7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The joy of teaching your kids about sex, November 16, 2005
This review is from: Where Willy Went (Hardcover)
Under normal circumstances I am an extraordinarily poised and respectable person. I do not chew with my mouth open. I do not pick my nose in public. And if someone says "bless you" when I sneeze I offer the obligatory "thank you" in response. All that went out the window the minute I saw the cover for "Where Willy Went". I stared. Then I screwed up my eyes and tried as hard as I possibly could to make sense of the image. A pollywog in goggles? A flagellum in some kind of a race? My eyes trailed downwards to the byline, "The big story of a little sperm" and I let out a truly unladylike guffaw right there in the middle of the bookstore. Oh, that is rich, I thought. That is an example of a book that just does not care if ban-crazy parents like it or hate it. It's doing its own thing and devil take the hindmost. You have to respect its plucky can-do attitude. Whether you appreciate its writing is another story.
"Willy was a little sperm". If you can get past that sentence then you're doing well. Living contentedly in Mr. Browne, Willy was an excellent swimmer. Alongside every other sperm he longed to win The Great Swimming Race. He practiced constantly in the hope of beating the 300 million competitors. When the Race begins (off-screen and tastefully) Willy wins hands-down and burrows into the egg. The egg becomes a babe, the babe is born and named Edna (it's anyone's guess as to why), and, like Willy, Edna has no head for numbers, "but she was VERY good at swimming". One prays that kids will not then immediately believe that she too will be practicing for a similar Great Swimming Race anytime soon.
What it all boils down to is what you want out of your "how are babies born" picture books. The standard go-to guide that's been a consistent favorite for at least twenty years now is Joanna Cole's continually updated, "How You Were Born". That's the book that parents go to if they want photographs and clear-cut answers to explaining the beginning of life. Cole is the author who takes care to clear up common childhood misconceptions. Common childhood misconceptions are the name of the game when it comes to that other big-name baby book, "Mommy Laid An Egg", by Babette Cole. That book shoots younger than "How You Were Born" but forgoes the whole anatomically correct requirement. Like "Mommy Laid An Egg", "Where Willy Went" (NOT written by anyone with the last name Cole, thank goodness) also shoots for young young kids. The book was not written to explain the ins and outs (ho ho!) of sex. It does not dwell on correct terminology or scientific terms. It's a starter sex book. This is the book you hand the kid when they ask where babies come from but you're not completely comfortable outlining the mechanics of the act. My husband took one look at this book and described it as a new kind of "stork" book, and that pretty much hits the nail on the head. Obviously real sperm do not compete. They do not learn math or don eyewear. So this is a cartoonish glimpse into sex for the little children. Once they've grasped this much, they then would move onto "How You Were Born" a couple years later. Then, when they're tweens, you just hand them a copy of "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie H. Harris and pat yourself on the back for being such an upfront parent.
There are definite problems with "Where Willy Went", granted. For one thing, the anatomical maps of Mr. and Mrs. Browne are fraught with peril. Mr. Brown comes off better. In him we get a map of his body that shows the location of the sperm in the testes (no words like "testes" appear in the book, unfortunately) and the path they take to get out. Fair enough. Mrs. Browne, on the other hand, has a rather bizarre map. For a kid that didn't know any better, they'd probably be correct in assuming that women like Mrs. Brown also have penises. Though it is labeled "Tummy" in a hard-to-read script, Mrs. Brown's side view is so poorly drawn that kids could be forgiven for getting completely confused by the shot. On the next page there is a tastefully drawn picture of two lumps under bedsheets which, while no raunchier than a game of Sims, doesn't explain in the least how the couple "joined together" to begin The Great Swimming Race. It's a definite improvement over "Mommy Laid An Egg"'s bizarre kama sutra-like silly pictures, but absolutely uninformative.
But maybe you're into sex books for kids being vague on this act. Everyone has their preferences. What "Where Willy Went" lacks in directions it makes up for in sure gusto. This is a how-to book of sex that knows what it wants to say and says it. It wouldn't offend a flea and is probably one of the sillier sperm books on the market today. Obviously if facts are your primary concern, go get yourself the newest edition of "How You Were Born". If, on the other hand, you just want to give an overall summary of the baby-making process, this will probably be your best bet. A fun book that's lacking in some respects, but is hard to resist otherwise.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet but not gross, February 16, 2005
This review is from: Where Willy Went (Hardcover)
It's inevitable that you'll get the "where do babies come from" question at some point in your child's first five or six years. You could use the old story about the stork, or you could bring in Willy to help you out.
It's a sweet book, and though it does show some matter-of-fact illustrations of Mr. and Mrs. Browne and their parts, it's never in a gross-out kind of way. It's quite anatomical (with a cheeky map of where Willy will have to go - no actual sex depicted, thankfully), and yet tells it all as if you're reading about any little silly character a book author might make up. It's a non-confrontational method of telling the story - you know, when you have to.
This will be the one I, too, use for my son when he "pops" the question. After looking through about a dozen books on the subject, this was the only one that was both correct and didn't make me squirmish. Mr. and Mrs. Browne actually look like people who might want to make babies with one another (not that my son will know, but I got pretty grossed out looking at the "daddy" in one of the older books at my local bookstore - were he my husband, there would BE no sex and no baby). It's probably the least frightening possible answer and keeps the daddies laughing. Hey, maybe I'll give the book to my husband and let HIM take care of the issue when it comes around.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny stuff about sex, April 1, 2005
This review is from: Where Willy Went (Hardcover)
Willy Brown's a sperm. Yes, a sperm. One of 300 million, in fact, though he has trouble counting that high. That's okay, all he needs is one talent: to wag his microscopic tail faster than his rivals. There's a chuckle a page in this frank - but not graphic - first book about sex.
Allen leaves just enough details to the imagination to make this a safe read even for squeamish parents. His warmth and humor add to the sense of magic about what happens after Willy makes the Great Swim from Mr. to Mrs. Brown.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
