Book Blog Mod. 15: It's Perfectly Normal
Harris, R. H. and Emberley, M. (2004). It's Perfectly Normal: A Book About Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
This book is a sex ed book for kids around ten and up. It covers the physical and emotional changes of puberty, masturbation, sex, sexual orientation, the different types of families, along with useful information on STDs and pregnancy. There is also a section on sexual abuse, which is good, but sad that they had to include it.
So naturally, it gets challenged left and right.
I haven't read a sex ed book since... well, puberty. I was pretty impressed with this one. It is thorough, speaks in understandable language, and doesn't talk down to its audience. It also helps connect the reader to the content with two drawn narrators, a bird and a bee, who each represent the hypothetical extremes of being incredibly interested in the material, and wanting nothing to do with it, encouraging the idea that either viewpoint (and all in-between) are normal.
Then there are the illustrations, which probably had the most to do with it getting challenged and banned all over the place. Because you see, this book has... naked people. Lots of them! All over the place, in fact! Old naked people, young naked people, hairy naked people, smooth naked people, fat naked people, skinny naked people! People of all ethnicities and shapes and places in development! People masturbating!
I find it refreshing. It seems sorta ridiculous to have a book about body changes and not actually illustrate them. And I'm glad to see images of naked people besides the usual white adult who's probably thirty.
The book does have a couple hiccups. I got the tenth anniversary version, which was updated, and though they are pretty careful with their words, I felt a couple jagged edges and transitions, as though they tried to add things in smoothly and didn't quite pull it off. (For instance, in the section on sexual orientation, there is quite a bit on being straight and gay, and bisexual is kinda jammed in at the end, almost as an afterthought.) They were also sometimes a little unclear whether "intercourse" meant penis-in-vagina sex, or other forms of sexual expression.
Also, although it does cover GLB issues, I was a little surprised to see that the concept of being transgendered was completely brushed aside. Not even mentioned. In 1994, I could understand, but in 2004, it struck me as a sad omission. This book did a great job of explaining different types of families, development, and orientations; I'm sure it would've done great with trans issues as well. Plus, that age is a pretty common time for trans kids to realize their identities.
Anyway, for all its ban-hammer status, this book seems to be pretty well reviewed by people who aren't angry at it. (Needless to say, I found all this via Bowker's Books In Print for the 10th anniversary edition.) Virginia Jeschelnig of School Library Journal applauds the diversity, saying the "reassuring array of body types and ethnic groups" helps "readers to come away with a healthy respect for their bodies." (Needless to say, I agree.) Kirkus Reviews couldn't compliment it loudly enough, saying, "there's more information than polemic here," and that it's "a terrific teaching tool that just may help slow the spread of sexual diseases and ignorance."
This book is thorough, clear, and simple. Give it to your kids to help along the dreaded sex ed discussions, along with maybe Scarleteen.com to cover trans issues and more explicit issues when the kid gets older.
This book is a sex ed book for kids around ten and up. It covers the physical and emotional changes of puberty, masturbation, sex, sexual orientation, the different types of families, along with useful information on STDs and pregnancy. There is also a section on sexual abuse, which is good, but sad that they had to include it.
So naturally, it gets challenged left and right.
I haven't read a sex ed book since... well, puberty. I was pretty impressed with this one. It is thorough, speaks in understandable language, and doesn't talk down to its audience. It also helps connect the reader to the content with two drawn narrators, a bird and a bee, who each represent the hypothetical extremes of being incredibly interested in the material, and wanting nothing to do with it, encouraging the idea that either viewpoint (and all in-between) are normal.
Then there are the illustrations, which probably had the most to do with it getting challenged and banned all over the place. Because you see, this book has... naked people. Lots of them! All over the place, in fact! Old naked people, young naked people, hairy naked people, smooth naked people, fat naked people, skinny naked people! People of all ethnicities and shapes and places in development! People masturbating!
I find it refreshing. It seems sorta ridiculous to have a book about body changes and not actually illustrate them. And I'm glad to see images of naked people besides the usual white adult who's probably thirty.
The book does have a couple hiccups. I got the tenth anniversary version, which was updated, and though they are pretty careful with their words, I felt a couple jagged edges and transitions, as though they tried to add things in smoothly and didn't quite pull it off. (For instance, in the section on sexual orientation, there is quite a bit on being straight and gay, and bisexual is kinda jammed in at the end, almost as an afterthought.) They were also sometimes a little unclear whether "intercourse" meant penis-in-vagina sex, or other forms of sexual expression.
Also, although it does cover GLB issues, I was a little surprised to see that the concept of being transgendered was completely brushed aside. Not even mentioned. In 1994, I could understand, but in 2004, it struck me as a sad omission. This book did a great job of explaining different types of families, development, and orientations; I'm sure it would've done great with trans issues as well. Plus, that age is a pretty common time for trans kids to realize their identities.
Anyway, for all its ban-hammer status, this book seems to be pretty well reviewed by people who aren't angry at it. (Needless to say, I found all this via Bowker's Books In Print for the 10th anniversary edition.) Virginia Jeschelnig of School Library Journal applauds the diversity, saying the "reassuring array of body types and ethnic groups" helps "readers to come away with a healthy respect for their bodies." (Needless to say, I agree.) Kirkus Reviews couldn't compliment it loudly enough, saying, "there's more information than polemic here," and that it's "a terrific teaching tool that just may help slow the spread of sexual diseases and ignorance."
This book is thorough, clear, and simple. Give it to your kids to help along the dreaded sex ed discussions, along with maybe Scarleteen.com to cover trans issues and more explicit issues when the kid gets older.