Customer Reviews

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (The Family Library)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I hardly know where to start in praising this book! The writing is very frank, and may provide more than some parents wish their kids to know at this stage. The drawings are cartoonish, but still realistic enough to make sense and appeal to kids. Two friends, a bird and a bee, appear on every page to make comments on the text, and provide every reader with someone to identify with - the bird is excited about growing up, while the bee is embarrassed and not as interested. Boys and girls will appreciate knowing that they are learning the same stuff (there aren't two copies for either gender). Just about every topic is addressed, if briefly: reproduction, homosexuality, physiology, menstruation, erections and ejaculation, changes in body shape and smell, changes in emotions, masturbation, families and pregnancy, birth control/family planning, sexual abuse, STD's and AIDS - everything! The best part, though, is the two page spread of drawings of different types of naked bodies: fat, thin, tall, all colors, all ages, even people in wheelchairs. These two pages alone are worth the price of the book.

The thoroughness of this book is key for your preteen to get the truth about his/her body and other sexual topics. It really contains almost anything a preteen would want to know. The two-page spread of naked bodies is reality without being pornography! It's really a hit over the head that most people don't look like supermodels! (your kid might feel better about his/her body - chances are, they have a more attractive one!) BUT...some of the info is embedded in other sections; repetition might have been useful for a child who is picking and choosing what material he/she is ready for. This book is NOT for the age group it's recommended for; you should start with "It's So Amazing" - a five-star book in every way. Finally, "Normal" equates a crush with "sexual attraction" and I'm not so comfortable making that assumption! A nine-year-old need not consider that he/she is already experiencing sexual attraction. You might want to explain how it feels (for each gender) to be sexually attracted to someone, and that he/she might not feel that way for many years (especially if it's a girl, she might only desire as much as kissing!). Perhaps the first time he/she feels sexually attracted is the bench mark when he/she should make sure to read the rest of the book!

Kids talk about sex A LOT. The problem is they often pass on incorrect information. This book is perfect to make sure that what they learn is correct, accurate and healthy. I read 1/3 of this book to my 9-year-old daughter and despite the late hour, she was mesmerized. The pictures are explicit, but is necessary so that children make no mistake about what is being discussed. It also has funny cartoons that address people's attitudes about sex, and which a kid can relate to. I like the part where it covers the various definitions of sex: gender, desire, reproduction, intercourse and homosexuality. Kids really do get warped concepts of sex and this book covers all the ways people talk about it (silly jokes) and their attitudes about it. The book also covers anatomy, puberty, families and babies, birth control, and staying healthy. It's well organized, well-written and concise. I recommend every parent who hears the word sex uttered from their child's lips, read this book to him/her. Even teenagers can benefit from this information.

I have to say I haven't completely read this book, but I stumbled across it while doing some research at my school library. Personally, I think it's great that this book is so open...sex shouldn't be hidden away in the closet. In this day and age, it's important to talk about sex, and books like this are helpful. Many kids my age have sexual encounters, but still don't know all the basics. I live in an international community, and some parents leave their children in the dark. Further more, no matter how well a parent educates their child, there are ALWAYS questions, trust me. It's good for anyone, to be able to get answers, because talking about sex with your parents is very rarely comfortable. However, a lot of the illustrations in this book disturbed me. I know at my age it's not nessary to be embarresed, but some of the pictures were...too detailed...too graphic. It's great to be open about sex and love....just make sure it doesn't go too far.

Kids start to ask questions about sex at a young age. A great book for the littler kids is "Hair in Funny Places." When they are ready for the next level up, you can't find a better book than It's Perfectly Normal.

Some reviews think this book is inappropriate unless your kids are teens. Did you know that studies show 13% of females and 15% of males aged 15-19 in 2002 had already had intercourse for the first time before age 15? An NBC News poll reports 14% of 13 to 14 year-olds are already sexually active. Not my kid, you say? Better safe than sorry, experts reply. Waiting until your kids are teens could be too late.

My child is 8. He's started asking questions that go beyond how babies are made. This book is an outstanding resource. I don't just hand it to him, it's a supervised, interactive conversation and he only reads what he's drawn to - I never push more information than he wants and he always puts it down when he's had enough.

When sticky subjects come up, this book is where I go to have a conversation with him...it reduces my embarrassment and helps him understand what I'm saying w/o opportunity for miscommunication.

If you live in the real world, you need this book for your kids. Or you can hide your head in the sand...and wait for a Juno situation in your family.

Yes perhaps there is a liberal bias to the book, but the bottom line is that for parents who are too nervous to be honest with their children about these issues, this book is a high quality alternative option. My mom bought it for me when I confessed my fears of puberty, getting my period, and the fact that girls I knew had been masturbating since the age of six. I needed to know that masturbation was not going to send me to hell, and my mother certainly wasn't going to broach that subject. I also appreciated the take on normalizing homosexuality, a subject I was exceedingly curious about at the time. I needed the information on contraceptives and it provided it to me. Is it better to be ignorant and then end up pregnant at 14 or to be given the relevant information before experimentation starts? Keep in mind most kids begin experimenting with sex in the 6th grade... Conservative voices should remember that their kids are at risk too, and their kids deserve to be informed as much as anyone.

My 11 year old has completely enjoyed this book. When I learned he was going to have sex ed in school in 5th grade, I wanted him to be properly informed ahead of time, and to not be embarrassed to ask questions etc.. We have had many wonderful discussions at home as a direct result of his reading this book and he feels free to ask me questions and discuss topics that I didn't previously know how to approach. I highly recommend this book.

Anyone know where the expression the birds and the bees originated?

Some of the negative reviews of this book are based on the following premises:

1. If you simply don't talk about sex with your children, they'll never develop any interest in the subject on their own.
2. Providing information about contraception, homosexuality, and sex in general is the same as condoning it.
3. If you are uncomfortable sharing anything in this book with your children, then you have a right to demand that it be removed from library shelves so that NOBODY'S children can read it.
4. Planned Parenthood profits from providing abortion services, so they promote books such as this one to make sure that as many young people as possible will get one.
5. Providing information about homosexuality will turn your child into a [...].

Now, for the parents out there who are sane and rational: This book is a great starting point. It presents sexuality in a straightforward way that is accessible to children.

Personally, any discussion I would have with my child regarding sex would definitely include the emotional, psychological, and physical health hazards. This book does not have a lot to say about responsibility.

However, there is not a book out there that could ever be the first and last word on this subject. As I said, this is a great starting point.

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (Robie Sex Books)
As the title states "growing up", that's what these people who give this book a poor rating should do. If you want your child properly prepared for the world ahead of them, this is the book. It clearly, and in a very cute way, states FACTS ! Of course, I want my children to grow up heterosexual, as I am. Of course I want my children to have a "healthy & proper" sex life ahead of them. THAT IS WHY I BOUGHT THIS BOOK. We cannot control who or what our children will become, we can only GUIDE them correctly, and let them know that THEY are okay, no matter "who" they are. When they enter the teen/adult years, this world will be twice as insane and confusing as when we did. Knowledge is POWER ! Yes, I wish life was easier and more carefree, as when I was a child; but many years of law enforcement (not metro/ but suburban & rural) have proven that kind of life no longer exists. These sheltered, simple minded, negative rating people, have NO clue as to not who, but WHAT, wanders among our children. No, I don't agree with every single thing portrayed in the book, but that's why I will tell my children to ASK, ASK, ASK, if you have ???'s, as I will ask them ???'s. This book is for an educated, informed, alert; parent who wants to give their child the freedom to learn & explore, health & sexuality. Let's give our children the POWER of knowledge & understanding to help them with their decisions. The book covers just about every aspect of sexuality, reproduction, health, emotions, etc. Much of the contents is nearly identical to the AMA versions, but in a friendlier atmosphere. I won't have my 9 year old daughter reading it for awhile, that's why I purchased "The Body Book for Girls"; but I'm sure my 13 year old son will find "It's Perfectly Normal," to be perfectly normal by our family values. Good luck everyone through this tough phase of parenting, as we try to REALLY prepare our children for the real world.

We have "It's So Amazing" and I was looking for something more puberty specific for my daughter to read. I was reading it last night and I was SHOCKED at how blunt the book is. Now, I consider myself to be a relatively liberal & laid back person, and openness about sexuality is not a problem at our house. However this book reads like something out of an abstinence manual. It starts off with the basics....the hows and whys....then slowly moves on to pregnancy....uh, huh, yep....then it starts spiraling downward from there. Want to have sex? You'll end up pregnant and need an abortion. Still think sex is fun? Well look at ALL THE STDs you can get from having sex, and lets go in to it in the most graphic detail we can. Haven't had enough? Well, have sex and you'll get AIDS. That's right, we've even included a picture of you, in the hospital, hooked up to an IV because you're dying of AIDS.

My take on the book? Just don't have sex. You'll get pregnant. And it will kill you.

Seriously, all humor aside....this is a book that is supposed to be for children 10 years and up, and the subject matter is just WAY too intense for a young child. Some of that stuff is info you will learn as you are older and can emotionally and mentally process it. I am not too sure WHY the author felt the need to be so blunt....it starts off as though the reader has no concept of puberty and sexuality and quickly moves on to abortion and STDs. In the reviews at Amazon.com a lot of people complained about "questionable morality" issues in the book. Quite the opposite, I think this a great book for those who support abstinence.....I think.