Sex Education Books for Children

Guides Help Teach Sexual Health and Answer Pregnancy Questions

Jun 5, 2009 Michael Jung

Unsure of how to provide a sex education for your kids - or what kind of puberty and pregnancy information to give? Robie H. Harris' books on sex education may help.

With all the unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and sexual abuse issues today, it is imperative that kids receive an informative sex education from an early age to help them make responsible choices later on. Unfortunately, many parents are unsure of the type of information kids need at different ages and/or how to provide an effective sex education for youth.

In response to this problem, child development specialist Robie H. Harris and illustrator Michael Emberley created It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health, a sex education book for preteens and teens. Created through interviews with parents, teachers, librarians, nurses, doctors, social workers, psychologists, scientists and clergy, It’s Perfectly Normal proved popular with parents and teachers, and has been used to teach sexual health in countries including the U.S., Japan, and Germany.

The sex education book’s popularity encouraged Harris and Emberley to create two additional children sex education books, It’s So Amazing! and It’s NOT The Stork!, which provide information on sexual health for younger children – answering pregnancy questions; inquiries about boys and girls puberty; and issues with sexual abuse.

Like It’s Perfectly Normal, these sex education books have proven controversial among some audiences due largely to their anatomically correct illustrations – yet they have also been applauded by many for providing frank and honest information about sex.

It’s So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families

In this sex education book, recommended for ages seven and up, cartoon animal guides Bird and Bee take readers through explanations of pregnancy and sexual health. Michael Emberley’s cartoon drawings supplement Harris’ text, giving many detailed diagrams of male and female sex organs, developing bodies, and growing fetuses. Several pages also provide comic book-style depictions of female periods, sperm production, the creation of a zygote, and the stages of pregnancy.

While the majority of the book focuses on the conception process, pregnancy, and birth, Harris and Emberley also spend time discussing adoption and sexual abuse. Topics such as masturbation and STDs, however, do not receive the attention they do in It’s Perfectly Normal (which contains a detailed section on STDs). Perhaps Harris felt the intended audience was not ready for this information – nevertheless, parents should be aware that such sex education resources are available from Harris.

It’s NOT The Stork! A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends

Bird and Bee return in this sex education book recommended for ages four and up. Much of the information given is similar to the facts provided on pregnancy and male and female sex organs given in It’s So Amazing!. The sections on puberty and masturbation, however, are streamlined, while the section on STDs is not included.

In general, this book is designed to help parents navigate the questions their children will inevitably ask about their own bodies, the mystery of pregnancy, and birth. To assist in this, the book’s dimensions and font size have been made bigger than the other two books in the series, making it easier for parents to read and share with their kids.

Controversial Books

Overall, while many parents and teachers have found It’s So Amazing! and It’s NOT the Stork! to be effective children sex education books, the book’s cartoon drawings of naked children and adults have been controversial.

On some levels, this criticism is unwarranted – sex education books can hardly be effective without detailed visual depictions of the human body. Indeed, one of the few criticisms this reviewer can make of the illustrations lies not in its use of nudity but its depictions of pregnant women eating pizza, hamburgers, and soda even as the text encourages proper pregnancy nutrition.

Nevertheless, it is reasonable to ask that parents read the books before sharing them with their kids – not only to judge their appropriateness but also to familiarize themselves with the information provided. Notably, many adults find themselves learning new things about puberty, pregnancy, and sexual health along with their kids as they read the books, which says a great deal about the books’ value.

In the end, however, simply reading these children sex education books cannot provide kids with an effective sex education. Honest discussions between kids and parents, teachers, and trusted professionals, as well as further research on any other sexual health questions are invariably the most important and vital part of a child’s sex education.

Ultimately then, to get the best value out of these books, parents should use the information provided as a springboard for discussion, further research, and teaching values. Having such sex education resources available is useful, but how these resources are used by parents and children is often more important.

Read about Robie H. Harris’ book It’s Perfectly Normal at Popular Book Provides Sex Education for Youth.

Harris, Robie H. and Michael Emberley. It’s So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 2002. ISBN: 978-0-7636-1321-1

Harris, Robie H. and Michael Emberley. It’s NOT the Stork! A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3331-8

The copyright of the article Sex Education Books for Children in Parenting Resources is owned by Michael Jung. Permission to republish Sex Education Books for Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

It's So Amazing!