It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families [Hardcover]

Robie H. Harris (Author), Michael Emberley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: The Family Library

With honesty, accuracy, humor, and warmth, IT'S SO AMAZING offers children the real information they need—now more than ever.

How does a baby begin? What makes a baby female or male? Why are some babies twins? How is a baby adopted? Children sure have lots of questions about reproduction and babies—and about sex and sexuality too.

IT'S SO AMAZING! provides the fascinating answers—with fun, accurate, comic-book style artwork, and a clear, lively text that reflects an elementary-school child's interest in science and how things work. Throughout the book, a curious Bird and a squeamish Bee help tell the AMAZING story of how a baby is made—from the moment an egg and sperm join, through pregnancy, to birth. IT'S SO AMAZING! also addresses, in a reassuring and age-appropriate way, related topics such as love, sex, gender, families, heterosexuality, homosexuality, sexual abuse, and HIV and AIDS—while giving children a healthy understanding of their bodies.

Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley, author and illustrator of IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL: CHANGING BODIES, GROWING UP, SEX AND SEXUAL HEALTH, created IT'S SO AMAZING! in response to requests from parents, educators, librarians, and health professionals for a book that would address a younger child's concerns. Vetted and approved by science, health, and child development experts, this comprehensive, forthright, and funny book is just what children need—to provide answers to their questions and to keep them safe, healthy, and unafraid.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. Ages 7-up. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-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.
Katie O'Dell, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1 edition (March 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763600512
• ISBN-13: 978-0763600518
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Sexuality
  • #40 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Anatomy & Physiology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

229 of 233 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FAR more than what I expected!!!, May 10, 2004

By 

Holly Rose (Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (Hardcover)

First off you need to know this is a large book. It's huge. The picture does not at all convey how huge this book really is. It's about two times the size of a normal size book. I really don't think the description is adequate. I expected this to be a basic story book. It is far more than that. This is a very scientific book. It is a lot like the book "A Child is Born" only geared for kids. By this I don't mean watered down or talking down to kids. It is perfect. In fact I would venture to say you could actually use this as your primary educational tool when teaching your kids about sex for the first time. I originally got a book that was advertised as being the best book to read to your kids when telling them about sex. Actually I think this is 1000 times better b/c it has pictures, it tells it graphically but in cartoon style. It is FAR less traumatic for those parents who don't feel comfortable broaching this subject. It is, however, necessary to note there is a lot of information that is friendly to the alternative lifestyles. If you are opposed to this then you will have to either choose another book OR censor it yourself.

74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what a wonderful book!, August 16, 2000

By 

Mom 2 Two "wife2abadge" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (Hardcover)

This book is perfect for children to read before entering puberty! Robie Harris explains male and female body parts (inside and out), what changes take place during puberty, how an sperm fertilizes an egg, what sex is, what love is, what happens during pregnancy (including how a baby grows and how one is born), different types of families (gay, straight, adoption, etc), good and bad touches, and even a bit about HIV and AIDS.

The author explains everything very honestly without being judgmental, although he leaves room for a parent to explain his or her own values to a child. For example, while explaining masturbation he writes, "Every family has its own thoughts and feelings about masturbation...Some people and religions think it's wrong to masturbate."

The book covers a lot of information, but presents it in a fun and simple way. The cartoon illustrations are complete without being terribly graphic, and the small bird and bee throughout the book serve as "tour guides". This book will definitely be on my bookshelf when my daughter starts asking questions.

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful educational tool and funny too, March 1, 2005

By 

J. Nutini (Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (Hardcover)

I bought this book for several reasons. I'm 23 years old but circumstances found me diving into the world of foster parenting. I needed a book that could help me talk to my foster son about all of the complex issues he had already faced at the young age of seven. I also bought this book because I work with an HIV/STI prevention youth program. I wanted a resource that was young person friendly and that could be used by both young children and teenagers alike. Then I stumbled upon this book here on Amazon while looking for parenting books.

I will say, this book does a wonderful job of explaining things like sex, sexuality, alternative families, sexual abuse etc. in a way youth can enjoy and understand. It takes an open-minded approach. The only thing I will say is that if you're thoughts tend to be very conservative then you may have a problem with some of the things in this book. However, I feel it takes a candid and loving approach to life, love and sexuality.

What makes this book so cool is that you can start by reading certain sections with your younger children that may be applicable to them or their age group. As they get older you can begin reading some of the other sections and eventually leave the book in their room to refer to if needed. Buy it! It's worth the money.