Customer Reviews

How Babies Are Made

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hurray to the author of this book! Some things in life don't change and how babies get made is one of those things. I didn't want explicit technical pictures. This book provides a platform for the embarrassed parent. The pictures are simple cutouts that explain the process of reproduction. The book begins with flowers and pollination and progresses steadily towards human fertilization. No shocks, no surprises, just simple facts clearly stated. Excellent book. Children are still children and shocking them with a book that they are not prepared to look at is not the answer. This book was a mild approach to a tense subject and I've already recommended it to friends.

Originally published in 1968 by Time-Life Books, this book hasn't changed either - and it needs no revision to remain up-to-date. It actually addresses "the birds and the bees": beginning with flowers, then moving on to chickens, dogs and finally humans, the authors show how reproduction happens in a similar way for all types of living creatures. The brightly colored paper cutout illustrations hold a young child's attention, and keep even the most squeamish parent from being embarrassed.

I recommend this book to everyone. First issued in 1968 when I was 6 years old, I still remember being impressed, even at that age, by the logical progression of this book. It explains in the most respectful, lucid way where babies come from. I passed this book on to my older sister when she had kids and they hung on to it and passed it down to me when my kids were learning to read. I just left it in the bookcase and they all picked it up when they were ready for it. For anyone mystified about how and where to begin explaining this subject, here is everything you need. This book is in no way dated and should still be at the top of every list of books on this subject.

Oh, my goodness, I can't believe it's still out there. Like another reviewer, I remembered the book with cut-outs that my parents gave to me to read about the "facts of life," more years ago than I care to remember. It is an absolutely wonderful tool for parents attempting to teach their child(ren) about something that is still, in this day and age, a difficult subject.

SIMPLY PUT, "HOW BABIES ARE MADE" IS BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN THAT PARENTS, TEACHERS, & OTHERS CAN AND SHOULD USE TO TEACH BASIC SEX EDUCATION TO CHILDREN. YOUNSTERS LEARN JUST ENOUGH FROM IT, AND IT MAKES THE JOB OF CONCERNED ADULTS VERY EASY.
"HOW BABIES ARE MADE" WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN (1968 or 1969). IT WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. SINCE THEN,(36 OR 35 YEARS), MANY OTHER BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED, YET NOT ONE EVEN COMES CLOSE TO "HOW BABIES ARE MADE" - IF THERE EVER WAS A CHAMP, THIS IS IT! IN ADDITION, IT'S SO "CURRENT" YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS WRITTEN JUST YESTERDAY, AND IN FACT, THIS BOOK IS NEEDED AS MUCH AS WHEN ORIGINALLY WRITTEN, IF NOT MORE SO TODAY!

Like many of the other reviewers, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book is still out there. My parents bought this book when I was around 5 years old and this is how I learned the facts of life. I consider it an excellent book and will get a copy for my daughter as soon as she's old enough.

This is a very straightforward book that explains the basic facts of how reproduction occurs in a way that young children can understand. It begins with the pollination of flowers, then moves on to chickens, dogs, and finally humans. It covers the facts of copulation, fertilization, growth of the baby, and then birth, along with the basics of reproductive anatomy, with a combination of brightly colored pictures and simple text. It manages to teach the facts without being overly graphic or embarrassing, not an easy task for a book on this topic. It sticks to the facts and doesn't venture into the realm of values, but leaves plenty of room for parents to discuss their own values.

I'd recommend this book for ages 4-8, keeping in mind that it does lay all the facts out on the table, so if you're not quite ready for your younger child to know exactly how that baby got in there and how it gets out, you may want to look for a different book. Most kids older than 8 or so would find the illustrations and simple text to be too childish and would need a more sophisticated book. This book also doesn't address puberty or other aspects of human sexuality that might be covered in a book for older kids - it strictly deals with where babies come from.

This is one great little book. It was most helpful with the grandchildren. Very tender, very to the point. Explains everthing quite well. I was unable to find one offensive picture or word in the entire book. I do wish I had had this one around when our children were growing up. If you have a young child and are having difficulties with this particular subject, which many folks do, then this is certainly one you want on your shelf. Highly recommend this one.

My very inquisitive, 6 year old scientist wanted to know the facts. This book eases everyone into the conversation, starting with plant reproduction, then animals and of course, finally people. It's written in a way as to not interfere with religious beliefs, and brief enough to allow parents to input their own values.

I bought this book for my son (now age 5) two years ago at Christmas time. I was searching for a beginning book about sex that would not offend or embarrass me. (He was a little too young to worry about offending or embarrassing!) It has been a good starting point for us. I think that some parts of the book are unclear to me as an adult and perhaps might be confusing to an older child, but that's why you buy other books as your children get older! This book makes a good foundation.

My mom got this book and read it to me for the first time (but certainly not the last!) when I was almost 2 years old, to help me understand the impending birth of my first little sister. I have always loved this book, and enjoyed re-reading it with my mom as I was growing up. When I first got pregnant, I wrote to my mom to see if she still had "our" copy of it. She did, and now I have it. I read it to my stepkids to help them understand about where the new member of their family was coming from. I read it to my first son to help him understand where his new little brother was coming from. I read it to his brother, just because it's something kids need to know. We have read it again and again over the years, and we'll probably be reading it again soon, as the topic recently came up again.

This book does a wonderful job of explaining a topic that generally causes a certain amount of discomfort in our society with great tact and understanding. It doesn't include details kids don't really need to know, but it goes into enough detail that they're not left wondering what's going on. The only criticism I have is that birth is presented as something that happens in a hospital, with bright lights and people in surgical masks and gloves seemingly pulling the baby out of a recumbent mother. As a homebirther, I know that this is not an accurate picture of birth, and wish that birth could have been presented in a more positive and more natural manner. However, I understand the cultural context in which the book was written, and I'm willing to overlook this one small flaw in what is otherwise still an excellent first book for kids about the subject of sexual reproduction after all these years. If you can only afford to buy one book for your young child about where babies come from, this is the one to get.