I might let my 15 year old son read the book, but I would not let my 12 year old read this one. I expected the Robie H. Harris books to be preferred by my children because of the simple, cartoon style of the books. However, none of my children cared for these books at all. The older two said that What's Happening to My Body was far more detailed--they didn't always appreciate the extra details, but they agreed that if we're reading books for information, more details beat fewer. They also simply didn't find the two cartoon characters at all amusing and questioned their inclusion. Their preference is why we chose against these books. However, I have my own issues with these books, and that issue is in the bias. Don't get me wrong here--I knew that It's Perfectly Normal contained information about abortion before we got it, and I felt that Cole's book mentioned above handled the topic well. That said, I particularly didn't like that this chapter is biased while pretending that it's not biased. The chapter begins by defining abortion as "a medical procedure performed for the purpose of ending a pregnancy," and it mentions that it can be an emotional decision. So far, so good. But this is followed by a full page speaking of abortion with positive descriptions and a long list of reasons people might want an abortion. Another page and a half is devoted to discussion of court cases and laws. And in one single paragraph, children are told that some people think abortion should be illegal, that they believe "that an embryo or fetus has a right to life--a right to grow in a woman's body and to be born whether or not that woman wants to have a baby." So, emphatically not unbiased. As this is a book for the education of children, and the cover states that the book is for ages 10 and up, I personally feel like the discussion about abortion could have just had the first paragraph--it's a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy and people's feelings about it are not always simple. No more is necessary for the stated age group. Even worse, she mentions that sometimes an abortion happens on its own, which is called a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. That may be accurate, but equating a miscarriage with the medical procedure in a book written for 10 year olds is out of line. I was also disgusted to see it mentioned in It's So Amazing, which is for ages 7 and up. This one has only a paragraph about abortion, but even that is inappropriate for the age group in my opinion, and this page, which also discusses adoption, ends with the cartoon characters agreeing that they "like to have lots of choices." So in the end, I agreed with my children regarding the amount of information contained in these books compared to the others, and I also dislike them for these additional reasons. In the Cole review, I mentioned a common pitfall of puberty and reproduction books, that of potentially making children self-conscious about the subject by harping on how the reader is probably self-conscious. All four of these books avoid this pitfall. One thing that I did like about Harris's books (even though my children didn't) is the cartoon characters, specifically that the bird is excited and wants to know more while the bee seems to feel like the entire subject is TMI. All of these books attempt to make it clear that a child's feelings about this subject are fine, regardless of what those feelings are, and I imagine that they are largely successful.

This book is a planned parenthood endorsed piece of garbage. It’s disgusting, lacks accuracy/honesty and discusses anal, oral and vaginal sex with cartoon pictures. It also teaches about abortion. Don’t be fooled by the copies sold

I bought this to see with my own eyes of what schools would be teaching our children! Not happy with the content! I as an adult was very uncomfortable with this!! This is like rated X stuff!!!

This is extremely inappropriate for adolescents. The illustrations are unnecessarily graphic (do we need to see naked people bending over?) I'm all for giving kids real facts and information to protect their health and to teach them to use birth control correctly, but this book is just gross. Maybe the point is to creep them out so they'll practice abstinence?

unfortunately I had to return the book because there are several pictures that are unnecessarily vulgar, When I read about the illustrator I learned he is not qualified to teach children about sexuality, he has no degrees related to this field, no art degree, he is not a parent, nor teacher, and not heterosexual. He is not qualified to teach most children about sex and sexuality. Also the age recommendation of 10 years is ridiculously low.

I'd think this is more appropriate for a 13+ year old, I was looking for something a little more basic without going crazy about everything sex related. Not for a 10 yr. old quite yet.

This is not what I wanted my son to learn about sexuality. It is the parent’s job to explain heterosexual, homosexual love and all things related.

Please note that this book does not hold back when talking about sex nor does it hold back with its pictures. You need to decide your comfort levels about sex and what you feel is appropriate for your children. I found this book to be very informative and written at a level for preadolescent kids to be able to easily understand. It's laid out with illustrations and small comics in a way to help keep their attention. It does show naked bodies, genitalia , people having intercourse, and so forth. It covers a variety of topics that are important in today's world such as no means no, how to stay safe online, be careful what you text and email, and of course, safe sex practices.

This is absolutely not appropriate for children. Sexualizing children & telling them how good sex feels is appalling. The images look like pronagraphy for kids. They even have a spot where it tells my 10 yr old how they can speak to a health official about birth control without my concent. Then the very next chapter is on Abortion. Are you kidding me, who thinks this is appropriate for a 10 year old. Absolutely nothing good can come from teaching children anel, vaginal, and oral sex feels good. It makes it seem like it's normal behavior for children to have sex. Even stating this is a way you can show someone you care about them. Horrible!!!!!!!

Too graphic, in my opinion for the age listed. I am glad we read it before we have it to our son. We returned it.

The most disgusting book I ever purchased for my kids. It is a porn book in comic style!! I will return this book and will make a public post on my social media as well. Abortion, masturbation, surrogate and in vitro fertilization does not belong in a book for kids this age and talking about options. We need to teach our kids to protect life and see the beauty of our sexuality and not how to end life! Disgusting and in no form suitable for kids

This book is not age appropriate and should be called grooming 101. This book is for adults in cartoon form. It has a very casual approach to porn, telling kids it’s okay to look at others bodies and touch them when curious (big red flag and grooming tool) different ways to masturbate, all forms of sex, including anal and oral with a cartoon picture of a woman riding a man (right within the first 6pages)... Appropriate for a 10 year old? Let’s continue, casually talks about abortion and makes it seem as natural as a miscarriage (even making miscarriages seem like no big deal) without talking about the serious side effects emotionally and physically. They talk about the morning after pill and the ease of getting it. Same with birth control, many of these forms have had lawsuits and recalls because of the serious side affects and/or irreversible damage, like IUDs. Cases where little pieces of metal stuck in their bodies and it’s so painful they no longer can have sex. It makes light of the affects of porn on children, basically saying it’s ok to like porn and if you don’t, that’s ok too. Research has shown the immense negative affects it has on teens and definitely children. It also tells kids to look up sex on the “safe” internet. Really? If the internet was safe, ONLINE CHILD TRAFFICKING would NOT be a BILLION dollar industry and an epidemic. PERIOD. It’s absolutely misleading and misguiding. This book will hurt kids more than help. Groomers goals are to build trust (think Larry Nassar, 368 victims) They twist things in away where you know something doesn’t sit right, you have a gut feeling about it, but you shake it off anyway. Example: this book casually throws in clearly adult content (not appropriate for children) but people are blinded by the cartoons and the casual approach to EVERY topic. This book is what they are using in some public schools, elementary and up. That should be alarming. We hear about coaches and teachers abusing children... can you imagine how this book will be used by someone looking to prey on children? I’m appalled and greatly concern. We are seeing a push to over sexualize children and make pedophilia acceptable. This books contents is NOT “perfectly normal” for children. This book is another step in over sexualizing children and robbing them of their innocence. Note: Author was on the board of Planned Parenthood and this book has been banned in many public libraries.

I thought this book was completely inappropriate for the ages described. No way I would show this to my 11 year old son. I am not sure why a 10 year old would need to know about an IUD

I am really happy I bought this book. Some reviews were not positive and made me scared a little. I am stubborn and bought it anyway. Glad I did. If you are looking to buy this book it is because your child is ready to hear/read informations related to human body. Stork stories is not real life so let's provide kids with real life information. Gave it to my 13 yrs old boy. Let's give kids tools to start life cleverly. Not because YOU are not comfortable with those talks that it means you child is the same. It's 2019! Not 1950.

Oral sex anal sex? Very inappropriate for this young age. So disgusting.

Very inappropriate for kids. Glad I looked at it before giving it to my kids. Vulgar and unnecessary illustrations!

Holy hell. Let me start by saying I would have voted for Bernie and this book made me want to be a Republican. Do you think it's appropriate for a 10 year old to be told "changing your mind" is a fine reason for an abortion? Before going on to list several other reasons and then at #7 in your list include rape? Do you think children that age need to even know abortion exists? Or rape? Just casually mentioned as #7 in a list? It's a CHILDREN'S book - at least that's what I consider a 10 year old to be - and children need education not indoctrination. They do not need to be encouraged to look up their state laws regarding abortion. And the illustrations are creepily sexualized. Again, this is coming from a left leaning, pro-choice female. If you are looking for a book to cover regular, hair-in-funny-places topics that a boy might not like to hear from his mother, run far away. I would much rather explain masturbation and wet dreams to him myself.

Really a VERY well done book. Please ignore the reviewers who seem more comfortable with Victorian morals than 21st century reality. Honestly, it's wonder some of the reviewers ever managed to procreate at all! Our ten year old son hasn't read all of it; just the sections a boy his age would start to be curious about. Usually he'll ask us about things he read a day or so later, either to verity he got it right, or for additional details or whatever. I think this is probably how it was meant to be approached: a reference for kids who are just starting to feel, or notice, some changes in themselves or their peers. He also laughed out loud when I mentioned some parental reviewers were "outraged" that it had "inappropriate content." Not only is the book very light and non-threatening in tone, it builds in characters that clearly speak to a child's hesitations in exploring some of the potentially "embarrassing" materials. It's a Bird and Bee that narrates all the topics and when one comes up that might be more challenging usually one of the two might even say "Oh weird!" or "Hey, this is freaking me out a bit, can we come back to this later?" So it allows a child to feel ok about maybe not confronting ALL the details all at once. The illustrations are about as innocent and non-threatening as possible while still being factual. Seriously, NOTHING in here should be the least bit offensive or shocking to an adult. And kids who are uncomfortable can skip over those parts- but at some point they will want to know, and NEED to know. And they can come back and learn about them in a safe and healthy manner. Otherwise, let's be honest: it's going to misinformation from kids at school, or worse. This book is there to make sure that's NOT the way they learn about their bodies and how things work.

As a Montessori teacher and mother I 100% endorse this as a teaching tool for young people not quite at puberty but with questions that deserve an honest response. We agreed that in our home we would give our son the information and then he could ask anything he wanted. My son keeps it in his night stand and reads it after bedtime. It has spurred honest conversations in our home about what we believe as Christians and what is healthy and normal for his age. The illustrations are very accurate but if you would prefer your child not see an illustration of masturbation or LGBT information then this is not for you.

NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN! Especially if you do not want to introduce transgender, gay, bisexual topics at 10 yrs old!

Please heed this warning (and many other reviews) DO NOT purchase this book if you intend to pass it along to adolescents! I might even go as far to say not even for those in their mid teens. Many pornographic drawings in this book that are COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY for education purposes but great for sick people/pedophiles who seek to groom, expose and sexualize young children. I made the mistake of purchasing this book based on the suggested age recommendation listed and was **mortified** that my 10 y/o saw these images. Gross.

First, definitely not appropriate for most 10 year olds. Maybe 14-15 year olds. It's graphic; way beyond necessary. Also, there's a big difference between sex and gender. Another reviewer complained about how "woke" it is -- on the contrary, it's not nearly "woke" enough. It was written twenty years ago, and despite being "updated" it shows. Cringe. I'm glad I read this before incorporating it into our schooling. This did not make the cut. It will be going into the trash since it's too late to return it. I would highly recommend this alternative, however: Sex Positive Talks to Have With Kids by Melissa Pintor Carnagey LBSW https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L2L5DK9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This book is a fantastic resource. It shares factual information about both sexes in a non threatening way. While I also appreciate books that focus on only boys or only girls the charm of this well structured book is that it allows curious tweens to learn not only about sex and their own sexuality, but to also hear what the opposite sex may be experiencing. Having my son understand female anatomy and the normal facts and functions of menstruation as well having my daughter know about erections and ejaculation in a way that is non threatening and less embarrassing for them is invaluable. I read through it first, read some sections with each of them separately, and then left them to peruse the rest on their own. We also leave them notebooks where they can write any questions they want to ask us. We write back. It's easier than asking directly sometimes.

I am a mental health counselor and I work with children, teens and families. I love this series of books!!! I have bought so many copies and lent/given them out to friends and clients. Talking to children about bodies, sex and sexuality can be intimidating. Most parents aren't really sure where to start or when to start talking about these issues. Harris's series of age appropriate books takes the guess work out of family sex education. It is extremely important to educate your children on topics of healthy sexuality, bodies and families. Believe it or not, you are probably more nervous about talking to your children about sex than they are. They can handle the truth. Seriously. Just follow along with the book and take a matter of fact sort of attitude when reading together. Allow children to ask questions and do your best to give accurate answers. Children will learn that its ok to have questions and to talk to their parents about these issues. Favorite things about the series: 1. Age appropriate books allow parents to start educating their children early! I have seen many families try to provide too little information too late. By the time a child is reaching puberty, they have likely heard inaccurate information about sex from media or other children at school. Adolescents are also much more likely to get embarrassed when their parents try to talk with them about these issues. 4 year olds, and even 10 year olds are unlikely to be embarrassed. They will follow along with the fun cartoons and simple straight forward text and pictures. I have found that older children have also benefited from being exposed to these books.It's a little more difficult with older children who express embarrassment. Try to stay calm and matter of fact to make them more comfortable. I like to ask older children what they already know and then use to book as a resource to fill in gaps of knowledge. 2. The books are inclusive and talk about important topics such as love, intimacy and different types of families. One of the major topics that families miss when sex educating their children is the emotional aspect of sex. These books allow the opportunity for parents to talk about the emotional implications of engaging in sexual acts and creating a family. This opens up opportunities to talk to children about your family's beliefs and values surrounding sexual relationships. 3. These books talk about safety and sexual assault "good touches and bad touches". One of the important reasons for teaching young children accurate information is to protect them. Children who know proper names for genitalia and have been taught healthy sexuality are more equipped to report sexual assault. I always remember a story from when I was working in a residential treatment center for children. One young girl had reported that her uncle touched her "pussycat". It took a long time for anyone to figure out that she had been sexually assaulted because of the use of a euphemism. Children should not be ashamed of their bodies. Teach proper sexual anatomy words to young children along with head, shoulders, nose and feet. They won't be embarrassed, but if you are, you can explain to them that talking about their private areas when in public is socially inappropriate. I always explain to young children that their private parts are anything that is covered up when they put on a bathing suit. That seems to be simple enough. I strongly encourage parents and caregivers to check out this series!

This is a wonderful book; especially if you believe in teaching your children truth and facts as I do. The visuals in the book are great... which is what is needed. The best way to prepare your children for adulthood is raw truth....which is why I don't understand people who are upset about how detailed the graphics in this book are....but I digress ***massive eyeroll*** If you want to properly raise well informed children who are well prepared for adulthood....and would rather not the world miseducate them.... BUY THIS BOOK.

Way to vulgar.

My husband and I have been absolutely thrilled with this book. While it was a little shocking at first, we realized it was exactly what we needed when it came to honest and thorough sex education for our tween boy. Once we were able to let go of our own misguided puritanical notions, my husband, myself, and our son were able to comfortably expand on conversations we have been building on for a few years now with ease. The illustrations are informative without being provocative, and the information covers, at least briefly, a range of topics that all kids will eventually find themselves curious about. For anyone out there who is ready to have real conversations about puberty, sex, relationships, gender, sexuality, etc. with your child, but is hesitant to purchase this book because of negative reviews on here calling it "disgusting" etc., let me offer you some wisdom: YOUR CHILDREN WILL HEAR ABOUT ALL OF THIS STUFF REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOW THEM THIS BOOK. THEY WILL HEAR ABOUT IT AND MORE FROM THEIR PEERS, OR GOD FORBID, ON THE INTERNET. IT IS INEVITABLE. IT IS UNAVOIDABLE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SHELTER THEM, OR WHAT "VALUES" YOU TRY TO INSTILL IN THEM. THEY WILL HEAR ABOUT ALL OF IT, THEY WILL HAVE QUESTIONS, AND IF YOU DON'T SIT DOWN WITH THEM WITH A BOOK LIKE THIS AND TEACH THEM YOURSELVES, THE ANSWERS THEY SEEK OUT WILL BE INCORRECT AT BEST, AND DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS OR DISTURBING AT WORST. So do yourself and your child a favor and read this book with them. They deserve to have some semblance of how their body, mind, and the world around them works, and they deserve to learn it from you.

I went to Christian schools growing up and never had any sex education at all. We had youth group leaders telling us not to have sex and warning us about STDs and pregnancy, but no one ever defined it, explained it, or had anything positive to say about it, not to mention LGBTQ people. Now my middle-schooler is in Catholic school and it's the same story still, so I needed a resource to be able to educate and discuss the topic in a way that will help her stay safe and avoid getting the complexes I was given about the topic. I skimmed through the book and I'm happy with how they presented these topics, including the religiously-sensitive ones of masturbation, birth control, and abortion. My only complaint, and reason for 4 stars instead of 5, is that they don't even mention asexuality in the chapter about different types of sexuality. I think it's really important in covering the landscape of what's "perfectly normal" to mention the fact that some people don't have much or any sexual attraction at all. Particularly for middle schoolers who may be late bloomers or asexual and confused about why their peers are so interested in this topic, having crushes and getting into dating etc, and they may feel like something is immature or wrong with them if they don't have that same interest. The "bee" character appearing in the marginalia throughout the book does represent kids who are kind of uncomfortable or less interested in the topic, but that's not the same thing as providing affirmation of asexuality as a perfectly normal and valid orientation, even for teens and adults.

I wish my parents had bought me a book like this rather than learning lifes truths from a bunch of uninformed older kids. This book covers both boys and girls, which is healthy as we should no more about our bodies as humans. It's a sex ed book, it's going to have pictures and information about genitals, so not sure why so many people are shocked by that revelation. I bought this for my first kid when they turned 12, and that copy was squirled away and lost so I just bought a second copy for my younger. These are our bodies folks, there's nothing terrifying or gross, just facts about the human body and reproduction. It gave my child the confidence to know what was happening to her body as it went through changes, and gave us both a more comfortable spot to start dialogue from.

Had to return. Sketches were overly graphic and some inappropriate.

Great book with excellent pictures and just the right level for 10-11 year old. We are reading some of it together and some independently. Nice way to spark real conversations about all the gossip and goings on in 5th grade.

I thought this book was great! It gave all of the facts. However, it might be more than some parents want their kids to have but for my family it was just right. I want to err on the side of them knowing more rather than less. One chapter gives plain talk without making a big deal about peoples differing sexuality (gay, lesbian, bi). Another chapter discusses abortion. My 10 yr old son did not want to read this together so I gave it to him to read through and told him I was open to questions anytime. After I saw his bookmark getting to the end of the book I went back to specific points I wanted him to know about what our family values were related to sex and other topics covered in the book. As he gets older we will be talking more but I thought this book gave him all the facts he would need to lay a good foundation for the later talks.

First of all, I want to say that this book is not for everyone. The cover clearly states for ages 10+ but as parents, please use your best judgment, no one knows your child better than you. I bought this for my 11-year-old son who has been coming to my husband and I about feeling "overwhelmed" (his word lol) about growing up. This book covers everything from sex (as in gender, the act - what it is and how to do it), to sexuality identity, masturbation, menstrual cycles, sexual abuse, STIs, and everything in between - yes EVERYTHING about BOTH genders. There are also anatomically correct pictures of all kinds of body types and all parts of the body. My husband and I chose to read this book with our son as a family one chapter a night as to not overwhelm further. If this still sounds like your cup of tea, I will say it is very well written and narrated in a child book manner by a lovely Bird and Bee character. I can only speak to my personal experience, and that is that it has helped us open the way for more conversation, answer a lot of questions, and have a few good laughs.

There are many good explanations of puberty and how the body changes into an adult and about sexuality. The book slides in abortion, gay sexual activities, and contraceptives as if they should be accepted by all. If you’re simply trying to teach your children about the basics of puberty and sexuality without brainwashing them to think like our modern culture, stay away from this book.

Saw this on a TV show. Looked like a good idea, but OMG way too many Details! Kids don't need to know That Much!! Need to break it up into smaller books so we can give them little by little. Geez! I got rid of it the minute I opened it.

I got a 2nd copy of this book so each of my kiddos could have their own copy. I feel like it addresses topics that were things each of my kids were curious about but too embarrassed to ask. My one who is a reader by nature, wanted to read it on their own. the other, we actually read it together and even though I thought it would be awkward at first, I feel like it's written in a way that's totally appropriate but also gives the information they need. I think as an adult, the cartoons are a little cheesy, but they serve a purpose for the kids: one character is all grossed out and stuff, and the other is just curious and interested, so it kind of normalizes both responses which is a good thing because everyone is at a different point with their feelings on the spectrum about all things sex-related. I also like that towards the end of the book it talks about things like safe sex, sexual identity and preference, and even abuse (because I think it's important that they recognize it if god-forbid it ever happens to them!). if nothing else, it's a tool for opening up or furthering discussion about things they are hearing or seeing (movies/friends/media) and giving them facts and a doctor's perspective, rather than another 11-or 12-year-old's take on it. I think it is better to educate our kids with real information they can use to make their own decisions down the road, rather than to withhold information and just tell them "not to do it".

On page 17!the book has an illustration of a women bent over with a mirror looking at her anus, vagina , etc . I found it odd. The human body is a wonderful thing to learn about - but come on! No woman I know has ever bent over the way this picture shows and stares at her anus and vagina - I find that the photo might be too distracting for young minds - could’ve been a better illustration/

I feel a little torn about this book. I’ve been having an ongoing conversation about these topics with my oldest child since she was two or three and we started with “your body is yours” and saying no. A lot of the topics in this book, we have already covered. I’m not sure how she will handle gaining some of the information I haven’t approached at all, such as abortion or anal and oral sex. On the other hand, I appreciate the thoughtful care that went into these pages. It’s a gentle,conversational style that repeats some key,comforting phrases such as “it’s perfectly normal” and “it makes good sense” (to wait to have sex until you are old enough to take good care of a baby). I’ve read through the reviews and I disagree the images are pornographic. Yes, there are some naked, cartoon children on the pages. That’s entirely appropriate for a modern book about puberty that addresses the normal curiosity of an adolescent. I would not give this book to my nine year old son. It would be far too much for him. But I think it will be very helpful for my daughter who is nearly 13.

This is en EXTREMELY thorough book about sex. If you are like me - and prefer to dole out the information a bit slowly - this isn’t the right book for You. Anal and oral sex, STD’s/AIDS, abortion and transgender topics are covered. I don’t think this is appropriate for my 8 or 10 year old girls yet - but it will be eventually. It’s much easier to bust this book out when they start asking hard questions than for me to stammer and studder through it!! I also noticed many people mentioning “no nudity” when author speaks about sex. I believe this not true at all....There is nudity all over the book - but done in “cartoon” drawings that are fairly appropriate for each topic.

This book is NOT an intro to puberty book!. It explains the “bird and bees” and both male and female anatomy is addressed in this book and what intercourse is. It’s the next step book and explains things better than some people would and separates those awkward explanations. You know. Like the ones that get misinformed and lost in translation. Your child needs to be ready for this book. I really like that it explains different kinds of relationships (hetero and LGBTQ) and what are respectful healthy relationships. There are cartoonish funny comics that break it down at the kids level. There are also graffic illustrations (drawings) of anatomy but not real pictures of people. My child is 13 and as much as I’d love to secure their innocence they still hear and are learning stuff from their peers and those conversations are rarely accurate. This book is best for those who have started puberty. I suggest the parent read it first, make a decision, highlight key points you want to emphasize then give it to them. If they are becoming curious about sexuality this is the book.

I did a quick look before giving this to my young sister and I feel that overall it explained the topic of sex and sexuality in a very careful way. The book is very reassuring and considerate in the way it deals with its most serious topics, neither condemning or shaming anyone. I see all the reviews here were critical of its contents but the reality is that this IS human sexuality and it is PERFECTLY NORMAL. There is nothing pornographic about this book, is it descriptive? Yes and that's exactly what I wanted. This is the reality of sex and it does a good job explaining what it is. Are the pictures "obscene"? No, it's just a cartoon description of what the sex organs and insides look like. I was expecting a full blown graphic instruction on how to have sex but that's not the case. It just explains what every part of the vagina/penis is and what it looks and feels like. I think that is okay. Sure is mentions anal sex and abortion, but these are very real things, which no one should be shamed for. Not part of you family values? How about you inform your kid anyway and let them judge it for themselves. Better have them informed than wondering around the internet, experiencing themselves, and asking strangers questions. Instead, I think this book will further open conversation and build trust between family members. The only thing that slightly bothered me was the "feeling sexy" when it mentioned pleasure, just because I found it to be an odd way of describing that "tingly" feeling we get when being stimulated. Also, my mother who is a catholic approved. I was expecting the drawings to discourage her, but no, she gave the OK. I also told her everything that was in the book and it was still ok. Let me just say that this book doesn’t encourage the sexualization of children, instead it encourages them to think about the possible outcomes of sex. I kept reading “it’s okay to wait” and to consider the possibilities of babies. So it doesn’t paint sex as a “hey kids come have sex, it’s fun!”, instead it approaches it in a scientific way. It’s informative and it’s also considerate. People here are just too scared of sex, It’s a wonder how they even came to have children of their own.

This book is laced with explicit images of naked children. This is child pornography and illegal to sell.

I'm so torn on what to write for a review, because I mostly like this book. But, be aware that it dives right into several things that you may/may not want to discuss with your kids right off the bat. Since this is an intro to sex book, I really had a hard time with the fact that it introduces anal sex. And, right up front....honestly, it was about page 4 or 5. Sure, we're going to share and teach him a lot, but now isn't the time to bring up anal. Not at age 10.

When my son was 3 and asked how his baby sister got in mommy's tummy, I bought the first book in this series, It's Not the Stork. It was excellent and covered what he wanted to know, and grew with his as he had new questions. We followed up that book with It's so Amazing which has sparked some excellent questions and conversations along the way. At 10, he asked for the next book, so we got him this one. I was nervous because of some bad reviews but I read it cover to cover before giving it him, and feel confident about his reading it on his own. I'd rather he learn about tough subjects from a book with my in the next room to answer questions rather than going down in internet rabbit hole or hearing misinformation from a friend. Many topics I wouldn't know how or when to start the conversation, so this gives us a starting point before he hears it somewhere else. I'm very pleased with this purchase, and value honesty, openness, and science.

READ THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU GIVE IT TO YOUR KID. I wish I had known what was in this book before our son read it. My husband and I had a miscommunication and he let my son read it before I could check out the content. I was mortified that my 11 year old read this book. It is for much older than a 10 year old, in my opinion. Maybe for some they want their 10-11 year old to know about all the different types of sex one can have, but we were not ready for that and neither was our son.

There was little to no protection for menses in this underwear, and the material is, I believe, not healthy for lady parts.

I purchased this book for my son when he turned 13, but waited one extra year before I gave it to him because I wanted to look it over well and the illustrations are comical in nature yet very clinically detailed. I wish I had this when I was 13. Upon giving it, I told him he may have a question that he was embarrassed to ask and it was a book to keep around as a reference “just in case”. It started a great dialogue between us and was a great ice breaker.

This book covers it all and in an easy-to-manage layout. It will help parents to start the conversation and kids to work through understanding their bodies, relationships so that they can be healthy and safe. It is unbias to gender and sexual orientation. It covers every relationship with accurate information at an age-appropriate level and without shame of any kind. This is an overall great book, I am reading it with my 9yo boy.

This book is incredibly inappropriate for children and I am shocked it is marketed for ages 10 and up. The content is way too advanced and definitely geared to an older age group (maybe 16+); I was actually disgusted at some of the language used and some topics covered such as rape, abortion, gay sex, etc. I will be returning this book and will do everything in my power so that my kids never get their hands on similar material. Awful!

Got her 3 books, 1 all about girls (Celebrate Your Body), 1 all about boys & ths book... The difference with this book, is that it goes into detail for both male & female genders and what they go through as their bodies grow & how sexual intercourse happens and pregnancy & more more more... Great informational text with pictures. Age appropriate for pre teens

THE TALK. It can be awkward, but it needs to happen with every child. We are honest and open with our kids, and weren't worried about it too much, but this book has been REALLY helpful. We didn't sit down and read it cover to cover, but rather use it as a supplementary resource when questions arise. The illustrations are clear and appropriate, as is all the narrative and explanation.

This book must have made it on some conservative hit list given the barrage of 1-star unverified reviews. There is a strong undercurrent of homophobia and masturbation-shaming in these reviews. This is a great book, as are others in this series. I have a teen and preteen. We’ve reviewed these books together, and they have read them on their own. Purchase this book if you want comprehensive information. Yes, there are detailed drawings in this book, but they are not BAD. They celebrate our different bodies and our sexuality. You are living under a rock if you don’t think that kids can find far, far worse on the internet. Or if you don’t think that many (all?) of the topics in this book are being discussed among middle school age kids at school. Trust me, they are. I’d prefer that my kids learn about these topics from their parents, utilizing informative books like this one.

Very graphic for a child. I returned this book immediately. I could write so much more, but I'll stop there. Definitely not what I thought it was.

Ok I’m hoping someone will read this, because it’s important! The first time I saw this book was in a children’s library section and I was mortified. I even sent some pics to my friends asking “would you ever let your kids look at this??” So fast forward to me going through my 12 yr old sons phone and finding so many in appropriate things. Talk about mortified. So after researching, I read that making sure they have a resource to look to for questions (besides the horrible internet), is so important. So after all my crap talking I got it for him. I absolutely think 10 is way too young for these images but for older kids who are curious and have internet access of any kind, it can keep them hopefully from seeing crazy stuff!

Disgusting book,not appropriate for kids at all. I bought it for my presentation on how our kids are being groomed with the new comprehensive sexxx education in washington state. Parents beware of what's happening in your schools. This book is given to 4th graders, not appropriate.

My son 5th grader did a sex ed class with a local organization, and they used this as their "textbook." I was so impressed. It is clear, straightforward, and very informative. I also really appreciate that they address issues like gender presentation, sexuality, abortion, and more with just the right level of detail for middle schoolers. I was very pleased with the book.

Omg this book is NOT for 10-year olds. Holy smokes. Despite the fact that nobody has pants on in the book, the drawings are so inappropriate that I was almost offended. There’s no way I would show this to my kids.

My daughter started her period early. This booked helped me explain things to her that I wouldn’t of even thought about explaining. I suggest reading through the book yourself first, there may be things you don’t want your 10 year old to know just yet. You may want to slowly show her the rest as she gets more mature and not dump the whole thing on her at once. It can be a shock to a child finding this stuff out all at once.

This book honestly covers all topics in a neutral way. This book will prepare your child for their changing body and give them the basic knowledge they need to navigate those tricky puberty years. Ignore all the negative reviews unless you want a good laugh at all the pearl clutching!

There honestly needs to be a zero star options. I don't know why so many people suggested I get this book to help teach sex ed for my 10 and 11 year old. Or at any age. It was like watching a porno. Unexceptable on so many levels. DO NOT GET THIS BOOK

I am so disappointed in this book. I ordered base on the high rating and over 2k reviews. This book is very condensed and hard to follow. It zig zag between boys and girls. There should be 2 distinct sections and easy to follow subject matters. So disappointing!

I bought this book for my 10 year old. He was ready for more details. I like how this book is written for any child and gives an overview of all bodies. It informs without talking down to them. Excellent information on how/where bodies change, both physically and emotionally. Excellent resource, both for families comfortable discussing everything together as well as those who aren't.

If you are highly religious or conservative, this book is not for you. If you want your child to learn accurate information before being exposed to it around friends, media, etc., this book will do the job. Yes, there are topics that might make you uncomfortable, but pretending your kids will not get exposed to these topics sometime during adolescence is unrealistic.

Was super nervous about talking to my then pre-teen about some of these topics. After reading, I told her she can come to me anytime to talk about what she read and discovered. It was a great gateway to chat about some of the important topics I feel that some parents want to avoid out of pure unnecessary awkwardness.

This is a great book for tweens to take and page through. Bought it for my 12 year old and he has quietly read through almost all of it. The subjects are short,lots of illustrations, and plenty of topics that are relevant to the times such as cell phones and social media.

This can be good but you need to read ahead a bit. I was reading this aloud to my 10 year old daughter and...I’m just going to say it..when talking about intercourse it said a women may even release some fluid from her vagina. I mean really?? Thank goodness I caught that one or I would have had to answer questions that would be better explained on a porn site.

This was exactly what my 10 year old needed. Explains changes that both genders go through and gives age appropriate definitions without dumbing things down or leaving things out. Do not get though if your child is not ready to hear EVERYTHING. Mine was.

Haha! Wildly inappropriate for the mental state of children under 13. I agree that it has many things that need to be addressed in a conversation between child and parent but I bought this for my child turning 10 and I had to order something else and throw this one away.

I would have given this book 5 stars if only it had a more differentiated understanding of gender. As a professor of Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies and a mother of three children (ages 12, 10, and 7, the youngest of which is gender-queer), I found this book to be a refreshingly honest and ethical educational resource. I love that the two main characters -- a bird and a bee -- express awkwardness and curiosity toward the various and colorful spectrum of sexuality and bodies presented here. I love that the book foregrounds not only biology, but *pleasure* and *consent* and *safety* in regards to your own body and to those of others. Because IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL. This book has enabled us to have some wonderfully interesting and insightful conversations, even at the dinner table. The only problem I see is the (outdated) binary understanding of gender. I am very much looking forward to a more updated version that takes things like The Gender Unicorn and The Gender Bread Person 3.0 into consideration.

This book was recommended by the Birds and Bees podcast for 9 to 13 year olds going through puberty. We have a 10 yr. old. Very good, and covers everything about body shape and sexuality. Something a kid can pick up and read a bit, or discuss each section. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book to talk to kids about sex. It's not scary just information. I have left this book out so the kids can read it when they have questions. I read it to them and they asked questions. I want my kids to learn this stuff at home not from kids at school or on tv. This book covers all topics and is a great general knowledge.

This book including drawings of children masterbating, sexual positions, naked bodies throughout.... The topics covered were also inappropriate for the target age of 10+.... Our State is trying to pass mandatory sex Ed starting at Kindergarten.... As a grandmother to 9 precious souls, I believe this material goes way too far. I do not recommend this book or any of the others in this series.

Reading with my pre-teen daughters. They like the pictures and the accuracy. We take it one chapter at a time and discuss what we've read and their questions. I like the honesty and authenticity of the facts. There is no sugar coating but there is some humor sprinkled in. Illustrations are very accurate and detailed.

Great in-depth book. This wouldn’t be my starting point for my 10 year old, but keeping it around for further talks and questions, more like puberty encyclopedia. It has info and both male and female body changes etc. great in the aspect of not having to buy multiple books if you have different gender kids, but for my 10 year old just starting this roller coaster of “the change” I bought a book just for him and his body to start.

Reading this in increments with my curious 10 year old and discussing the chapters. It is wonderfully written, very factual and inclusive, and also easy to for a young person to grasp without being dumbed down. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book as a read for my 10 year old son . He started having questions that he didn’t feel comfortable asking me (his dad) so I got this book but after thumbing through it I felt it to be written for kids a little older then 9/10 . If your looking for a book for your12 year old and up this I think would be very appropriate. It’s very insightful and would be a wonderful book for them

This book is perfect. My daughter has been asking questions for a while now. And I've been looking for an open honest resource so she has a better sex Ed lesson than I ever did. This book is perfect for that. Simple pre teen friemdly pics so she has an idea of what things look like and clear Simple pages explaining.

WAY more graphic than Id like to show my son.

I was shocked with this book. Way too young for a 9/10 year old. No appropriate at all!! I was appalled!!! Ugh 👎🏼 I’ll teach my daughter about the birds and bees myself.

What the???? This book is not made for a 10 or 11 year old. The pictures are close to cartoon porn!! It goes too far and is not an introduction for a young man just starting to understand their bodies and why they want to look at women and what that means. This book covers everything from tampons to what it takes to make a bady to giving birth and that boys just like to have sex.

This book was VERY descriptive and showed graphic illustrated pictures for both males and females. I want to educate my kids but this was too much.

I bought this to read with my 10 year old to help her understand her body and what to expect when her period comes. This book is not geared towards kids of this age at all. It is way too in depth and visual.

Bought this for our preteen son for puberty. We didn't want him getting wrong information from his middle school peers and the internet. The book is open-minded, which is fine with us. Illustrations are good, showing it all, but not in a bad way. We are now having discussions about the book, prompted by our son, which I think is a good sign.

This is alarmingly inappropriate & I am returning ASAP. I want to teach my kid about his changing body, what do abortions have to do with that? Yikes!

I love this book and so does my 12 year old son who is smack in the middle of puberty and has a million questions. Covers everything! It’s informational and to the point, doesn’t sugar coat anything but is not distasteful. It’s a great book to get for someone as young as a 5 year old and they can grow into the book.

This book is a comprehensive look at puberty. I finished “It’s so Amazing” with my 9 year old son this summer and we moved on to this book since he will be 10 in December and is already using deodorant and acne wash. I like that I can skip chapters that he doesn’t need to learn about just yet like birth control and STDs. Definitely informative.

I would not show this book to children. It presupposes too many things, some of which I dont agree with.

This book is great for a tween or early teen who is looking for more information but is not quite ready for the "talk". It has hand drawn pictures that provide a visual without it being too much. Answered all of my child's questions and fulfilled their curiosity.

We bought 2 copies for our 4th & 5th grade children. This is written with medically appropriate info in a way that is nonthreatening & accessible for the kids. It started a number of good conversations. It will also be a good reference book for them as they go through puberty.

This is just what I was looking for.

I thought this would just give the basics of sex education. But it is Overloaded with unnecessary information.

I think this book is awesome. The things in this book are exactly what I learned in 7th grade. This book prepares them to know what they should know. I know as a parent this book is " holy crap" but if you feel uncomfortable and aren't ready for your child to know about a certain topic like anal sex, abortions.. You can always skip that page, fold it tape it. At the end of the day these are things that they will be taught in school around 7th grade.

I was a little worried about how graphic the book is, but after talking to my 12 year old, he already knew a lot that he had learned from kids at school. I wanted to make sure that he had the right information so this was a great resource.

This was alittle bit to informative for my kids. Just didn't care for the design and how information was layed out on pages

Not a great book!

I really loved this book. I bought it was for my 11 year old son when he was 10 to help facilitate discussions at home. The book was delivered in a timely manner and in perfect condition when it arrived. We are very open in our house, so we have had sex talks many times, but I wanted something tangible for my son to be able to refer to down the road if need be. He read it once through by himself, then we then read through it together. He seemed to easily understand the way the book was written. The photos and descriptions are very good and I am very happy with how informative the book is. We would definitely purchase again.

Love this book. Great way to de-stigmatize sex and nudity. Helps kids to feel more comfortable asking questions about things without embarrassment. I leave this out for my son and his friends to check out when and if they choose. It’s great.

My 9 year old was asking questions. Along with my talking to her I wanted some books. This was one of the books I bought. She loves it. It answers her questions on her level and gives us more to talk about. I recommend this book.

Superb. Seems to leave no stone unturned, it's great for my 10 year old (who has already read the first 2 books in the series) although it definitely raises a few issues I'm not overly looking forward to discussing further, like masturbation. But it's important and natural and therefore perfect. The illustrations are ideal too.

Great book! I didn't purchase it for a young person, but it may be of use one day. I really appreciate the authors' efforts in explaining the difference between 'sex' and 'gender,' and describing *Trans people. It doesn't get into Transexuality, if I remember correctly, but it does do a great job describing just about everything else there is to know about our sexual quirks!

These books are excellent. We have 9 year old and have graduated to this book and the next level down (I just got them both at once). They do a great job of normalizing body development, sex, etc. Our goal is to have an open dialogue with our son from a very early age to destigmatize sex and body development so he has accurate information. Strongly recommend this series.

It shows EVERYTHING ILLUSTRATED. It answers a lot of questions that I was unable to answer in an educational manner. Since I was pretty much unable to give THE TALK, this book did all the heavy lifting.

I got this book for a friend of mine. Excellent info and in a very teen-friendly manner with a good sense of humor.

This book has been great for our very inquisitive 10 year old. The pictures were very effective and text very informative. It made conversations about the birds and the bees much easier to have.

Good reference book for teens and adults. Recommended for 10 and up, but should be closer to 13 and up. Very graphic pictures and very detailed information.

Wonderful book and so helpful. The language is just right. Highly recommended! Thank you!

This was a gift for three (3) tween girls. Although the communication about such matters is open in the various households, the girls just wanted their own privacy to explore these subjects. Well done and very informative. The matters are covered in a sensitive manner and nothing is offensive.

Educational and very thorough. This is the kind of book that will inform your tweens instead if leaving them to search the internet or quiz their friends for half-truths.

This book is not perfectly normal. Not age appropriate. It’s Trying to brainwash kids with dangerous ideas and confuse them. Awful

Excellent book! Characters turn an awkward conversation into a fun, normal and accurate exchange. Updated info regarding sexuality and different gender identities.

This is the 3rd book in an excellent series about bodies and human sexuality. Since it's aimed at older readers, it has more text and fewer cartoons than the other two books. I read it with my eldest daughter and it fully explained puberty, sex, and the physical and emotional complications that may arise. Birth control, STDs, abortion, sexual orientation, and sexual abuse are all covered, and I greatly appreciated the open, matter-of-fact tone and lack of judgment. Everyone should read it.

My kids love this book and the others on the series. I love how normal and natural it addresses everything so there's no shame or embarrassment tied into it.

This book was recommended for 5th grade at my daughter’s school. My daughter finds it gross, with too many unnecessarily naked people in it. Introducing anal sex, for 11 year olds? I think that it may be appropriate for 8th grade or higher, in conservative families.

I wish I had this book when I was growing up. LOOOOVE it. However my son is still young, I just wanted to have it on the shelf for "when" we get to that point and being prepared and ready so it's no big deal when some of this stuff comes up. It covers EVERYTHING. And the tone/voice/tenor of the books is so nonjudgmental, factual, neutral and informative. I cried when I read it - wishing I had this book as a preteen or teen.

This is an excellent, informative book for children 10-14. Addresses a wide range of issues including internet safety and other safety issues. Author includes characters of various ethnicities, abilities, and body types. I teach parents about talking with their children about sex and sexuality, and I recommend this book to them. I also give copies as door prizes.

Open and honest. My 10 year old read it fast and had some more questions along the way. I’m so thankful for the book.

Very informative book. A little more mature than I was expecting. It is difficult to rate this BC it is VERY informative. If your looking for a very explicit book to answer ALL the questions this is for you. If your looking for a gentle introduction to puberty and sex, this may be a bit extreme.

It's straight forward, book goes into everything... It sure helps start the conversation with your kids. Very informative.

Great book for families that want to give their children all the information they need as their children enter puberty. It is for a tween to teenager and I would recommend pre reading so you are ready to answer questions as they come up. We are very happy with the content and that it covers so much.

I didn't keep this book. Too graphic for my liking.

Excellent Book for all pre-teens and young adults

Wry good book, explains with eas. Easy to reference back for questions.

Used this book to teach puberty/ pregnancy lessons. Fantastic. Well laid out. Easy to draw from.

I think this is a pretty good book. My son is going into 5th grade in which they learn sexual education. I wanted to have a talk with him first before he learned about it in school. I skipped around in the book with what we talked about. There were some subjects I was not ready to talk to him about yet. But, we will revisit this book at a later date.

Good book. Maybe too many embarrassing pictures. Makes us all feel awkward. Just kidding ... a good tool for learning.

Second time purchasing this book. It’s WONDERFUL. I would highly recommend it to any parent with a young child entering puberty.

This book is a bit graphic, but right ON- I use it to assist my hearing impaired granddaughter understand what’s happening with her body, as she loves to read. After the initial “ewwwww’s” and “grossssssss”-es, she is engaged and available to the reinforcement. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

This book provides great conversation starters and takes away some of the more awkward moments of sex education. Wish I’d had that as a kid, but glad I have it for my kids now. I still talk to them and they still have questions, but it did help.

It's perfect for a 10 year old and up! I wish I would of had this when I was younger because I was clueless about everything! My daughter is 10 and has already learned so much and she's even saying to me "did you know this, or did you know that?" She's not embarrassed at all which is awesome.

Recommended by my doctor for my son. Very important for a growing child.

I left this out on a table, and my 10yo son read it cover to cover, thanks in part to the fact that it looks like a comic book / graphic novel.

This was an excellent teaching tool for my son.

Great book for teaching kids the facts of life. It doesn't shrink away from any topics. The images are really funny and had me laughing while reading the book with my daughter. I would recommend this book and the others in this series.

My son was asking way too many questions for a single mom. bought him three books and this one was by far the best. He even showed if off to several friends until I cautioned him that some parents may not want their children to know the details...

I have read about 4 chapters with my daughter and it has made "the talk" quite straightforward, which is a load off my mind. I have skimmed at the chapters ahead, and it seems like a comprehensive resource for a growing child. As they experience or hear about different aspects of sexuality --- reproduction to masturbation to sexual harassment --- they can come back to this book to get the facts in a form that is clear, concise, and yet fun. One minor complaint is that the diagrams of the male and female reproductive organs could have been a little clearer or detailed. Maybe that was deliberate because, after all, this is a book for kids.

This book has everything your child needs to know plus some. It is very detailed and there are certain topics that were not necessary. Sexual positions and abortions could have definitely been left out.

Love that it covers all things and that it also has pictures! What I was hoping would be in here is more about consent, and it didn't seem to cover that portion. But, overall, great for parents to talk to teenagers. I am a therapist and got it for my pre-teen and adolescent clients.

Good info and illustrations

This book is a great addition for our family library. I'm one of those moms that believes in giving children all the info they need at the right ages. This book explains things in a very thoughtful and informative way.

Easy to read and engaging

My daughter and I love this book. She’s 6 so we haven’t covered every topic yet, but it’ll be useful for years to come!

I like this book because it's great for boys and girls. Covers all topics that they need/should know.

THIS IS THE GREATEST POSSIBLE RESOURCE. We are parents who would be more than happy and comfortable to talk to our daughter (she is 10) about anything, but the truth is, she isn't interested in that conversation with US and we really want her to be properly and well informed. Finally, there is a resource that we feel we can just hand over without limits. Thank you for writing this book. It could not be more clear, more honest, more open, more thorough, more perfect.

The basic information here is clinically accurate and it's presented in a light-hearted way that emphasizes feeling comfortable talking about it. I give it four stars because the information and pictures are sometimes several pages apart, such that I had to keep flipping back and forth to read the material about a part of the anatomy, and then flip 10 or 20 pages earlier to show him what was meant. Since this was an issue during the puberty chapters, which is when I imagine most kids would be reading this book, it seems like a weird way to organize. No set of words is as valuable as a picture in this case. As to everything else, this is a good choice for families who value honesty and diversity. The book does not deal with morality particularly, which has pros and cons. On the plus side, it doesn't espouse morality that may clash with yours as a parent (unless, as noted, you prefer your children not know the facts). On the other hand, this is def. a book you want to read with your child first so that you can imbue the facts with your particular ethics and morality. I have two spots in the book bookmarked and the book sits on our kids' shelves. They are aware they are not to share the book with other kids, especially kids under 12. And they know I prefer that they only read between the bookmarked pages. Could they read beyond that? Sure. But we've also discussed why I'd prefer they not, and let them know that I'll read it to them whenever they wish. It's been important to our family that they feel trusted and secure and that sex and change is normal, but that it is in all of our best interest to treat our experiences with care. But, I really wish the pictures and text were organized in a more effective way.

Give to your 12-13 year old to read

Perfecto para pre adolescencia

Wayyyy too graphic for my 10 year old. Returned for a more age appropriate books with fewer illustrations.

It's provided a helpful discussion-starter for helping my daughter understand puberty and sexual development. There are sporadic "comic strips" with two animal characters that are not particularly useful.

Must have for the single mom with a son. My son asked questions and started open and honest dialogue about changing bodies.

Really helped explain all the DETAILS of becoming an adult to my 10 year old daughter prior to her 'health' talk at school. Also a great reference book for her to have in the privacy of her room. We have read all of the american girl books but my daughter was looking for more information and this book was perfect and explains things thoroughly and in a fun way

JUST AN FYI...THIS BOOK DISCUSSES INTERCOURSE. That's not a bad thing, but be mindful if buying for a younger child.

We have the first book in this series (Its not the stork), and I read it to my boys last week when one of them started asking for more information on how babies are made. It seemed a bit basic though, and my older son asked me to get the follow-up book for him. I thought that it might be too similar to the one we have but didn't want to just say no to him. I got this instead. It definitely has lots of information in it. He is a mature 7, but I don't think he'll want to read about most of this for a few more years. I told him to take a look at what he wants and then just put it away for reference one he has more questions. I did notice parts about masturbation and homosexuality that may upset more traditional parents.

The perfect guide to talking about a 10 year old about sex and sexuality. It's all "gross" but she's eager to read more. And, I'm glad to have a guide for what to talk about and how. I'd buy it again.

Great book! Easy to read, lists the anatomy and slang terms too. There was a lot of stuff I didn't think my kid needed to know (just yet) like every step in making sperm. He seemed bored when it became too scientific, but he got was he needed about puberty, sex and the emotional stuff.

My 10 year old was assigned to read it for his OWL class. My 7 year 9ld loves the cartoons.

I have this in my office for kids to browes as part of a series of books on developmentally appropriate health and mental health subjects.

Great book for 11 year old children. It's informative about just about everything (including abortion)and presents it in a playful way kids will love. I like how this book is honest about sex and bodies.

I love this book in every possible way. The section about pornography is on point. The message in this book is so balanced, honest and straight forward.

We are having such a good time reading this with our daughter. It does a good job of addressing things for both males and females.

Happy to educate my son! Visual elements help break the ice. I will rest knowing he's informed.

I’m glad I found this book. It made it much easier to keep the conversation going with my pre-teen child. I feel confident it’s a useful tool to build a good foundation on sexual education.

This book is great. It is very informative and I like all the topics addressed.

Not just a great sex education book - it's an entertaining and great sex education book! And this 20th anniversary edition contains new and valuable material. A thousand thanks to Robie Harris and Michael Emberly. They are two of my favorite heroes.

Love this for kids 10 and up to be taught those difficult subjects for adults to have with kids.

Great book. Reading it with my daughter who is 11 years old.