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What Makes a BabyMerchant Video
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Cory Silverberg
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What Makes a Baby Hardcover – Picture Book, May 7, 2013

by Cory Silverberg (Author), Fiona Smyth (Illustrator)

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Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult

“What Makes a Baby is extraordinary! Cory is a Dr. Spock for the 21st century.”—Susie Bright

“A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?': The new book What Makes a Baby offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like." —The Atlantic

"This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic."—School Library Journal


Geared to readers from preschool to age eight, What Makes a Baby is a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid. It is a twenty-first century children’s picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of kids, adults, and families, regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender and other identity, or family composition. Just as important, the story doesn’t gender people or body parts, so most parents and families will find that it leaves room for them to educate their child without having to erase their own experience. 

Written by sexuality educator Cory Silverberg, and illustrated by award-winning Canadian artist Fiona Smyth, What Makes a Baby is as fun to look at as it is useful to read.
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  1. Reading age
    2 - 6 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    36 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  5. Dimensions
    9.27 x 0.35 x 9.25 inches
  6. Publisher
    Triangle Square
  7. Publication date
    May 7, 2013
  8. ISBN-10
    1609804856
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1609804855
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The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

From the Publisher

What Makes a Baby
¿Cómo se hace un bebé?
Sex is a Funny Word
You Know, Sex
Age 3–7 years old 3–7 years old 7–10 years 10–14 years
Grade Level Preschool–2nd grade Preschool–2nd grade 2nd grade–5th grade 5th-9th grade
Length 36 pages 36 pages 160 pages 432 pages
Language English Spanish English English
Format Hardcover picture book Paperback picture book Hardcover, full color illustrations Paperback, graphic novel

See inside the book!

What Makes a Baby
What Makes a Baby2
What Makes a Baby
What Makes a Baby?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The playful illustrations and simple but intelligent text illuminate the basic biology of reproduction while honoring today’s diversity of families, of genders and gender identities, and of how kids can come into a family." —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

"This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic." —School Library Journal

“It’s an informative and entertaining read for kids of all parents, straight or queer. And, hey, even if your kids were conceived the old-fashioned way, they should know not everyone was—and why.” —Queerty

"What Makes a Baby aims to be just about the most inclusive sex ed book for kids you've ever come across[...] it has none of this mommy and daddy love each other and he watered her flower with his watering can and then a baby was born stuff; What Makes a Baby is for kids around four to eight years of age, teaching them about"conception, gestation, and birth" using really specific language." —Jezebel

"What Makes a Baby offers a combination so rarely captured in children's books; beauty and meaning, fact and nuance, and most importantly the opportunity for all of us to see ourselves in these pages." —Nadya Burton, PhD, Midwifery Education Program at Ryerson University

“The book talks about where babies come from in a way that encompasses kids who are adopted, conceived using reproductive technologies, through surrogacy, or the old-fashioned way, and regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender, and other identity, or family composition. Author and sex educator Silverberg nails it, as does award-winning Canadian artist Fiona Smyth." —The Advocate

"Designed for all kinds of children in all kinds of families, this will be particularly welcome in adoptive and non-traditional families but is, uniquely, an appealing and informative complement to early sex-education discussions with any child.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred reviews

"Silverberg’s quest to exclude no one means he omits much in the book – including any mention of sex. The point, he says, is to get children asking questions but letting parents answer them with however much detail they see fit." —The Globe and Mail 

"What Makes A Baby presents factual information on conception on a kid's level. With text that is open to personal embellishment, this book is sure to cater to many families and birth experiences.” —Green Parent Chicago

“The new book What Makes a Baby offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like." —The Atlantic

“Our family needed this book. Your family needs this book. In fact, I can’t think of a family that doesn't." —Philadelphia Family Pride

"Now parents can have easy-going, straightforward, and (hopefully) painless discussions with kids about the miracle of birth!” —Parents

About the Author

Raised by a children’s librarian and a sex therapist, CORY SILVERBERG grew up to be a sexuality educator and writer. He received his Masters of Education from the University of Toronto, and was a founding member of the Come As You Are Co-operative. He teaches across North America on topics including sexual communication, sexuality and disability, technology, access, and inclusion. Cory is the Sexuality Guide for About.com and the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability with Miriam Kaufman and Fran Odette. What Makes a Baby is the first book in a series of kid’s books Cory is writing for Seven Stories Press about sexuality, sexual health, and gender. He has eight nephews and nieces, all of whom know where babies come from.

FIONA SMYTH is a Toronto-based painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. Her first graphic novel, The Never Weres, was published by Annick Press in 2011. Fiona’s comic Cheez was published in Exclaim! magazine for almost ten years, and her comic Fazooz was in Vice for eight years. Fiona teaches illustration and comics at OCAD U in Toronto.

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About the author

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Cory Silverberg

Cory Silverberg

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Raised in the 1970s by a children’s librarian and a sex therapist, Cory grew up to be a sex educator, and author, and a queer person who smiles a lot when they talk.

Cory received a master’s degree in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has developed and facilitated workshops for hundreds of agencies and organizations serving both youth and adults across North America on a range of topics including gender expression and identity, sexuality and disability, sexual pleasure, sexual communication, technology, and access + inclusion. He is the co-author of four books, including the ALA Stonewall Honor Book Sex Is a Funny Word, with Fiona Smyth, and most recently You Know, Sex. Cory's life is full of kids. All of them know where babies come from. Some know more.