I purchased several books for "the talk" with my 8 year old, and this was by far the best one. It might be too open-minded for some (keep in mind that I live in San Francisco)--but it's very in-depth and answers questions on all relevant subjects in a way that is appropriate for this age group. It makes the talk a whole lot easier--with a pictorial (drawings) explanations. I think you'll be happy with just this one book. I returned the others.

Hands down, this is my favorite book for kids age 5 to 10 about sexuality, love and relationships! Robie Harris tackles this subject with warmth and humor - she understands her audience and your kids will return to this book over and over.

Parents will appreciate her tone and the matter of fact way she handles "the facts." Be sure to read it yourself before settling in with the kiddos - while there probably isn't anything you didn't already know, you want to be sure it reflects your values.

And remember, this should supplement the ongoing conversations in your family and isn't a replacement for the information and values your kids want and need to learn from you.

Definitely a discussion starter, not something to sit down and read all at once! I love the chapters because it's easy to flip to the section that will answer specific questions as they come up. Perfect for our inquisitive seven year old.

I have read mostly positive reviews about this book and I agree. We used this book for my daughter's Kindergarten body project when she wanted to know about where babies come from and I had no problem reading it to a 5 year old and a 7 year old, mixed genders.

Though I know some have suggested that there is a political agenda in the book regarding abortion and homosexuality, I feel this book is unbiased and promotes proper family values for the following reasons:

1. There is a focus on the love aspect of relationships along with the physical aspects of sex and reproduction. There is no way a child will walk away from this book thinking sex is appropriate between strangers. It is clear, from the writing, that this is something to share within a serious relationship.

2. There is a mention of homosexuality. It is very brief. It does not encourage homosexuality and more than it discourages homosexuality. It does not go into graphic detail of how two men or two women have intercourse. It simply points that some people in same sex relationships have children together. This is fact and is stated as such.

3. Abortion is not glorified. It is mentioned that some people end their pregnancies through abortion. Again, this is stated as fact- not glorified or demonized. It is reality and is mentioned as such.

4. There is also a part that describes sexual abuse. It is very sensitive and is written to encourage children to seek out help if they are in a bad situation.

These are difficult, often controversial, issues. They are handled with loving care by the authors. Two thumbs up!

I have 4th and 5th grade girls. Although not quite ready to cover this subject with them, they were approaching the time when it would be taught in their school. I sat them down and went through the book with them, it answered their questions and the drawings seemed to satisfy their curiosity. Both girls have asked to look at the book again on their own and have come to me with questions. I highly recommend it as a gateway to discussions and better communication with your child.

This book has kept my children reading and asking questions. The language is simple, yet not condesending. The graphics are excellent. I would recommend this book any child hitting the puberty years.

If you want to shelter your child from having knowledge about the variety of human sexuality, don't give this book to them.

This book contains lots of information on body science, as well as a loving view of different lifestyles. I used it as a way to open a dialog about sensitive issues such as abortion and homosexuality.
I am a Catholic mother of three daughters. I want my children to model what Jesus taught-LOVE OTHERS and DO NOT JUDGE. I feel that there are many ways to love others and many ways to create a family. We need peace and understanding in this world. I read this book with my girls and we discussed (and I even made my own notes on the pages) all of the issues and where I stand on them, as their mother and guide. We also discussed that people have different views on these personal subjects, but everyone deserves repect. Good book!

This is the best introduction to sex ed I've seen - clear, concise and easy-to-read in a very appropriate and inclusive format for younger kids with beginning questions!

I purchased this book as an intro to sex education for my 8 year old son. I read many of the reviews posted here before buying it and decided to try it out. I previewed it before going through it with him and only talked with him about things I felt was relevant to him at this point in his life. We did not discuss the homosexual families or go in depth about puberty for girls. I found most of the material helpful and he enjoyed the journey of the sperm. I think it is important for parents to inform their kids about sex education because they deserve to know how their bodies work and what to expect as they approach puberty. Whether we want to face it or not, sex is all around our kids all the time. We can fool ourselves into thinking that they are not aware or not interested but if they are not learning from the parents, they are learning from their environment.

I highly recommend the book for parents to go through with their kids so they can explain things, screen content and answer questions.

I bought this book for my 8yr old nephew and his father( my brother) because he was so interested in my pregnancy this year. My brother said it answered a lot of his questions and will be very interested to see if my nephwe uses the book later in life when he wants to know more.

Love this book, it has been such a help with the kids and that classic question "Where do babies come from?" I highly recomend to any parent. The children I bought the book for are 8, 9 and 11.

What an awesome book! I bought it to share "factual" information with my two young children(8 and 10 at the time). It's age appropriate and could actually be shared with preteens as well. The book covers everything including the basics, homosexuality and STD's. If you start talking to your children early the taboo subject can be addressed as normal life progression while opening the lines of communication. Hopefully this will minimize awkward conversations as things start to change. Every young family needs this book!

This book was very well written and the illustrations were done in a fun way! It is for about age 10 and above. My daughter and I have read it together and really got a lot out of it (she is 12). Schools don't cover a lot of this subject matter, so it is nice to have a refrence guide that is easy for a younger child to read. Highly recommended.

This is a great book for my 7 year old. I think it is totally appropriate for his age. He likes the funny pictures and they are a good start for a discussion. I like very much the fact that different types of families are discussed. It is much more than I expected. I strongly recommend it to a liberal family, but I can see how the very conservative protestant families might not like it (unfortunately).

I bought this book for my six year old and it's fantastic. It could easily be used by an older child, but it is also appropriate for a six year old as long as it doesn't go to school for show-n-tell time! Highly recommend it.

I bought this for my 6.5yr old who is about to become a big sister. She is in 1st grade, but reads (and thinks) at a much higher level. We read it together so that along the way she could ask questions and we could discuss things. This book was great at breaking down the human reproductive system in a way she could understand. That said, I would not recommend it for a child under 10 UNLESS they are highly gifted and interested in human reproduction. I was not thrilled with the portions that discussed homosexuality, but I realized that this is something that she will eventually be exposed to, and reading this book together gave me the opportunity to answer questions about it before it came up in real life.

Her favorite part was the "actual size" depictions of the embryo and fetus. We had not told her exactly how far along I was, she used our ultrasound picture to determine that I was farther than 2 months, but less than 3, and she was right! The cartoonish pictures throughout the entire book were detailed enough to provide information, but not uncomfortable to look at.

This is a great book, My 71/2 yr old loves it. It answered questions I didn't even know she had or was ready to know but she asked and we together used this book to answer in a way she understood. She was very happy with this book as am I. Use your own judgment every child is differnt. My daughter says proudly this is her "all about her body book!" the Homosexuality page~ it's a big subject in todays world I see why they put it in. Teach your views or others will teach them theirs. don't know about you but I will love my child either way.

Overall, a good informative book, however there is one page that describes homosexual attraction as something natural, just like heterosexuality. This is a dangerous lie that is too prevalent in our culture. It is offensive to God because it perverts his beautiful design and ruins his wonderful gift to each of us. It is not only wrong, but totally inappropriate for any age. The rest of the book is great. Too bad I couldn't tear out that one bad page without eliminating the other side, which was worthwhile. Because of this, I would NOT recommend this book!

I bought this book along with "It's a Girl Thing" (which is perfect for her age now). I didn't think this book was appropriate for my daughter who is almost 11 -- My husband and I read the book together and agreed that it will have to wait until she gets her period and/or is almost 12. It is a good book though, but not for now! It gets a little too detailed about sex, so we thought that a book that lightly touched upon the subject ("It's a Girl Thing") was perfect for her age now.

This is a wonderful book; very appropriate for the age group. I teach a sexuality course to 2nd and 3rd graders and have been using this book. It's got great information and the kids love it!

I bought this for my daughter who is turning 8 this week. I showed it to my 12 year old and she started blushing! I definately think the age range should be moved up on this, although it is a good book for it contains alot of explanations that may be uncomfortable to talk about with your children, but that need to be brought out in the open to discuss.

I bought this book along with "It's not the Stork" (for ages 4-7) and recommended both to MANY friends. While it says that "It's So Amazing" is for ages 7+, I think it is a bit more advanced - maybe ages 8+. It contains much more text than it's earlier book, so stronger reading skills at the young age range would be needed. It continues in the clear and thoughtful descriptions, as the earlier book, yet goes into much more depth. A pre-read by parents is recommended if the child will be reading it alone.

When my 2-year-old started asking questions about why Daddy had a penis and she didn't, my husband freaked out a little and didn't know what to say. I found this book and ordered it, and, well, it's just amazing. My daughter likes the cartoon drawings and requests it as bedtime reading most nights. There is a wealth of information in this book (I admit I learned a thing or two), and all presented in a way that makes it easy to talk about with even the youngest children. I am buying this book for all my friends who have kids!

While the cartoons seemed corney, even to my child, the information is complete and informative. Our very mature 9-1/2 year old was barely ready for all that was written, so I personally think that the recommended ages of 7 and up is pushing it. It is great to find a book that explains this topic so well, and having a book like this makes the explanations more easily understood by the child.

My dear friend is pregnant, and I thought it would be nice to have a book to help describe what's going on to my 3 1/2 year old. I checked out It's Not the Stork, and liked it, but wanted more detail. It's So Amazing is perfect. While she's this age, I can use the illustrations and portions of text, along with my own explanations, to help her understand. I personally feel that any child old enough to read on their own is ready for the information in this book. The presentation is very factual and tasteful, without pulling many punches. I like the illustrations of babies in the womb kicking and rolling, the picture making clear the baby's not in the mother's stomach (there's a slice of pizza in there instead), and the cutaway pictures of childbirth, as well as a description of c-section.

More generally, I like that this covers so many topics, include sexual abuse ("okay touches" and "not okay touches"), which was one thing I wasn't sure how to approach with my kid. Also, it is very diverse and inclusive, showing and describing different family structures, and people of different sizes, shapes, and ethnicities. I also love the progressive illustrations of naked people from baby to seniors - the book really emphasizes and subtly reiterates acceptance of one's body and a realization that Hollywood and models are not the standard to live by.

Oh and I wouldn't say it promotes homosexuality any more than it promotes the idea that masturbation is wrong. It informs kids about topics they will encounter - the parents can put different values spin on any given subject.

Very well thought out and written! When buying one of these books it's important to find one at the right level, neither too vague nor too informative or scary. This is right on for kids about 7-10, depending on maturity level. My 10 year old was like the bee in the book and identified with his feeling that this is a yucky subject and my 8 year old found it facinating and amazing like the bird character. Adding these characters for comic relief was ingenius! It also lets kids know that it's okay to feel many different feelings about this subject. This book touches on some important topics like HIV, birth control, adoption, good touching/bad touching, and explains fully the development of babies. It introduces concepts with a tactful tone (You may or may not have heard about..). I think this book is a great starting point, and not scary. I'll buy the next book in a year or so.

This book provides just the right amount of information in a way that can be easily understood by kids. It is perfect for the 7-10 age child. You will get tired of reading it with them again and again.

My kids love this book. They are 6 and 4. Written in lively manner, colorful pictures. Hesitant parents should prepare themselves for detailed discussions about sex.

This book came to me through the Our Whole Lives faith and sexuality curriculum. It has two partner books, for other age groups. All three are excellent, and have been "tested" with several friends' families.

I highly recommend this book, and its "older siblings," It's Not the Stork and It's Perfectly Normal. Check out all three, then look for a church or organization that offers Our Whole Lives!

This is a fantastic book. Easy reading but enough detail to explain in a way that leaves my kids curiosity satisfied. I even read up to a certain point, bodies changing etc, and let them tell me when they are ready to go find out more. Some people didn't like that it talks about about same sex families but my kids see that kind of stuff on TV and have already asked questions so it is nothing new and gives me an opportunity to tell them how I feel on the subject. I would recommend this book to any parent, especially if the only "talk" you ever got from your parents was strained and not informative. It took alot of my anxiety that I had in broaching the subject.

I purchased this book for my 10 year old daughter. The book is rated for age 7 and up but it was perfect for a 10 year old, who is still a little girl, and is hearing all this information for the first time. We read the chapters together and discussed it. There were parts that were surprising to her she needed time to process them. The subject is gently handled and also humerous with the little bird and bee. Great illustrations and a good all around book for broaching this subject for the first time. I definitely recommend it.

I previewed this book at the library for use with my 7-year-old daughter. The reviewers who praise it for its completeness and no-nonsense approach are all correct. However, and it is a big however, it goes much further. I want my daughter to understand where most babies come from (discussions of assisted reproduction can wait a year or two). I'm not ready to discuss HIV, homosexuality, wet dreams, or really, much beyond the basics. These topics need to be dealt with, certainly, but at age 7? I might look this book up again in a few years, but for now I really feel advertising it for age 7 and up is pushing it.

It's So Amazing is one of three books I bought to share with my almost 8 year old daughter when she recently started asking questions about how babies are made. I love this book. I haven't actually read it to her yet because I think there are a few subjects that, while very well presented in this book, she isn't quite ready for yet. For example, the book not only discusses exactly how babies are made, but also covers menstruation, wet dreams, HIV, sexual abuse, homosexuality, and birth control. For the time being I read her "Boys, Girls, and Body Science" which covers the topic of reproduction very well. I felt that for a first-time "talk" on the subject of sex, "It's So Amazing" might be a little overwhelming. However, I am definitely saving it for furture reference as others topics come up. It's certainly possible to choose which chapters to read to your child and pick and choose the information you want to present. I think I will let her get used to the basic idea of sex before moving on to more complicated topics. All in all though, this book is very well written with humorous illustrations and tasteful explanations.

I had a very difficult time finding a 'facts of life' book that I was comfortable with. Many seemed overly focused on sexual intercourse itself (which is actually an ADULT mindset, not a child's). This book takes a much wider view point when answering the 'where do babies come from?' question. As a result, intercourse ( which, let's face it, is really the part parents are uncomfortable explaining) is detailed in a very matter of fact way. It is simply part of a process.

I read the book and then gave it to my 9 year old. I asked him if he had any questions and he seemed completely at ease with everything he had read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I completely agree with the reviewers who have praised this book for its straightforward presentation of the facts of life. It is one of the few books we found for young children that presents a different kind of "non-traditional" family: the family that exists because of assisted reproductive technologies. Our son was an in vitro baby and because we wanted him to know that in a casual way as he grew up --rather than being presented with the information as an adolescent, or not being presented at all -- we looked very hard for children's books that mentioned test-tube kids as just one more possible outcome of sperm and egg. "It's So Amazing" does that very well. The only downside of this book is the cutesy bee and bird. A bit overdone.

This book has a great deal of accurate information about reproduction, with an interesting narrative and fun pictures. My daughter (who is 4) really likes this book. There are details in the book which will be more appropriate for older children (genetics, etc) but this is an excellent treatment of the subject. This book uses proper anatomic names, the illustrations are informative without being too graphic, and the bird and bee characters' commentary is clever.

My 7, almost 8 year old was curious and confused - filled with information from friends and the school bus. This book IS amazing. It is easy to read and properly illustrated. We don't necessarily read in sequence - it isn't required. We can read a chapter on a topic and/or skip around to favorite parts (like the baby burping or kicking inside the womb!). While she still doesn't get it all, this book has given us a forum for discussion and is helping us to convey to her the importance and safety of talking with Mom & Dad about such things rather than her friends.

My husband and I bought this book for a guide to give our 10 year old son "the talk". We wanted him to understand the way that things work without overwhelming him. This book was perfect. Now that we are having another baby in our family, I will be using this book again to talk to our children about the changes I am going through. The illustrations about pregnancy are great. Some people may be turned off by some of the true-to-life depictions. I think being matter of fact and keeping things age appropriate is the best way to go. This book was a great help in providing that for my family.

suggest this book to all parents who want their children to understand sexuality and human body from early on. the book explains it in a matter, that children can understand, find out that this is a normal process and truly is amazing...thanks for making a book like that. suggest to get the follow up("perfectly normal") for older kids.