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A gender-inclusive guide to conception, pregnancy, and birth, aimed at young children and appropriate for all ages.

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What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg: 9781609804855 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult “What Makes a Baby is extraordinary! Cory is a Dr. Spock for the 21st century.”—Susie Bright “A Truly Inclusive…

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A classic for a reason, and recently re-released for its 25th anniversary, this book arms tweens with all the information about changing bodies, changing minds, and changing friendships.

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The Care & Keeping of You 1 Book for Younger Girls | American Girl®

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The Care & Keeping of You 1 25th Anniversary Edition Book includes tips, how-tos, and facts from the experts to help younger girls understand bodily changes.

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Picking up where the first volume left off, this 10-year-old classic in its own right hands middle-schoolers who identify as girls more information about the changes in their bodies and emotions during puberty.

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The Care & Keeping of You 2 Book for Older Girls | American Girl®

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The Care & Keeping of You 2 10th Anniversary Edition Book is filled with helpful facts, doctor tips, and answers to help older girls smoothly navigate puberty.

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This comic book centers conversation and communication among kids and their grownups about all things puberty. It was the 20th most-challenged book in the U.S. between 2000-2019, according to the American Library Association.

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Winner of the the 2016 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction

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For tweens and young teens who identify as boys, this compatriot to The Care and Keeping of You franchise offers a frank take on puberty's changes as well as the big emotions of this age.

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Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys | American Girl

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Boys will find age-appropriate answers to questions about voice changes, acne, shaving, & everything in between, from the author of our Care & Keeping Of series

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This is a puberty book with a social conscience, providing teens with gender-inclusive advice on consent and agency along with the fundamentals of sexual health.

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A completely new approach to learning about puberty, sex, and gender for kids 10 and up, You Know, Sex is the much-anticipated third book in the trilogy that started with the award-winning What Makes a Baby and Sex Is a Funny Word

In a bright graphic format featuring four dynamic middle schoolers, You Know, Sex grounds sex education in social justice, covering not only the big three of puberty-hormones, reproduction, and development-but also power, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being.

Centering young people's experiences of pressures and joy, risk and reward, and confusion and discovery, there are chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, masturbation, consent, boundaries and safety in our media-saturated world, puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies and experience, and more.

Racially and ethnically diverse, inclusive of cross-disability experience, this is a book for every kind of young person and every kind of family.

You Know, Sex is the first thoroughly modern sex ed book for every body navigating puberty and adolesence, essential for kids, everyone who knows a kid, and anyone who has ever been a kid.

"Representative, inclusive, caring, honest, accurate, and affirming, You Know, Sex is the book that every young person will connect with, and every caring adult wants for the young person in their life... You Know, Sex is what sex education is, can, and should be."

" You Know, Sex is comprehensive, nuanced, and expertly uses guiding questions to facilitate self-exploration around sex, boundaries, relationships, and more."

" You Know, Sex may be the most thoughtful and thorough book I have ever read on the subject of sex."

"In their third title together, Silverberg and Smyth build on their middle-grade title Sex Is a Funny Word (2015) to explicitly talk about puberty, bodies, gender, and sex for tween and teen audiences. Mimi, Omar, Cooper, and Zai are back and ready for their sex-education class at Jordan Middle School. The creators get their ideas across through descriptive illustrations as well as vignettes that feature the four main characters and others. In what many readers will recognize as their signature approach, they tackle often confusing topics (you know, sex) against a delightfully diverse backdrop of skin tones, body sizes, and abilities in a fun, text-heavy style infused with warmth, humor, and emotional intelligence. The visual representations of changing bodies are especially impactful (labias! hair growth!), as is the inclusion of information about critical topics such as boundaries, consent, and clear communication that are too often left out of sex-ed curricula. In a preliminary note to readers, Silverberg advises that they may need to take breaks given the intensity of some of the material. . . . Dipping into this ambitious work, especially with a caring, trusted adult, may be the best way to digest the multitude of topics covered. A necessary invitation for young people to explore. "

"In the Youth Services division of the Brooklyn Public Library, we have an unwritten policy. If we have books on a topic, we can build a program around it. My venture into menstrual advocacy and sexuality education travelled down many different roads to where it has arrived today. Every spring, there would be flustered fathers or determined mothers looking for books on puberty for their daughters. They would use every euphemism before I could decipher what they wanted. Their discomfort inspired me. First, I'd boldly put the books on display behind the reference desk to take out some of the embarrassment. Secondly, came booklists and finally I started offering puberty and sex ed programs for caregivers and for teens. Fun, inclusive, and informative non-fiction books like Cory Silverberg's books make a daunting topic easier to approach. When the kids and parents see the bright colors and cartoons, they see something non-threatening. However, something as natural as sexuality, physical intimacy, and menstruation shouldn't be thought of as threatening in general. Out of my sex ed workshops, I developed the teen advocacy program Cycle Alliance to de-stigmatize conversations about menstruation and to tackle period poverty. Sometimes, it takes just one book to launch a whole library movement."

"But it's Silverberg and Smyth's latest, You Know, Sex (Seven Stories Press, 2022), that, this past year, has become a constant companion, always open on one of my children's beds. From gender identity to crushes, privacy versus secrecy, masturbation to physical intimacy with another to disinterest in sex altogether, hiding in shame to the liberating experience of feeling seen, You Know, Sex covers enormous ground, using playful, inclusive images and clear, accessible, and up-to-date language to navigate the murky waters of growing up. I can't imagine parenting without this duo's pathbreaking work. I feel so fortunate that I don't have to."

Raised in the 1970s by a children's librarian and a sex therapist, CORY SILVERBERG grew up to be a sex educator, an author, and queer person who smiles a lot when they talk. Cory received a master's degree in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Cory is the co-author of four books, including the ALA Stonewall Honor Book Sex Is a Funny Word and What Makes a Baby, both with Fiona Smyth. Cory's life is full of kids. All of them know where babies come from. Some know more.

Fiona Smyth is a Toronto-based painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. Her first graphic novel, The Never Weres, was published by Annick Press in 2011. Smyth's comic Cheez was published in Exclaim! magazine for almost ten years, and her comic Fazooza was in Vice for eight years. Somnambulance, a thirty year collection of her comics was published by Koyama Press in 2018. In 2019, she was inducted into the Giants of the North Hall of Fame for Canadian cartoonists. Smyth teaches cartooning at OCAD U in Toronto.

Other books by Cory Silverberg

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Our newest imprint is for the next generation: a new breed of skeptical young readers.

Siete Cuentos Editorial
Our Spanish-language imprint represents a major ongoing effort to introduce important English-language texts to new readers.

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A completely new approach to learning about puberty, sex, and gender for kids 10 and up, You Know, Sex is the much-anticipated third book in the trilogy that started with the award-winning What Makes a Baby and Sex Is a Funny Word

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The actress and Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik, who also holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience, puts a scientific twist on puberty for those identifying as girls.

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Girling Up by Mayim Bialik: 9780399548611 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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Mayim Bialik, Jeopardy! host and star of The Big Bang Theory, puts her Ph.D. to work as she talks to teens about the science of growing up and getting ahead. A must-have book for all teenage girls. Growing…

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Neuroscientist (really!) Mayim Bialik, also known as an actress and Jeopardy! host, gives those identifying as boys a puberty primer as well.

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Praise for Boying Up:

"A matter-of-fact mirror that reflects reality and respect, not bewildered embarrassment." -"Boying Up hits all the hot spots and should be included in tween and teen library collections." -

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Boying Up by Mayim Bialik: 9780525515999 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 bestseller Girling Up, puts her Ph.D. to work to talk to teen boys about the science and pressures of growing up male in today's world. A...

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This graphic nonfiction tome provides a comprehensive look at being a teenager today, covering everything from gender identity to friendships to sexting. It was the ninth most-challenged book in the country in 2023, according to the American Library Association.

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A comprehensive and inclusive guide to sex education from the founder of the website Scarleteen.

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The go-to sex ed guide for teens and young adults, tackling everything you want to know about sex, from consent, safe sex, emotional health and more, from th…

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Written by a Harvard student, this book talks about the movement to end the stigma around periods.

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$12.99
Email or call for price

Description

PERIOD founder and Harvard College student Nadya Okamoto offers a manifesto on menstruation and why we can no longer silence those who bleed-and how to engage in youth activism.

Throughout history, periods have been hidden from the public. They're taboo. They're embarrassing. They're gross. And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex ed program, they are misunderstood. Because of these stigmas, a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table, creating discriminations like the tampon tax, medicines that favor male biology, and more.

Period Power aims to explain what menstruation is, shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases, and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods.

About the Author

Nadya Okamoto grew up in Portland and currently attends Harvard College. She is the founder and executive director of PERIOD (Period.org), an organization she founded at the age of sixteen, which is now the largest youth-run NGO in women's health, and one of the fastest growing ones here in the United States. She is also the cofounder and spokesperson of Next Fellows (NextFellows.org). In 2017, Nadya ran for office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While she did not win, her campaign team made historic waves in mobilizing young people on the ground and at polls.

Praise For...

"A must-read for anyone who wants to make change at the state and national levels."
- Mashable

"If you're looking for a way to turn your anger about gender inequality into action, this book is a must read. You'll learn a great deal about menstrual inequities and the intersectional impacts created because of our failure to address them. This is a how-to handbook on what you can do to change that."
- Former state Senator Wendy Davis

" Period Power, much like it's author Nadya Okamoto, is insightful and impossible to ignore. I've found empowerment in her prose, and inspiration in her lack of shame. This book teaches adults and youths alike to be unapologetically proud to bleed. If someone you love has a vagina then Period Power is required reading."
- Whitney Bell, activist and founder of Kidd Bell

*"[T]ruly intersectional and...a useful guide for activists inspired by this work...A smart, honest, and comprehensive education on movement building and menstrual rights."
- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Okamoto intends to end menstrual stigma and taboo--full stop. This book is a game-changer for anyone who has ever had a period-or knows anyone who has had or will have one."
- Alma Gottlieb, co-author of Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation

"A true manifesto, Period Power is the book my fourteen-year-old self wished for and the one my adult self desperately needed."
- Ally Maki, actress and star of TBS's Wrecked

"Nadya Okamoto has written a quintessential manifesto for the leader in all of us. Her infectious passion, wit, and piercing intelligence will inspire you to rise into your bravest self. Moreover, this book and her voice have the power to help us learn self-love and respect, in a deep, authentic, lasting way. Not only will this book change your life, it will change the world. Nadya Okamoto is a revolution."
- Reema Zaman, author of I Am Yours

" Period Power is the latest in the growing list of gifts that author and activist Nadya Okamoto has bestowed on this world. In her book one can glean her dedication to ending period stigma and her effervescent and infectious enthusiasm for human rights. Period Power is a necessary and empowering take on menstruation that everyone should add to their personal library."
- Blair Imani, activist and founder of Equality for HER

" Period Power is a must-read for women and men to educate themselves both on the history and stigma of menstruation, period policy, and its representation in the media -- but also concrete action items for making a difference. Nadya's ability to combine knowledge with action is what makes Period Power so powerful."
- Caity Begg, founder of Authentic.Social

"Nadya Okamoto's Period Power takes a brave, necessary look at menstruation. Filled with both personal narratives and historical context, this book should be required reading for not just young students around puberty age, but adults as well. We must, as a society, reframe and relearn how we discuss and understand bleeding, and Okamoto's book is a necessary first step."
- Annie E. Clark, Former Executive Director of End Rape on Campus and co-author of We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out

"Nadya is a paradigm changer. Period Power exposes the true cost of a society too embarrassed to talk about this universal issue, but also offers a plan of action that is humanizing to the individual and grand in enough in scope to change our culture forever."
- Cherie Hoeger, found of Saalt Cup

"Nadya's spirit and period positivity explodes throughout this book. Reading about the menstrual movement through the lens of a young menstruator is refreshing and truly gives me hope for the future."
- Claire Coder, CEO Aunt Flow

"This book is very interesting as it addresses an important issue related to the power of women. I hugely recommend you read it and learn its wisdom."
- Muzoon Almellehan, youngest UNICEF ambassador

"Nadya Okamato's book, Period Power, is filled with information crucial to being a good person in this world. Periods affect more than half of the world's population. If this blurb makes you uncomfortable because I'm talking about menstruation, you NEED to read this book. Change the cycle."
- Schuyler Bailar, transgender man on the Harvard swim team

"Okamoto writes with passion and power, her voice clear and straightforward...[an] empowering book."
- Booklist

"Since the beginning of time, women have been made to feel ashamed of their bodies and their periods. It has even been a barrier to women and girls ability to have and seek access to education and or employment. Its time we remove the stigma and create space for honest and informative conversation about menstruation, one that doesn't leave anyone out. Period Power helps us get there."
- Jamira Burley, Head of Youth Engagement and Skills for the Global Business Coalition for Education

"Nadya is a powerhouse helping to lead the menstrual movement in this country. This book is a must read for anyone who sees the need to smash the shame around periods."
- Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal

"A must-read for anyone committed to gender equity. Nadya Okamoto educates and activates in her personal manifesto aimed at getting rid of the stigma around periods and beginning honest conversations. Her mission includes changing policies which cause menstruators to experience financial burdens and social separation based on a normal life cycle event for half of the world's population. It is well-past time to talk and act, and Nadya's book is a great anthem to organize the movement."
- Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services

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Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement (Paperback)

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PERIOD founder and Harvard College student Nadya Okamoto offers a manifesto on menstruation and why we can no longer silence those who bleed-and how to engage in youth activism.Throughout history, periods have been hidden from the public. They're taboo. They're embarrassing. They're gross.

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Robie Harris interviewed pediatricians and her own children to write this primer for tweeens and young teens about every facet of sexual health. The most recent edition includes information about staying safe online.

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Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health

20th Anniversary Edition-Completely Updated For Today's Kids and Teens

Candlewick Press, September 2014

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

This newest edition of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL now includes the most up-to-date information-including information on how to stay safe and healthy on the Internet-that today's kids and teens need to have to make responsible decisions about sexual health. Click here for more information about the changes in this newest edition: Download the Anniversary information sheet

IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL began one day when I was sitting in an editor's office. He asked me if I would like to write a book on HIV and AIDS for elementary school age children. I had never intended to write a book on this topic, but I had an immediate response. I told the editor that if I were to write a book on the topic, I would write a comprehensive book on sexual health that, of course, would include HIV and AIDS. I told him that kids and teens did need to know about the virus, but that they also needed to know a lot of other things about their changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health in order to stay healthy. That night at supper, I told my family about my idea for this book and asked my husband and children what should be in a book on sexual health for kids 10 and up. My children were in high school at the time. And that started my research, which continued over the five years it took to complete this book.

That evening I called several of my children's elementary school teachers (including their science teacher), librarians, several pediatricians I knew, people in the field of reproductive health, and parents who were friends. Over the next few weeks, I met with each of them and I asked them the same question I asked my family: "What should be in a book for kids and teens on sexual health?" Again, their thoughts and expertise were invaluable. While writing the book, I went back to these people over and over again, to make sure my facts were accurate and up-to-date and that the text was age-appropriate. Their expertise and answers to endless questions were invaluable. That's because unless I really understand something well - be it a chromosome or gene, or love or sadness - I cannot write about it well. Each time I meet with one of these experts, I learn new and fascinating things that somehow slip into my books.

When Michael Emberley created the art for this book, we also showed it to the same experts. This process went on throughout the creation of this book and it is one I use for all my books, nonfiction and fiction. Maybe this explains why it took five years to create IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL! I worked on it for five years, and Michael Emberley worked on it for almost three years! While working on the revisions for the 20th anniversary edition of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL and the 15th anniversary edition of IT'S SO AMAZING!, yet again I met with experts to find out and figure out what needed to be updated in these new editions. I do this every time IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL and the other two books in this series, IT'S SO AMAZING! and IT'S NOT THE STORK! are about to be reprinted as a way of providing kids and teens with the most up-to-date and accurate scientific and psychological information.

School Library Journal (starred review)

The Horn Book (starred review)

Print reviews and feature articles in: The New York Times Sunday Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Century's Best Children's Books, San Francisco Chronicle, December 26 - January 1, 2000

A New York Times Sunday Book Review Notable Book of the Year, 1995

Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Booklist Editors' Choice

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon winner (recommended starred review)

American Library Association's Notable Children's Book

American Booksellers for Children Booksellers' Choice

Parenting Reading Magic Award winner

New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing selection

Wil Solimene Award Winner for Excellence in Medical Communication

Boston Globe Horn Book Winner

"In this intelligent, amiable and carefully researched book, Harris (Before You Were Three) frankly explains the physical, psychological, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty-and the implications of these changes. Taking a conversational, relaxed tone, Harris also discusses such subjects as sexual orientation, sexual reproduction, pregnancy, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual abuse. The author intentionally and effectively repeats certain crucial information, especially on the subject of the possible consequences of sexual intercourse. Alternately playful and realistic, (and occasionally graphic), Emberley's (Ruby) watercolor-and-pencil art reinforces Harris's message that bodies come in all sizes, shapes, and colors-and that each variation is 'perfectly normal.' Cartoon panels illustrate various complicated processes (e.g., menstruation, the fertilization of an egg, childbirth). Appearing on each spread are two characters-an easy-going bird and an apprehensive bee-whose comments add levity to this solid volume."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review), September 1994
"This caring, conscientious, and well-crafted book will be a fine library resource as well as a marvelous adjunct to the middle-school sex-education curriculum. There's no doubt, however, that some libraries and schools will have problems with Emberley's plentiful pictures, which, besides being warm and unaffected, are eyepoppers-especially in a book for this age group. The bold color cartoon drawings are very candid: a double-page spread of nudes, which beautifully demonstrates the varied shapes and sizes humans come in; a picture of a couple making love; one of a boy masturbating as he sits on his bed; another of a girl examining her genitals in a mirror. Less controversial will be Emberley's helpful diagrams and the running cartoon commentary he supplies on the main text, which is delivered by an embarrassed bee and a curious bird (modern kids may miss the allusion, and the device eventually wears thin). Harris' text, as forthright as Emberley's art, encompasses all the supposedly "age appropriate" issues (the structure of the reproductive system and puberty, for example), as well as a good deal more-from the terms we use when we talk about sex to intercourse, birth, abortion, sexual health, abuse, and issues of responsibility and respect. Readers won't find answers to their burning questions quite as easily here as they will in the at-a-glance question-answer overview Asking about Sex and Growing Up (1988), by Joanna Cole. Harris' coverage, however, is much broader and a good deal more detailed. With illustrations scattered liberally across the pages, the format occasionally seems crowded, but the candor of the artwork will help kids view sex as a natural part of life. Such openness will also help them grasp the main message of the text: that sex comprises many things, not just one. Children will find this a comforting, informative precursor to Lynda Madaras' book on puberty; librarians will find it well worth fighting for if, by some chance, the need arises."
-Booklist (starred review), September 1994
"Most kids wonder about and have lots of questions about sex," the introduction says, and this frank and cheerful book attempts to answer those questions. There are seven sections: Lots of Questions, What Is Sex, Our Bodies, Puberty, Families and Babies, Decisions, and Staying Healthy; within these sections the author explores puberty, sexual feelings, reproduction, contraception, and other topics. The text is simple, friendly, and specific, relating valuable information in an unsensational manner. The user-friendliness of the book, however, comes mainly from Michael Emberley's candid and lighthearted illustrations. Diagrams ranging from male and female sex organs to the position of birth control devices are clear and understandable; an open-minded bird and an embarrassed bee flutter through the pages providing marginal dialogue and comic-strip skits; little Woody-Allen-ish exploits of a released egg and an onrushing sperm appear occasionally and are funny and memorable. The lightness of touch is welcome and serves a useful purpose: where some kids' books on sex leave themselves open for giggling silliness by trying to avoid it, this one accepts those giggles, acknowledging that readers may be both individually and collectively a blend of curiosity, disinterest, and apprehension, and so much to giggle at that eventually nervousness will die down and interest will proceed unimpeded. Many adults want their children to have information about all the things this book's subtitle promises, but it's easy to forget the range of facts children want to know as they fight their way through puberty wondering if they're doing it right and what the other sex is doing. It's Perfectly Normal does a good job of demystifying some of those details: particularly useful illustrations depict a circumcised penis and an uncircumcised penis, the placement of tampons and sanitary napkins, and other aspects of the subject that both sexes want to know but are probably too embarrassed to ask about. And naked human bodies appear throughout the book in a reassuring variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and sexes - there are adolescents peering into the mirror, homely and recognizable masturbation scenes, tactful but honest depictions of intercourse, and a terrific double-page spread of rows of different nude people, ranging from young to old, fat to thin, that should make stripping off in the locker room a lot easier for young readers. "Sooner or later, kids get used to, become comfortable with, and feel good about their more grown-up bodies," the book says, and it does what it can to make that happen sooner. Acceptance and respect, after all, go hand in hand, and readers will clearly get the message that respecting yourself and others is a part of sex and growing up. The book makes it clear that families are as diverse as individual bodies and that there are a lot of different ways - platonic, gay, and straight - of caring for people. It also makes clear that part of the caring should be for yourself - that you're stronger if you know how to keep yourself safe from disease, safe from sex if you don't choose to have it, and safe from people who may make these decisions difficult. It's good to be comfortable with your body; it's also good to be comfortable with your decisions about it. At first glance, there seemed to be several illustrations in this book that would make an eye-catching cover for the Bulletin. Thinking about it more, however, we decided that pulling pictures of naked people out to stand alone on our cover might mislead our readers and distort the book. One of Harris' and Emberley's most valuable achievements is the creation of a low-key atmosphere in which vulnerable readers can explore this touchy subject. They didn't create that milieu with only one page and we can't convey it with only one picture. It's not a perfect book - there are a few scale problems, and the puberty section really ought to discuss female orgasms as well as male - but this is one of the most unintimidating and informative sex books to come along for this age group. That inspired spread of all those unclothed men and women brings home a good message in a way that furtive peeks at magazines or classmates won't. The book's title, It's Perfectly Normal, is a politely impersonal version of the statement young readers really want to hear: you're perfectly normal."
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review), October 1994
"Illustrator Emberley (Welcome Back, Sun, 1993, etc.) has teamed up with Harris (Hot Henry, 1987, etc.) to present more ethnic and sexual diversity than New York City's Rainbow Curriculum ever bargained for as they battle all concepts non-PC: They take swings at ageism ("People have sexual intercourse well into old age") and at homophobia in the military (pointing out that, in ancient Sparta, it was thought "that if a warrior was in the same regiment as his lover, he would fight harder in order to impress him"). But there's more information than polemic here, s the reader is guided by a corny but never condescending pair - an uninhibited bird and a repressed bee - through puberty, anatomy, reproduction, and a sense of the emotional weight that accompanies sexuality. The books intelligently covers birth-control options, how to have safer sex, how to treat STDs, and, in an especially impressive chapter, how to combat sexual abuse - all without patronizing the pre- or post-pubescent. Emberley's illustrations are often as funny as they are informative. With affirmations of homosexuality and masturbation - "it's perfectly normal" - and a choice-leaning (yet cautious) discussion of abortion, this volume will be anathema to social conservatives. But for parents who fear that a school sex-ed class may not be informative enough, it will certainly aid that dreaded birds-and-bees discussion.

A terrific teaching tool that just may help slow the spread of sexual diseases and ignorance."
-Kirkus Reviews (recommended and pointer), September 15, 1994
"This is a great sex-education resource for pre-adolescents and parents.

The book is loaded with cartoon illustrations, including a cartoon "centerfold" on pp. 21-21 of people of various developmental stages and body builds. Zany Bird and Bee characters make comments from "gross!" to "I want to change now!" - all those things kids often say when exposed to sex education material. Chapters include an introductory discussion of gender, reproduction, sexual desire, intercourse and sexual orientation. The handling of gay and lesbian relationships is value-neutral. The second chapter on the human body and sex organs is followed by one on pubertal changes. The chapter on families and babies includes a description of types of families, various forms of touch and assertive rights about not touching and not having sex, as well as common teen misconceptions that can lead to pregnancy. Intrauterine development and the birth process are covered in the chapter on families. A chapter on "Decisions" includes words of encouragement to young people to consider postponing sex and/or using contraceptives which are shown and described in detail. Laws about abortion, issues of sexual abuse and STD follow. On the whole, I find this the best book resource on sex education for the pre-teen I have seen in recent years, adaptable for use with normal and sexually traumatized pre-teens. T. Berry Brazelton and Penelope Leach like it, too!"
-Psychologists' Announcer, January 2000
"A comprehensive and reassuring celebration of reproductive health, human sexuality and diversity that kids, parents, educators and health professionals around the world will applaud."
-Michael McGee
Vice president for education, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.
"A perfectly wonderful treatment of the always touchy subject of sex education for young people. The book treats the subject seriously and its intended readers respectfully. I heartily recommend it to adolescents, parents, and any other adults wishing a refresher course on the facts of life.""
-Hugh B. Price
President, National Urban League, Inc.
"It's Perfectly Normal gives growing children a chance to read an honest and explanatory view of their developing bodies. The text and pictures will give them a chance to understand and value themselves. I recommend [It's Perfectly Normal] to parents and children who are coming into adolescence. They will love it."
-T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
Author of Touchpoints
"At last! A book that tells pre-teens and teenagers what they need to know about sex without turning off the less sophisticated, turning on the more sophisticated, or offending the moral values or sensibilities of parents and teachers. It's Perfectly Normal is informative and interesting; reassuring and responsible; warm and charming. I wish every child (and parent) could have a copy."
-Penelope Leach, Ph.D.
Author of Your Baby and Child and Children First
"This book is a must-read for preteens and teens! It presents honest, clear and scientifically accurate information about puberty and sexual health in a language that kids can and will utilize-critical information that will help them make the wise and informed choices they need to make as they enter and go through puberty."
-Angela Diaz, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor of pediatrics and community medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Director, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, New York

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It's Perfectly Normal " Robie H. Harris, Children's Book Author

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Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health 20th Anniversary Edition-Completely Updated For Today's Kids and Teens Candlewick Press, September 2014 Illustrated by Michael Emberley This newest edition of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL now includes the most up-to-date information-including information on how to stay safe and healthy on the Internet-that today's kids and teens need to have to make responsible decisions about sexual health.

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Billed as an "instruction manual" for coming out LGBTQ+, this book features interviews with people across the spectrum and plenty of practical coming-of-age advice. This was the 53rd most-challenged book in the U.S. between 2010-2019, according to the American Library Association.

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Overview

The bestselling young adult non-fiction book on sexuality and gender! Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.
This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.

Inside this revised and updated edition, you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask, with topics like:

Stereotypes-the facts and fiction

Coming out as LGBT

Where to meet people like you

The ins and outs of gay sex

How to flirt

And so much more!

You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.

This book is for:

LGBTQIA+ teens, tweens, and adults

Readers looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community

Parents of gay kids and other LGBT youth

Educators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ community

Praise for This Book is Gay:
A Guardian Best Book of the Year
2018 Garden State Teen Book Award Winner
"The book every LGBT person would have killed for as a teenager, told in the voice of a wise best friend. Frank, warm, funny, USEFUL."-Patrick Ness, New York Times bestselling author
"This egregious gap has now been filled to a fare-thee-well by Dawson's book."- Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*

No trade reviews are currently available for this product.

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Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.

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Amaze has a library of videos covering topics from puberty's body changes to relationships to sexual and gender identity, all aimed at kids.

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AMAZE - Age appropriate puberty and sex education videos

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AMAZE takes the awkward out of sex ed and growing up. Real info in fun, animated sex education videos that give you the answers you actually want to know.

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While Nova's Parentalogic series mostly targets, yes, parents, there are some videos like this one about puberty made for parents and children to watch together.

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- Basically, my acne got so bad that finally they were like, "It's time.

It's time for the nuke on your face."

(nuke explodes) They gave me tretinoin.

- Was that worth having clear skin?

(Bethany laughs) (playful music) (playful music) - Do you talk to your kids about puberty?

- Me?

My kids are three and eight.

- I was talking to America.

- Oh!

(playful music) (playful music) - Socially, puberty can be a disaster for teens.

- I feel like there were a lot of mood swings, temper flare-ups, and tears.

How does... Why?

Why, Alok, why?

- The brain!

The brain does everything.

(laughs) I don't have all the answers, but!

- You have so many though.

- Here's what we do know.

We know that the brain is gonna really grow in volume during puberty.

- [Bethany] Really?

- With girls' brains growing slightly before guys' brains, which may be coinciding with the timing of puberty between girls and boys.

I mean, the brain is a target for sex steroids.

And so you know that all these are gonna be ramped up during puberty.

And this is gonna cause a maturation of different parts of the brain.

In fact, the area involved in impulse control, matures later than the rest of the brain, which can lead to behaviors that appear, you guessed it, more impulsive.

And all this may relate to some of the changes in mood, tempers, you know, anxiety, stress, all the things that come with the teen pubertal brain.

- Pubertal, that sounds like an 80's video game.

(funky electric music) (funky electric music) - I think I hear a lot of people saying like, "Oh my gosh, my teen is having crazy outbursts and tempers."

And you know, "Doesn't want to speak to me anymore!"

We know that the brain is developing.

We know that teens are also going through kind of a critical time of life.

They're going through junior high and high school.

There's a lot of like, pressures outside and we wanna make sure that if there's something underlying and it's not related to puberty, that we're addressing that as well.

It could be depression, could be anxiety, could be substance abuse, could be bullying.

- So, if you suspect it's more than a pubertal (game sounds) mood swing, then talk to your doctor.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Teens really need sleep.

- Yes.

- They need like 8 to 10 hours cause it's really important for development and growth, especially during puberty.

During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone, which helps the body grow and repair itself.

These are all really important things during puberty and also, so is sleep hygiene.

- Sleep hygiene?

So like, scrub your sleep with washcloth?

No?

A loofah.

- So you described to me the environment you create for your kids when it's time to go to bed.

- Oh, the bedtime routine.

- The bedtime routine.

- Dim the lights - Yes.

- Get on the jammies, soothing music, soothing story.

That's sleep hygiene?

- You take that and you translate that to teen world.

- Okay.

- So, same thing with the routine bedtime and dimming down the lights - Put the jammies on.

- Jammies.

- Read them a book.

- If your teen will let you read them a book.

But no tablets, screens, computers, phones, all of that.

- Don't be doctor.

Be realistic.

How long before bed should we put our teens' electronics away?

- I asked for one hour.

- One hour?

Okay, thanks for working with us.

(guitar music) (guitar music) In puberty, I had a beard of acne.

I had a big, giant like ecosystem of acne on my chin.

- [Alok] Ecosystem!

- Yeah, I could not get rid of.

I used some kind of creams, kind of like derma cream and it smelled just like eucalyptus.

- But your skin's beautiful now!

- Pshh.

Thank you.

My therapist says say thank you.

Why does it happen?

Like, why all of a sudden?

(popping) Like what's trying to get out?

Your childhood?

Is your childhood trying to jump out of your face?

Is that what it is?

So, we all have sebaceous glands in our skin.

These produce something called sebum.

Sebum.

Is that like ocean butt?

- [Alok] giggles Sebum.

Sebum is a natural oil which usually coats, moisturizes, and protects our lovely skin.

Now, during puberty those hormones are going to come and they're gonna like plump up all the sebaceous glands creating more sebum, which can then go and get clogged in your skin and this loving bacteria called Propionibacteria acnes, hence the "acne," end up getting trapped inside the pores where they multiply.

Now what happens then is your immune system reacts.

And that's when you start getting all the red, the inflammation, those little white heads, all that.

And so you know, what we tell people was like, make sure you wash your face, you've got to keep your pores cleaned, but in some cases...

Medication.

Kids need to get medication.

Take them to a dermatologist if they need something stronger, some specialized care but make sure you're always checking in with them because acne is really distressing during puberty.

- [Alok] (roars) What up, acne?!

(Latin music) (Latin music) What about the birds and the bees?

- And the flowers and the trees!

That's always a conversation parents look forward to, right?

- I can't wait!

(laughs) But jokes aside, it should happen.

It has to happen.

Decide when it's best to talk to your teen about sex, and everything that comes with it.

Can I rephrase that?

Please do.

Find a way to inform your teen.

If you don't feel comfortable doing it, get them in front of someone who does feel comfortable doing it.

Whether that is Auntie Jane or Uncle Joe or a pediatrician or a therapist.

Even better, because it's not just about learning about sexual health.

It's also understanding things like pregnancy and STDs.

Sometimes I hear mom friends say, "how can I help my kid through puberty?"

But I don't know if you can help a kid go through a process that's part of growing up and maturing.

I think... - Part of life.

Yeah!

I think what we can do is support them through a really difficult, tricky time.

Make it relatable to your teen, share some of your own stories, tell them what you went through.

It'll kind of help break all the pubertal ice.

Yeah, let them know that you're there for them, even though they really don't want you to be there at all.

They think they don't want you to be there, but they're really happy when you're there.

And if you have any questions, chat with your doctor.

The vast majority of times the puberty questions, all the things related to hormones, can easily be answered by your healthcare professional.

Be empathetic.

Really listen to your child, and let them know that they can come to you and talk to you about anything.

Just really create trust.

I tell my high school athletes, I say sleep will make you better on the football field or basketball field or in swimming pool.

Wherever.

Give me one hour.

- He said basketball field.

Basketball court.

That's why meant.

I got excited.

Also, who's to say you can't play basketball on a field?

You can, you definitely can.

- Hmm?

Somewhere out there as somebody who's watching this who plays basketball on a field and they're like, pssh, I'm not watching the show anymore.

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Parentalogic | The Biology of Puberty | PBS

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Puberty is a wonderful, fun, uncomplicated, & totally non-awkward time (said no one ever).

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The authors of This Is So Awkward, a puberty primer for grownups with kids going through it, also have a podcast that kids and adults can listen to together and use as discussion fodder. Natterson, one of the hosts, is also the author of The Care and Keeping of You 2 and Guy Stuff.

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Another option for family listening, this podcast hosted by health educator Lori Reichel is frank but supportive.

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Planet Puberty aims to support families raising teens with disabilities through puberty.

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This installment of PBS's Be Smart science series is an in-depth look at why your body's endocrine system causes puberty to begin and the changes it effects.

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- Throughout your life, you go through many remarkable phases of metamorphosis, and none of them are as uncomfortable as when you morph from the adorable pudgy caterpillar of childhood and spread your wings as an awkward teenage butterfly.

Not only are our bodies flooded with signals to become sexually mature, hair starts growing in strange places, voices change, your emotions are all over the place, bodies are growing in every which direction, and so many secretions.

All of these changes, as well as dozens of others that you experience on timescales ranging from seconds to years, are mediated by one of the strangest systems in that already peculiar sack of meat you call a body, the endocrine system and its hormone messengers.

To understand why this chemical soup exists, we first need to think about the Mongol Empire, wait, what?

(upbeat music) Hey, smart people, Joe here.

So the Mongols, Kublai Khan, in the mid 1200s, reigned over the largest empire in history up to that point, and he had a problem.

Let's say Kublai, Mr. Khan, Emperor K had an idea.

How do you get it to the farthest reaches of your empire and make sure that every distant feudal lord works together for the good of the whole?

Not to mention, how do you keep stability in your vast empire before the age of lightspeed communications?

He sent emissaries to deliver his message and make sure that it was carried out.

Your body has the same problem.

It has to send instructions to its distant reaches to coordinate stability, peace, and responses to the external environment, even the occasional invader.

But instead of emissaries and ambassadors, your body sends out tiny chemical messengers called hormones.

And instead of roads, they travel through your circulatory system to find the cells or organs that need to heed their message.

Hormones tell us many things, including when we're hungry, when to sleep, when danger is near, and even when to grow into a new body.

This problem of how to send messages over long distances and across hugely varying timescales is one that's likely even older than multicellular life.

This is a cellular slime mold.

They start life as individual amoeba blobbies, but when their environment gets stressful, like when there's not enough food, they secrete a chemical signal that tells them to pile up with their neighbors until they slither together like a single slimy slug.

Thousands of amoebas act together like one, like minions to their chemical messenger overlord, eventually even morphing into weird tree-like structures that allow a few lucky individuals to escape as spores to better and more fruitful lands.

Now you might not think you have a lot in common with a slime mold, but they're faced with the same problem your body is.

How do you get many individual cells to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate over long distances and even undergo major changes?

The answer, secreted chemical messages.

I mean, think about it, that chemically-induced slime mold metamorphosis, isn't that unlike what happens during puberty?

I mean, you're just living your life and then bam, your body is flooded with chemicals, setting off a series of weird and wonderful changes.

- [Narrator] This gradual and irregular readjustment of the glandular system is almost certain to make Johnny nervous, excitable, and a little emotionally unstable.

- This is the central problem that all multicellular creatures have to solve.

Bodies need a coordinated communication system so that all of their parts know what to do and when to do it, whether it's to induce changes or to keep the body nice and stable in the face of environmental challenges.

In humans, that means relaying messages between 30 trillion cells spread among dozens of different interacting systems, a vast metropolis of intermingling cellular mishmash.

Wait, isn't that what the nervous system's for, I mean, taking information from one cell and sending it to different parts of the body?

For most of medical history, we thought that every process from fertility, to appetite, to bodily temperature was controlled by our nervous system.

But in the mid 1800s, that way of thinking started to change, thanks to some castrated chickens.

(chicken cackles loudly) For hundreds of years, people knew that castrated male chickens stayed tender and delicious instead of becoming not-so-tasty and not-so-friendly roosters.

But in 1849, for some reason, German zoologist, Arnold Berthold, decided to put testicles back into some of those castrated male chickens.

And he noticed that they matured into normal roosters.

The transplanted testicles had only connected to the bloodstream and not the nervous system.

That told him that the grow sexy rooster feathers signal was carried in the blood and not the nerves.

Around the same time, another German doctor was busy taking people's temperatures, 25,000 people's temperatures, adding up to millions of total readings.

When he averaged those millions of temperatures out, he got 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what most people think of as normal body temperature.

But the really interesting thing he found was that, two individuals may have different normal body temperatures, varying by a degree or more.

But within an individual healthy body, temperature was kept remarkably stable.

They just didn't know what was doing it.

It took more than 50 years for scientists to figure out how these huge bodily changes, like the roosters and their testes, and the way that bodies keep themselves from changing, like with temperature, are controlled.

And it turns out, they're mostly controlled by the same thing, hormones.

All of these hormone messengers and the tissues that make them, control them, and shuttle them throughout the body are known as the endocrine system.

It was the last major body system identified by doctors because those chemical messages and the parts of cells that sense them are all basically invisible.

Today we know of more than 50 hormones, manufactured by at least nine lumps of tissue that are spread through your body called glands.

Now, once hormones are sent into the bloodstream, they travel around until they reach the right target, usually by latching onto a specific receptor on a certain type of cell, and they deliver their chemical message.

Hormones help us respond to changes in blood sugar, prepare our body to flee danger, tell us when to store or burn extra energy, they work in concert to prepare bodies to grow other bodies inside of them, and as every former teenager knows, even influence our decision-making and mental state.

(Joe sighs loudly) Ah, who am I kidding, your brain stays a mess, kids.

You just get better at dealing with it.

But our nervous system is also really good at passing information to and from distant corners of our bodies.

Why do we need this extra second layer of communication?

Electrical signals are a great way to communicate quickly.

But often, distant cells and systems in our bodies need to stay in touch over time.

That gets tricky.

Consider this, controlling puberty with the nervous system alone, that would mean nerves firing around the clock for five or six years.

And more than just signaling long-term changes, hormones are a way for different parts of our body to stay in sync and maintain stability.

Imagine different parts of your body getting sleepy at different times, you'd be a mess.

But luckily, the release of melatonin is produced by a central gland so it affects the daily rhythms of every cell in your body simultaneously.

Electrical signals can't do that, but the nervous and endocrine systems aren't totally separated.

They work in feedback loops.

The endocrine system acts on neurons in the brain, which controls glands in the brain, which sends signals to other glands to tell them to make more or less hormone.

Stress hormones like cortisol can also alter brain function, even our ability to learn.

And increased levels of sex hormones can make animals act like complete idiots.

Communicating over large distances over time is a problem all multicellular life has had to solve, and it's an incredibly old one.

We find secreted chemical messengers in everything from single-celled organisms, to plants, to you, and your dog.

What's weird is that unrelated organisms separated by enormous distances on the tree of life share many of the same hormones.

They've just evolved to sometimes use the same messenger chemical in vastly different ways.

In human bodies, for example, the hormone, prolactin, is involved with breast growth and milk production, but elsewhere in the animal kingdom, it impacts everything from salt concentrations in fish to the way that bird bodies get ready to sit on their eggs.

Hormones from one species can even elicit responses in others.

Back in the 50s, the way we found out if women were pregnant was by injecting their pee into frogs or rabbits and then watching to see if human hormones kicked off ovulation.

All of this tells us that hormones and their chemical building blocks are an ancient and shared way that living things send and receive signals, maybe as old as complex life itself.

So if you're looking to blame someone for all those awkward puberty years, tell it to the slime molds.

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Be Smart | Why is Puberty so Weird? | Season 10 | Episode 10 | PBS

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Join Joe in this whirlwind tour of the endocrine system to find the answers.

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This is a book about bodies, and everything that makes them special. It goes into depth about how babies are made (hence the title) but also answers kids' questions about various body parts and what, exactly, they are for in a straightforward manner.

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IT'S NOT THE STORK!

A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends

Candlewick Press, August 2006

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

Our young children are curious about almost everything. They are especially curious about their bodies, about where they came from and how they were made. Many, but not all, ask us endless questions about these topics. They ask us why their bodies are the same and different from other peoples' bodies, what makes a girl a girl and a boy a boy, what the names are of all the different parts of their bodies, where babies come from, how babies are made, what a family is - and so many other questions about themselves and their bodies. Many of their questions are easy to answer. Others are more difficult to answer. Michael Emberley and I created this book to answer young children's many questions and concerns about these issues. We talked with parents, teachers, librarians, nurses, doctors, social workers, psychologists, scientists and clergy to make sure that all of the material in this book is comfortable, reassuring, age-appropriate and scientifically accurate.

This book, written especially for four, five, and six year olds, is the book to reach for when the questions begin - young children's questions about where babies come from and what makes a girl and girl and a boy a boy. With the publication of this book, children of all ages and their families have a library of books - It's Perfectly Normal for children age 10 and up; It's So Amazing! for children age 7 and up and now, It's Not the Stork! for children age 4 and up.

Parents magazine highlighted IT'S NOT THE STORK! as a book to use for talking to pre-schoolers about sensitive subjects.

A 2006 Kirkus Editor's Choice

A 2006 American Library Association Notable Book

A Nick Jr. Best Book Of 2006

"In their previous landmark volumes It's Perfectly Normal and It's So Amazing!, Harris and Emberley established themselves as the purveyors of reader-friendly, straightforward information on human sexuality for children as young as seven. Here they successfully tackle the big questions about body parts (in successive chapters called "What Boys Have" and "What Girls Have"), where babies come from, and other related issues for even younger kids. The ever-curious cartoon bird and his more reticent bee friend, first introduced in It's So Amazing!, set a welcoming tone right from the beginning, when, in a double-page comic-strip spread, they see a baby hippo at the zoo and wonder about its origins. Using basic yet thorough explanations, the text then proceeds to inform the duo that babies don't grow in gardens or get ordered over the Internet. Emberley's relaxed cartoon depictions of children and grownups with a realistic array of body types work seamlessly with the text to illustrate everything from anatomy to fetal development to different configurations of families. One useful and particularly humorous illustration titled "Pregnant Woman at the Movies" exemplifies the book's attention to detail. A mixed-race family - white mom, black dad, son, and baby in utero - sit in their seats at the theater while labels pointing to the mother's middle distinguish between the stomach and the uterus, clearly showing children that "the fetus doesn't grow where the popcorn goes!"
-The Horn Book, September/October 2006
"Harris opens by introducing two cartoon characters - a green-feathered bird clad in a purple shirt and blue high-top sneakers and his spike-haired friend, a bee. They wonder, "So where DO babies come from?" their conversational commentary, given in word balloons, is a lighthearted supplement to a more focused narrative. Told in the second person, the text is straightforward, informative, and personable. Facts are presented step-by-step, starting from the similarities and differences between boys' and girls' bodies, moving to a baby's conception, growth in the womb, and birth, ending with an exploration of different configurations of families as well as a section on "okay" versus "not okay" touches. The book is logically organized into 23 double-page sections. Friendly and relaxed cartoons, either interspersed with the text or appearing in comic strip form, are integral to the title's success in imparting the material. The labeled drawings show both the outside and inside parts of the body. As the bee and bird say to one another, "Knowing the names of ALL the parts of your body is - PERFECTLY NORMAL!" Overall, this book will be accessible to its intended audience, comforting in its clarity and directness, and useful to a wide range of readers."
-School Library Journal, September 2006
"...Emberley's affectionate, mood-lightening cartoons keep things approachable, while Harris' respectful writing targets children's natural curiosity without cloaking matters in obfuscating language... a sensitive entrée to the facts of life that will adapt to individual families who share the view that, when teaching kids about bodies and babies, honesty is the right strategy."
-Booklist, June 2006
"What a joyous world Robie Harris and Michael Emberley have created for learning about everyone. First, they enchanted us with It's Perfectly Normal, a welcome guide for young adolescents about what's happening to their bodies, and It's So Amazing!, an illustrated educational resource, for those wonderfully curious people aged seven to 12 years old. Now they give us It's NOT the Stork, which answers "the perfectly normal" questions of children ages four to seven in a celebration of life from birth to old age.
It's difficult to measure the importance of the vision of open communication about sexuality that Harris and Emberley have achieved. It's their winning combination that charms: Harris' meticulous research and understanding of children's development and Emberley's delightful illustrations that include people of all varieties. As a grandmother, I especially appreciated the grandma in shorts with a golf club, rather than in a rocking chair. Yes, absolutely, this book is a treasure trove for parents. For many, it will be a great relief - a joyful and accurate way to open communication with their children. Somehow Harris gets things just right: first a trip to the zoo filled with questions. Next a section, "So-ooo Many Questions!" encouraging children to ask away. Then wonderful pages showing all the things both boys and girls can do: "Boys can climb trees and do karate!" "So do girls!" "Girls cry when they see scary monsters!" "So do boys!" Next come the differences - beginning, of course, with how they use the toilet. Drawings of the backs of a naked boy and girl name all those body parts that are the same; drawings of the fronts show the differences, including a vulva that identifies a clitoris and explains: "girls and women have three openings between their legs ... " Harris' genius is her ability to make the complex simple, to answer incipient questions with a few key facts and to resolve the mysteries, e.g., changes that happen at puberty. Meanwhile, Emberley's illustrations show delightfully average and not model type girls and women, boys and men at six stages of life. On they go, explaining sperm and eggs, a "special kind of loving called 'making love,' 'having sex,' or 'sex' ... when the woman and man get so close to each other that the man's penis goes inside the woman's vagina.'" Oh! I predict some parents may skip a few words here and fast-forward to the fascinating picture of the pregnant woman in the movies which shows the popcorn in her stomach and the fetus in her uterus! Or, to the actual size pictures of the embryo and the fetus up to nine months. Next comes the joy of the birthday, a celebration of different kinds of families, a savvy description of "Okay Touches, Not Okay Touches," and finally an accolade to "Growing Up." The feisty conversations of the curious bird and reluctant bee that delighted adults, as well as children in the two earlier books, continue their playful/serious commentary throughout It's NOT the Stork! What a brilliant way to validate questioning, not knowing, and searching for information.
Bird: "So-ooo, a baby, comes from a STORK???"
Bee: "I don't THINK so!!!"
Bee: "Knowing the names of ALL the parts of your body is -"
Bird: "PERFECTLY NORMAL!"
The Harris/Emberley books provide an important vision of a comprehensive sexuality education. Even if you have no children or grandchildren, buy one for yourself�enjoy it, laugh with it and pass it on to nieces, nephews, friends ... Every child deserves an opportunity to wander through these pages, doubtless to return again and again, so very lucky to find clear answers to fundamental questions that many puzzle about for years."
-Peggy Brick, MEd., Contemporary Sexuality, June 2007, Vol. 41, No. 6
"A breathtaking amount of research went into the creation of this child's first book about sex. Several years in the making, it is a masterpiece of combining an age-appropriate amount of information in a way that is inviting, upbeat and clear. This book has no agenda other than to present accurate information about our bodies and, ultimately, how babies are made.
Beginning with acknowledging that there are many ways in which girls and boys are the same, it goes on to talk about and illustrate the ways in which they are physically different-both externally and internally. Smoothly and in a way children can understand, the topic segues into how those differences make it possible for eggs and sperm to be produced, why they exist, and how a baby begins and is ultimately born. The book touches on other issues any child can encounter and any curious child can be expected to wonder about-C-sections, multiple births, circumcision, adoption, foster parents, stepparents, "okay touches" and "NOT okay touches"-and does so with graceful and simple aplomb.
It's NOT the Stork! offers a solid foundation upon which our children can feel knowledgeable and comfortable about their bodies. Approved by science, health and child-development experts, it is a classic in the making. Robie Harris and Michael Emberley have created the perfect book for curious children (and what children aren't curious about their bodies, where babies come from, etc.?) and their parents. As far as we're concerned, it belongs in every home!"
-Chinaberry
"Where do babies come from? This perfectly normal question makes some parents squirm. But help is on the way with an honest answer in the amazingly clear and comprehensive "It's Not the Stork" written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley.
Some young kids will pour over every tidbit, cover to cover. After all, this subject has sex appeal. Other kids will cruise around the short chapters checking out the hilariously instructive cartoons and assiduously labeled diagrams. (Bodies are viewed front and back.)
For some kids, the book offers a venue for shared experience with parents or peers. And, certainly, adults will gratefully draw on the book's frank language and friendly tone when talking things over with their kids in the car or at the zoo.
The creators of the award-winning "It's Perfectly Normal" (1994) and "It's So Amazing" (1999), aimed at teens and 'tweens respectively, this time offer an introductory course on the birds and the bees for a younger audience, with the now familiar Bird-and-Bee exchanging disarming banter along the way. On learning about the uterus, Bird concludes, "So the fetus doesn't grow where the popcorn goes!" Replies Bee, "You got it!"
This must-have family resource addresses all kinds of such funny misconceptions, supplying instead the real facts of life. Carefully vetted by science, health and child development experts, everything is correct as correct can be-information about gender differences, reproduction, different kinds of families and different kinds of friends. And it is surprisingly inclusive, gracefully touching on such topics as in-vitro fertilization, same-sex parents and adoption.
Living in an age when preschoolers are likely to encounter ads for Viagra on radio and TV, "It's Not the Stork" is especially welcome. When it comes to sex, kids need information that is reassuring, accurate, up-to-date and age-appropriate. And that surely means finding out about function before having to find out about dysfunction."
-Susan Faust, The San Francisco Chronicle, October 29, 2006
"If it's not the stork, where do babies come from? Does mommy swallow a watermelon seed? Does daddy buy a bag of seeds, plant then in the garden and then mommy picks the baby she wants off the resulting vine? Does daddy order one on-line? Or does a stork drop a baby down a chimney to be caught by the expectant parents? No, no, no and gently no, are the answers, in this fine introduction to the birds and bees, one well-laced with humorous illustrations and diagrams that convey information as well as maintain the cheerful, even exuberant, "it's perfectly natural" tone of this book.
It's a book that pulls no punches about body parts and functions, and one of its virtues is that it names things for what they are and doesn't shrink from calling a poo a poo; the vernacular is an effective means of communication for this intended audience. Some of the areas of sexuality and family life explored are insemination, pregnancy-from "pinpoint to watermelon"-the birth process, a variety of different models of family life, and touching that's okay and touching that's not."
-Toronto Globe & Mail, October 7, 2006
"What's the "right" age at which to introduce information on human reproduction? Harris agrees that's for individual families to decide, and to give an assist to parents who feel "the younger, the better," she has abridged her presentation from It's So Amazing for an even younger audience. Adults familiar with Amazing will note that the format remains pretty much the same, right down to the curious cartoon bird and reticent bee that trade quips on their newly acquired knowledge; language, however, is slightly simplified and tidbits of information are deleted (topics such as masturbation, homosexuality, and types of twins are introduced, but they receive less detailed treatment) to shorten the text by some twenty pages. Emberley's cartoon cast, a celebration of demographic diversity, do double duty as helpful diagrams of body parts and fetal development, and as examples of loving families in action. The developmental bridge between this title and Amazing is considerably shorter than the span between Amazing and Perfectly Normal, and although public libraries will certainly want to offer all three works, families looking for that one good book for their preschoolers might just as well trade up a level to Amazing for more complete information, and customize their readalouds to suit their own children's needs."
-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2006
"If you already own Harris and Emberley's previous titles, "It's So Amazing!" and "It's Perfectly Normal," then you won't hesitate to add their newest title to your family library. Robie Harris is unique in her ability to provide straightforward, reassuring answers to the questions children have about their bodies, sexuality and growing up, in straightforward, reassuring manner. In a respectful voice and with age-appropriate language, "It's NOT the Stork!" helps answer those endless questions preschool, kindergarten and early elementary school children wonder about and often ask, such as, "Where do babies come from?" and "What makes a girl a girl?"
Cartoon drawings illustrate the text and include two characters, (curious) Bird and (embarrassed) Bee, who offer humorous and clarifying asides. Vetted by trusted child development experts including T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. and Penelope Leach, Ph.D., the information is scientifically accurate and up-to-date. This is the book to reach for when the questions begin."
-Parent's Express, August 15, 2006
It's NOT the Stork! helps parents explain
"One college memory that still cracks me up was the night a roommate innocently revealed incomplete knowledge about her own body and reproduction. And she was the only one of us who had a steady boyfriend. She wouldn't have embarrassed herself if she had read Robie Harris' new picture book "It's NOT the Stork!". Harris does an enormous favor for any parent who becomes tongue tied when trying to explain biology and babies. The subtitle just about says it all: "A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends." "It's NOT the Stork!" is pure sterling. Harris, a former teacher, burst into the picture-book world in 1994 with "It's Perfectly Normal," a fun, fact-filled presentation for ages 10 to 13 about growing up and puberty. Five years later, she wrote "It's So Amazing," a fact-based narrative about the complicated science of eggs, sperm, babies and bodies for ages 7 to 10. Both have won national awards, and both have weathered challenges from communities unhappy about a frank, graphic approach to knowledge about sex. Harris' new book is perfect for the pre-schooler who's asking where he or she came from and about the differences between a boy and a girl. Even parents comfortable talking about one's "privates" and human biology will appreciate Harris' relaxed, humorous approach and her silly sidekicks, Bird and Bee. Without blinking, Harris covers her subject from head to toe. She uses authentic names to point out arms, legs, elbows and privates. The parts are shown on boys and girls depicted in colorful, perky drawings by Michael Emberley. His illustrations of how the sperm and eggs get together includes an algebraic equation, a smiling couple under the covers and a pink sea of tadpolelike sperm swimming to the egg. Beyond body parts, gestation, birth and bellybuttons, Harris describes all kinds of "awesome" families, such as those with one mom or dad, two moms or dads, adoptive parents, foster parents and grandparents. In the concluding chapter "Okay Touches, Not Okay Touches," she empowers children to say "no." No family with young children (or naïve young adults?) should miss this one."
-Sacramento Bee, July 23, 2006

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It's Not the Stork " Robie H. Harris, Children's Book Author

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IT'S NOT THE STORK! A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends Candlewick Press, August 2006 Illustrated by Michael Emberley Our young children are curious about almost everything. They are especially curious about their bodies, about where they came from and how they were made.

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This is sex ed for the middle-grade set. Informative and laid out like a graphic novel, it's completely grounded in science and treats the material like the amazing process it is.

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A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families

15th Anniversary Edition-Completely Updated For Today's Kids

Candlewick Press, September 2014

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

This newest edition IT'S SO AMAZING! now includes the most up-to-date information and answers to the questions that today's kids ask and/or wonder about-such as about how babies are made and born, and how our bodies and even our families are the same and different. Click here for more information about the changes in this newest edition: Download the Anniversary information sheet

This book was created in response to requests from parents, educators, librarians, health professionals and clergy for a book on sexual health for younger children, ages 7 and up.

I immediately went to all the experts I had gone to when creating IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL. I asked them what should be in a book on sexual health for these younger children ages 7 and up. When I visited schools and talked with school age kids, ages 10 to 14 or so, I asked them the same question. And they said to me, "Almost everything that's in IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL, but not all the details, and less about puberty and more about babies and how they are made. And kids that age, even though their parents and teachers don't think so, they do wonder and want to know about sex." That's when I realized that this book would have to talk about sex - not through the lens of puberty as in IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL - but through the lens of where babies come from. I also understood that kids this age are very interested in science and how things work and that would be a way to talk about how babies are made.

I realized that this book could not and would not work as a "shorter/cut-up/slimmed-down version" of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL. This book would have to stand on its own. Michael Emberley had been very interested in using a comic-strip format for kids' books, and actually did use that technique in some places in IT'S PEFECTLY NORMAL. I also realized that since many beginning or emerging readers would be reading this book, we would have to make the text shorter. We spoke with a reading expert who said that boxing the text would make it seem less dense and would really appeal to younger readers, which is exactly what Michael had said. And Michael's use of comic-strip format in many places in this book is one reason I believe the book is so accessible to younger children.

The biggest challenge in this book was to include almost everything that was in IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL by writing in a way that would be comfortable for kids ages 7 and up and would be age-appropriate. That's why this book took almost three years to create. It was also a challenge to write a book for younger children on most of the same topics I had written about for older children. What was difficult was deciding what and how much information to include. I did have fun writing the words of the BIRD and BEE cartoon characters that had appeared in IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL as the voices of children. But of course, the BIRD and BEE characters had to talk in a younger manner. In order to fit in all the art and all of my writing information and all the BIRD and BEE cartoons, we decided to make the book 84 pages long. We did not worry about the length because we felt that some kids would only look at the parts of the book they were interested in, while others would read through the whole book. Teachers and parents have told us that's just how kids use this book.

Boston Globe feature article

The New York Times Sunday Book Review (featured review)

Book of the Month Club selection

American Library Association Notable Book

Children's Literature Choice List title

The Horn Book magazine Fanfare title 2000

Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award winner

Publishers Weekly Children's Book for Fall, July 19, 1999

"The creators of It's Perfectly Normal, targeted to middle-schoolers, here reach out to a slightly younger audience with candor and humor, neatly distilling various aspects of sex, reproduction, and love. An inquisitive, loquacious bird and an embarrassed bee act as comic and straight man and serve as diverting foils to Harris's conversational narrative; kids will both identify with and chuckle at the two characters' reactions and asides. The duo's cheerful banter also clarifies some potentially confusing issues ("So the fetus doesn't grow where the pizza goes!" proclaims the newly enlightened bee). Specific topics covered include changes in boys' and girls' bodies during puberty, intercourse, birth control, chromosomes and genes, adoption and adjusting to a newborn sibling. The roster of experts in the closing acknowledgments speaks to the sensitivity and intelligence with which Harris and Emberley handle their treatment of masturbation, sexual abuse, HIV and AIDS and homosexuality. Emberley's artwork ranges from lighthearted cartoon panels of a talking sperm meeting up with an egg in the fallopian tube to straightforward drawings of reproductive organs and a developing fetus.
With its informal yet informed perspective, this volume renders much 'amazing' phenomena reassuringly comprehensible."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review), December 1999
"Another barrier-breaking contribution by Harris and Emberley that seamlessly bridges It's Perfectly Normal (1994) and Happy Birth Day! (1996, both Candlewick). This oversized, attractive guide on reproduction and birth answers common questions such as "Exactly what is sex?" and "Where does the baby actually come out?" The familiar enthusiastic bird and reluctant bee narrate the comic cartoon panels, eventually deciding that the miracles of birth, families, and love are just "so amazing." Readers will appreciate the life-size illustration of a full-term fetus, and adults will be grateful for the many different ways Emberley portrays situations not always easy to explain to children. People are represented with a variety of body shapes and ethnicity, and Harris discusses sexual preferences and alternative family situations. While the illustrations are engaging, and often hilarious, factual information is effectively presented in a clear, nonjudgmental tone that will inform and assure readers. Topics covered include basic anatomy, conception, fetal development, birth, genetics, adoption, and love. Sexual abuse and HIV are sensitively mentioned in short, informative chapters.
An essential guide that will delight and inform and appeal to young readers as well as adults."
-School Library Journal, (starred review) February 2000
"The author of It's Perfectly Normal returns to the subject matter of sex and reproduction, this time producing a friendly and sensitive guide for younger children.
As in their first book, Harris's words and Emberley's cartoon illustrations merge seamlessly to explore a wide range of topics - from the parts of the body to definitions of love - though the focus of It's So Amazing! leans toward the biological rather than emotional issues involved in reproduction. Once again, an amusing cartoon bird and bee - one gleefully grabbing, the other mortified to be thinking about sex at all - navigate the reader through the text and give voice to children's concerns, questions, and misconceptions about sexuality. The book opens with detailed, accurate terminology for body parts and the ways in which they change during puberty, with particular emphasis on the production of eggs and sperm. Middle chapters take readers on a detour through sex and love - the basics only, but with good attention to the many ways people express affection for one another. Then it's back to the main event: fertilization of the egg, growth of the fetus, and birth. While the illustrations here don't avoid imbuing egg and sperm cells with gendered characteristics, they commendably avoid overly stereotypical portrayals. Harris throughout manages to leave no stone unturned in this thoughtful, intelligent, and most importantly, exuberant celebration of the creation and operation of children and adult bodies. The nonjudgmental text includes sections on adoptive families, families that include every combination of parental gender and marital status, sexual identity, masturbation, HIV/AIDS, inappropriate touching of "privates" by adults, and how to deal with a new baby sibling. Parents looking for a way to keep embarrassment to a minimum when discussing sexuality with their young children will appreciate this book."
-The Horn Book Magazine, (starred review), November 30, 1999
"The author and illustrator duo that broke new ground with their frank talk and depiction of puberty and changing bodies in It's Perfectly Normal, (1994) returns with an equally outstanding book. It's for children who may have "noticed kids who are going through puberty" but are not there themselves and have questions about sex and "where babies come from." The simple and straightforward prose focuses on reproduction and birth, including information on eggs, sperm, male and female body parts, the multiple meanings of sex, fetal development and delivery, family composition, and "okay touches" and "not okay touches." Related issues such as puberty, sexual orientation, birth control, and AIDS receive less detailed attention. The text is browser friendly; important information and reassuring words are repeated. Harris is also very good at recognizing children's misconceptions and teams up with Emberley to address myths in humorous ways: one illustration clears up the confusion over where the pizza goes (in the mother's stomach) and where the baby grows (in the uterus, or womb). The inquisitive bird and the embarrassed bee of the first book are back, but in more prominent roles as commentators, word definers and pronouncers, and official punsters. The bold, colorful illustrations fill the pages and are not as graphic as in the previous book. With the exception of two pages showing male and female bodies, from infancy to older adulthood, examples feature clothed children and adults, and comic-strip art chronicles the amazing adventures of egg and sperm. A welcome book that meets the needs of those in-between or curious kids who are not ready, developmentally or emotionally, for It's Perfectly Normal.
-Booklist, January 1 & 15, 2000
"Harris and Emberley fill the gap between their picture book, Happy Birth Day (1996), and the instant-classic It's Perfectly Normal (1994) with this equally sensitive, good-humored take on love and sex, puberty, genetics, pregnancy, and related topics, from sibling rivalry to HIV. Emberley supplies side (and snide) commentary from an eager bird and a reluctant bee to go along with cartoon depictions of anatomical details, human figures in a marvelous variety of ages, shapes, and skin colors, and a dramatic sequence covering fetal development from one month to nine in actual size. Never talking down to readers, Harris takes wide-angled views of sexual preferences, birth control, and the meaning of "family," while making the terminology less forbidding by mixing it with familiar comparisons: "The epididymis is a long, twisty, coiled tube. It is shaped somewhat like a telephone receiver, but smaller." The collaborators expertly walk the line between frankness and bluntness, keeping the actual sex act under the covers, and nimbly explaining how abuse differs from normal human contact and affection. Closing on a cheery note with a look at new baby customs in several parts of the world, this book provides sensible, reassuring answers to readers' questions and concerns, and interrupts the rain of information with occasional silliness."
-Kirkus Reviews, (starred review), November 1, 1999
"A welcome book that meets the needs of those in-between or curious kids who are not ready, developmentally or emotionally, for It's Perfectly Normal."
-Booklist (starred review), January 1 & 15, 2000
"It's So Amazing! is the amazingly upbeat and caring book that children have been waiting for-because it answers the many questions most children have about babies, bodies, love, sex, reproduction and family. This book is totally child-friendly and the perfect read-aloud book for children and families. Try it for the best-ever depiction of the real meaning of family."
-Penelope Leach, Ph.D.
Author of Your Baby and Child and Children First
"This thoughtful, innovative and comprehensive book helps children with issues that are on their minds anyway-and gives all of us the language we need to share with them."
-T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
Author of Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development
"As a pediatrician, I know that children have many questions about reproduction, birth, bodies, babies, and families. Finding the answers, in a comfortable, appropriate, and interesting way, is an essential part of growing up healthy in body and mind.
This book provides an opportunity for children to find answers to their questions with clarity of explanation, fabulous illustrations and humor, together with an all-important sense of wonder."
-Perri Klass, M.D.
Medical director of Reach Out and Read, Boston, Mass.; Contributing editor, Parenting magazine
"In the section on "What's Inside?" "What's Outside?" adults may learn something they didn't know. It is a brilliant book and the illustrations are delightful and informative. The book addresses homosexuality and adoption. And a child's right to privacy of their private parts and that sexual abuse is always wrong. "Sexual abuse can hurt. Or it can feel gentle. This can be very confusing because it's almost impossible to understand how something so wrong can feel gentle."
This is a very important book that will make it easier to talk with your children.
The book should win awards from parent groups."
-The Courier, November 5, 1999
"The team that produced the excellent It's Perfectly Normal (BCCB 10/94) has returned with a book for younger kids. Those familiar with the previous title will recognize the brash bird and the squeamish bee who comment on proceedings, the comic-strip panels featuring cheerfully personified ova and sperm, the calm and straightforward discussion, and the matter-of-factly frank illustrations. While love (of all kinds), families (of all kinds), and culture (of all kinds) are discussed here, the emphasis is on explaining the physical mysteries of growth and reproduction. The book does a capable job of presenting some really quite complicated facts in ways that offer information suitable for different levels of investigation: the anatomical examination is handily divided into what's inside and what's outside, for instance, and each sex's section finishes with a helpfully basic enumeration: "In all, from front to back, there are three openings between a female's legs...In all, from front to back, there are two openings between a male's legs..." While the previous book invited browsing this one essentially requires it, as there's too much information for single-sitting absorption here, and kids will need adult assistance and sharing to profit fully from the text (though it might be a good idea to leave the book around for some at-their-own-pace exploration after the initial introduction). That's a characteristic, however, rather than a flaw:
the breezy tone, accessible approach, and breadth of material makes this a useful volume for young questioners, and the book's assistance in exploring important questions by reading and by prompted discussion with an adult will be significant and valuable."
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2000
"An excellent resource on sex education for young children, presented in a lively and engaging style for both kids and parents. A book every family should own."
-Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D.
Clinical professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Co-author of Raising Black Children: Two Leading Psychiatrists Confront the Educational, Social and Emotional Problems Facing Black Children
"The same folks that brought us It's Perfectly Normal have turned their talents to a larger format using the same straightforward, humorous, and informative approach to sex education, this time for younger elementary school children. The cartoon characters of a bird and bee from the first book are back, one expressing the curiosity and the other the discomfort that many children share regarding such matters as conception, sexual anatomy, puberty, and sexual intercourse. The information is presented in one-paragraph-long cartoon-like boxes, and it is as clear, concise, sex positive and non-judgmental as anyone could ask (e.g., "An abortion is a medical way to end a pregnancy. Most women who have had an abortion can become pregnant again..."). She deals directly with homosexuality, adoption, HIV, sexual abuse, and alternative conception without rushing through or glossing over these potentially touchy issues. There is an index and a long list of people whom they consulted in some way, from a librarian to teachers and many medical people.
An admirably honest and excellent addition to any collection."
-BayViews Association of Children's Librarians, December 1999

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It's So Amazing " Robie H. Harris, Children's Book Author

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A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families 15th Anniversary Edition-Completely Updated For Today's Kids Candlewick Press, September 2014 Illustrated by Michael Emberley This newest edition IT'S SO AMAZING! now includes the most up-to-date information and answers to the questions that today's kids ask and/or wonder about-such as about how babies are made and born, and how our bodies and even our families are the same and different.

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Heather Corinna, founder of Scarleteen, uses the graphic novel format to great effect to help young teenagers navigate puberty, with a focus on social media, boundaries, and consent beyond the usual subjects.

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About The Book

From Heather Corinna, founder and director of Scarleteen.com, and Isabella Rotman, cartoonist and sex educator, comes a graphic novel guide that covers essential topics for preteens and young teens about their changing bodies and feelings.
Join friends Malia, Rico, Max, Sam and Alexis as they talk about all the weird and exciting parts of growing up! This supportive group of friends are guides for some tricky subjects. Using comics, activities and examples, they give encouragement and context for new and confusing feelings and experiences.

Inclusive of different kinds of genders, sexualities, and other identities, they talk about important topics like:

- Bodies, including puberty, body parts and body image
- Sexual and gender identity
- Gender roles and stereotypes
- Crushes, relationships, and sexual feelings
- Boundaries and consent
- The media and cultural messages, specifically around bodies and sex
- How to be sensitive, kind, accepting, and mature
- Where to look for more information, support and help

A fun and easy-to-read guide from expert sex educators that gives readers a good basis and an age-appropriate start with sex, bodies and relationships education! The perfect complement to any school curriculum.

About The Authors

For nearly 20 years, Heather Corinna has been widely recognized as a pioneer and leader in the field of sexuality information, education and support for young people. Previously a Montessori and unschooling early childhood educator, Heather founded and directs the international organization Scarleteen (http://www.scarleteen.com), one of the first sources of comprehensive sexuality and relationships education online, an organization and resource that stands alone in its tenure, approach, reach, inclusivity and scope. Heather has also been a sexuality, contraception and abortion educator and counselor for the Cedar River Clinics/Feminist Women's Health Center. They are the author of the popular S.E.X.:the All-You-Need-to-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties, a highly comprehensive and inclusive young adult sexuality, sexual health and relationships guide, now in its second edition. Their work has also appeared in publications such as Teen Vogue, The Guardian, RH Reality Check (now Rewire) Issues Magazine, Women's Studies; an interdisciplinary journal; in anthologies such as Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape, The Adventures of Food, and Zaftig: Well-Rounded Erotica . Heather was a contributing writer and editor to the most recent edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves. Heather has won numerous awards for their work, including The Champions of Sexual Literacy Award for Grassroots Activism; The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Western Region's Public Service Award; the Our Bodies, Ourselves' Women's Health Heroes Award; the Joan Helmich Educator of the Year award; The Woodhull Foundation's Vicki Award; the Steinem-Waters Award and the Golden Brick Award.

Isabella is a cartoonist and illustrator from Maine, living and drawing in Chicago. Her art is usually about the ocean, mermaids, crushing loneliness, people in the woods, or sex. Isabella is the author of You're So Sexy When You Aren't Transmitting STIs and Not On My Watch; The Bystanders' Handbook for the Prevention of Sexual Violence. Isabella is the co-author and illustrator of Wait, What?; A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up. Isabella has been Artist in Residence at Scarleteen since 2013.

Raves and Reviews

CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 2019 Best of the Best

THE ADVOCATE, Best LGBTQ Graphic Novels of 2019

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Notable Children's Book by The Association for Library Service to Children

"It brings a loving, essential lens to matters of heart and soul, offering a roadmap not only to physical changes, but the complex social and emotional terrain of consent, crushes, and identity."

- Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Nurture the Wow

"This dream team of creators came up with a book that is not only accessible but totally enjoyable to read! I'm so excited to see Wait, What? in every library, school and doctor's office in 2019!"

- Archie Bongiovanni, A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns

" Wait, What? is straightforward and clear, exactly what's needed to help kids develop authentic awareness and conversation about bodies, relationships, feelings and sexuality."

- Peggy Orenstein, Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape

" Wait, What? is a wonderful guide to topics adolescents are curious about, presenting information in relatable, gender-inclusive text and clever illustrations. This is the book adolescents-and their parents-have been looking for."

- Melanie Davis, PhD, CSE, Our Whole Lives Program Associate

Resources and Downloads

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Find out more about Wait, What? by Heather Corinna, Isabella Rotman, Luke Howard at Simon & Schuster. Read book reviews & excerpts, watch author videos & more.

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Body image issues are not the exclusive domain of those who identify as girls, and this book takes a science-based approach to discussing how everyone's body is different.

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'The Body Image Book for Boys contains every single piece of information that doctors and experts want teenage boys to know- but rarely get the chance to tell them... Delivered with a thoughtful, empathetic, and intelligent tone, and filled with detailed, evidence-based content, this book is ideal for boys who are hungry for knowledge about what is happening in their bodies, and how best to look after their physical and mental health. The authors communicate complex issues and information in interesting and detailed ways. They dispel the myths, and share the stories of numerous adolescent boys with a range of different attitudes toward, or experiences of, their bodies. This book covers such a wide range of topics - the physical, the emotional, and everything in between. Strongly recommend.'

Dr Zali Yager - Executive Director, The Body Confident Collective

'Whether read by young men or the adults who care about them, and equally effective if perused cover-to-cover or dipped into for quick consultation, this visually engaging and unique offering provides accurate information and straightforward advice on a timely, often overlooked topic.'

Kathleen McBroom Source: Booklist

'This is a terrific book which frankly and kindly guides adolescent boys to develop a positive body image in terms of what they can't change, what they can indeed learn to do, and the wisdom and self-compassion to learn the difference. With a skilful blend of definitions and explanations, plus advice from experts and a diverse set of adolescent boys and young men, the authors deftly transform scientific research findings into practical advice that respects the desires, needs, stressors, and appearance concerns of adolescent boys. Parents, grandparents, pediatricians, teachers, clergy, and others would also benefit from this book so that they are prepared to challenge the many sociocultural messages that make it all too easy for boys to use the petri dish of toxic masculinity to cultivate a negative body image and other unhealthy habits.'

Michael P. Levine - Ph.D., FAED, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Kenyon College

'The ultimate handbook to help boys navigate puberty and develop a healthy body image. Packed full of practical and evidence-based advice on diet, fitness, and mental health, it addresses boys' body image concerns head-on. A must read. Being You will help boys appreciate they have more to offer the world than how they look.'

Judi Craddock - author of The Little Book of Body Confidence

'This book gives boys the crucial skills and language to talk about - and hopefully improve - the relationship they have with their bodies. These conversations are often taboo for both men and boys, but this book provides the necessary roadmap to tackle them in a compassionate and productive way. In short, this book is a must for anyone trying to support the young boys and men in their lives.'

Jeffrey Hunger - Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, Department of Psychology, Miami University, Ohio

'A fab book ... colourful, modern and engaging. Worth having on any teens/tweens bookshelf.'

Source: The Green Parent

'Finally, a book dedicated to the experience of boys and body image. It's not just an issue that impacts girls, in fact, anyone with a body has a sense of their own body image. Drs Markey, Hart and Zacher write about the unique experiences of boys and men and their relationship with their bodies such as feeling the pressure to be lean and muscular. The scientific research presented is supported by the stories of real boys and men in their own voices making the content highly relatable. There is a range of great tips to help boys improve their sense of body image as well as encouragement to become the changemakers in promoting positive body image in society more generally. A highly useful resource for boys and everyone who supports them.'

Dr Gemma Sharp - Senior Research Fellow & Clinical Psychologist, Leader, Body Image Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University

'Dr. Markey has done it again! An excellent companion book to her body image book for girls with chapters covering the critical body image issues that boys would want to know: puberty, how they can take care of their bodies, and eating. The coverage of related mental health issues like bullying and self-compassion makes for a well-rounded volume of how boys can learn to be their best selves. Body image and eating issues are increasing for boys, and need more attention from researchers, parents, and media. This much-needed book helps guide boys through body image issues in a way that is fun, engaging, and specific to boys' needs and concerns. It's beautifully illustrated and highly readable, and features real life stories from boys and expert advice. Give the boys in your life a gift they deserve - buy this book!'

Dr Meghan Gillen - Associate Professor of Psychology, Penn State Abington

'Parents who have been asking for ways to support their sons' body image have a new resource to share with their adolescents. Being You meets boys where they are and offers research, personal stories, and practical guidance for navigating the confusing messages young men receive from the culture. This book also serves as a much-needed conversation-starter for families about what it means to take care of your authentic self, inside and out.'

Oona Hanson - Educator and Parent Coach

'Being You dispels the myth of body image only being a concern for girls and provides an excellent, insightful analysis of the nature of body image concerns among boys, as well as what causes these concerns. The book adopts a positive approach to body, exploring how boys can engage in healthy physical activity and eating so that they experience physical and mental health. From stories to expert advice, to useful tips to address concerns that are unique to boys, the book is clearly well researched and written in an accessible way for boys, their parents, teachers and others who work with boys. A wonderful book that will be a central resource to all who are interested in ensuring that boys grow up to be healthy and well-adjusted men.'

Professor Marita McCabe - Ph.D., FAPS FCCLP FCHP, Research Professor and Team Leader, Health and Ageing Research Group, Swinburne University

'What a great resource for boys! As a society, we don't spend enough time talking to boys about positive body image and healthy development. This book provides boys and their families with powerful, evidence-based information and advice about how to take care of themselves and their bodies physically and psychologically during the teen years. It is engaging and fun and provides stories from real boys and young men as well as advice from experts. I wholeheartedly recommend it!'

Elizabeth Daniels - Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of the MA Program in Psychological Science, Director of the Undergraduate Honors Program, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

'A big shout out to Being You! This is the book we need right now to help boys navigate the increasingly difficult terrain of maturing into men. The punchy, graphical format makes it a good fit for today's adolescent attention spans. The authors wisely place body image in wider contexts, ranging from unrealistic social media images of ripped men to the perils of diet fads to the need to challenge confined definitions of masculinity itself. Boys will be better boys thanks to this book!'

Ed Frauenheim - co-author of Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection

'With suicide rates surging for preteen and teenage boys - yet another painful sign of their feeling trapped by impossible pressures - and the top 15 causes of premature mortality predominantly male, how they relate to their bodies plainly matters. In their colorful, evidence-based, and wonderfully accessible book, the authors bring wisdom, compassion, and even humor to a subject that has been shrouded in myth for generations. For parents, educators and coaches who understand that integrity begins with how well a child cares for himself, an attitude learned - or not - early in life, I heartily recommend this book.'

Michael C. Reichert - Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for the Study of Boys' and Girls' Lives, University of Pennsylvania

'An excellent resource for adolescents and their family on an important but often overlooked issue - male body image. The book provides evidence-informed breakdown of what body image is, the contributing factors to positive vs negative body image during adolescence, and how to improve body image. It balances informative aspects with practical tips and activities to try at home. Descriptions are written in an easy-to-follow and concise manner, engaging the reader and facilitating understanding. Timely inclusion of quotes from experts and from adolescents themselves flesh out the key concepts described in the book. With body image issues placed nicely within the context of typical development, it is well suited as a resource for all adolescent boys and not just those who harbor extreme levels of body image concerns.'

Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz - Ph.D., Group Leader, Data Sciences, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University

'This book is as helpful as it is overdue! Kids of all genders have questions and concerns about body image but for some reason, boys have historically been left out of this conversation. Finally there is a resource for them - and the adults raising them - to normalize their concerns and answer their questions. Clear, well-researched, and easy to read.'

Cara Natterson - M.D., Pediatrician, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of puberty lifestyle company OOMLA

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Cambridge Core - Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology - Being You

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Styled like a middle-school yearbook, this guide talks tweens and teens through all the gnarliest parts of puberty with a big sense of humor.

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"A must-have puberty survival guidebook for tweens and teens, this is a perfect choice for collections in need of health titles that use gender-inclusive language." - SLJ, starred review

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Puberty Is Gross but Also Really Awesome by Gina Loveless: 9781635653533 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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A first-of-its-kind inclusive puberty guide that celebrates the good and completely awful parts of puberty. Filled with jokes and countless facts to put this stage in perspective--this book is bound to...

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HelloFlo founder Naama Bloom gives anyone with a period the knowledge they need to get through it with a sense of humor intact.

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" Make[s] girls feel both normal and empowered.... If you have a girl nearing puberty in your life, I recommend grabbing a copy for her." - Heidi Stevens for The Chicago Tribune

" An honest, funny, and unafraid look at a girl's changing body." - Parents.com

"An energetic, empowering resource." - A compassionate guide to the physical, psychological, and emotional dimensions of puberty."

"Helpful, clear advice . . . just the right tone." - Kirkus Reviews

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HelloFlo: The Guide, Period. by Naama Bloom: 9780399187292 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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"What we love most about this book (which we'll be gifting to our tween cousins, nieces, and daughters!) is the empowering message woven throughout: that 'your body is your body,' as...