Product Description

American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, 1997 Are boys and girls different on the inside? How do you tell girls and boys apart? Do girls and boys have the same feelings? Is sex a dirty word? Where do babies come from? What does being pregnant mean? How do you get a belly button? Tell me about when I was a baby...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24919 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 11.00" h x .13" w x 8.25" l, .33 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Using straight text as well as cartoons including dialogue balloons, this "chatty yet frank" book, according to PW, "will put young readers--and their parents--totally at ease." Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?How can you tell a boy from a girl? What are the proper terms for genitalia? How do you make a baby? Where does a belly button come from? The Browns answer these and similar questions in an honest, but superficial way that will satisfy some youngsters, but leave others with many questions unanswered. Overly detailed for younger children and too incomplete for those nearing puberty, this information will be most useful as a bridge between books meant for preschoolers describing birth and those that tackle the process of maturation, sexuality, and the responsibilities and choices that come with growing up. The illustrations are excellent: colorful and cartoonlike, yet clear in their representation of human anatomy in both internal and external views. The layout and cover design will attract youngsters and their familiarity with this author/illustrator team will also add to its appeal. The greatest value of this work, however, will be in promoting dialogue between caregivers and children, especially if they read it together, but adults should be prepared to field many ancillary questions not covered in the text.?Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A well-intentioned but less than satisfactory picture book on sex education for primary-grade children, from the team behind Dinosaurs Die (1996), and other guides. In simple words and drawings, the book covers anatomical differences (both external and internal) between boys and girls; rudimentary facts about sexual behavior (including masturbation), pregnancy, and birth; and information about ``good'' touching and ``bad'' touching. Set on a nearly impossible course, the book errs by providing both too much information and too little. Certain structures (e.g., clitoris, seminal vesicles, foreskin) are mentioned in the text or shown in diagrams with no further explanation. Intercourse is defined as ``when a man and woman fit his penis into her vagina,'' but the diagrams of the male and female organs make such a ``fit'' inconceivable. That sperm and egg meet during intercourse is clear, but ejaculation and the motility of sperm are not mentioned, possibly giving rise to some alarming speculations about the mechanics of coitus. In the section about ``bad touch'' the child is advised to ``speak up and tell him or her to stop. If that doesn't work, tell your mom or dad or another grown-up.'' A responsible adult should be informed of any inappropriate touching. The laudable ambition--to make it easier for parents to talk with their children--is only partially realized. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.