It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends
- Downloads：1531
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-21 06:55:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robie H. Harris
- ISBN：0763633313
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the expert team behind IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL and IT'S SO AMAZING！ comes a book for younger children about their bodies — a resource that parents， teachers， librarians， health care providers， and clergy can use with ease and confidence。
Young children are curious about almost everything， especially their bodies。 And young children are not afraid to ask questions。 What makes me a girl？ What makes me a boy？ Why are some parts of girls' and boys' bodies the same and why are some parts different？ How was I made？ Where do babies come from？ Is it true that a stork brings babies to mommies and daddies？
IT'S NOT THE STORK！ helps answer these endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool， kindergarten， and early elementary school children ask about how they began。 Through lively， comfortable language and sensitive， engaging artwork， Robie H。 Harris and Michael Emberley address readers in a reassuring way， mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information。 Two irresistible cartoon characters， a curious bird and a squeamish bee， provide comic relief and give voice to the full range of emotions and reactions children may experience while learning about their amazing bodies。 Vetted and approved by science， health， and child development experts， the information is up-to-date， age-appropriate， and scientifically accurate， and always aimed at helping kids feel proud， knowledgeable， and comfortable about their own bodies， about how they were born， and about the family they are part of。
Young children are curious about almost everything， especially their bodies。 And young children are not afraid to ask questions。 What makes me a girl？ What makes me a boy？ Why are some parts of girls' and boys' bodies the same and why are some parts different？ How was I made？ Where do babies come from？ Is it true that a stork brings babies to mommies and daddies？
IT'S NOT THE STORK！ helps answer these endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool， kindergarten， and early elementary school children ask about how they began。 Through lively， comfortable language and sensitive， engaging artwork， Robie H。 Harris and Michael Emberley address readers in a reassuring way， mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information。 Two irresistible cartoon characters， a curious bird and a squeamish bee， provide comic relief and give voice to the full range of emotions and reactions children may experience while learning about their amazing bodies。 Vetted and approved by science， health， and child development experts， the information is up-to-date， age-appropriate， and scientifically accurate， and always aimed at helping kids feel proud， knowledgeable， and comfortable about their own bodies， about how they were born， and about the family they are part of。
Reviews
Regan
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A great way to introduce younger kids to reproductive body parts， what they do， the basics of sex， and keeping our bodies safe and private from others。
Miranda H
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I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough and inclusive this book is。 The author and illustrator work together well to help illustrate and explain the reproductive systems of human bodies and the creation and growth of a new child。 As a teacher and mother （with a new baby on the way）， I was pleased with the balance of educational and accurate information as well as some cute humor represented by the Bird and Bee characters who represent the curiosity and confusion of young children regarding to I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough and inclusive this book is。 The author and illustrator work together well to help illustrate and explain the reproductive systems of human bodies and the creation and growth of a new child。 As a teacher and mother （with a new baby on the way）， I was pleased with the balance of educational and accurate information as well as some cute humor represented by the Bird and Bee characters who represent the curiosity and confusion of young children regarding topics of genitals and reproduction。 I also appreciated the forward to the book which references the many expert sources （there is a full acknowledgement page at the end of the book） and ideas for how the adults purchasing this book might help their young and curious children glean the information therein -- some will want to have the story read to them by a trusted adult; some will skim to find answers to their own specific questions; and others may prefer to peruse the book on their own。 While some of the written explanations may be beyond the grasp of a 4-year-old， the illustrations are cheerful， racially representative/diverse， and simple yet informative。 The illustrations are well-constructed to help young people visualize both external and internal anatomy， including frequent use of cut-aways to help children see where organs are in the context of the external body that they are familiar with。 In this way， even the illustrations alone are instructional and some more cautious children who prefer to explore the book on their own first will also benefit from its content。 I was very pleased to see a deliberate effort to represent children， adults and families of varied composition and from diverse backgrounds。 The inclusion of descriptions of adoptive families， single-parent families， same-sex parents and extended family were lovely additions that makes this book even more useful as a teaching tool and and aid in helping children from varied families feel included and represented。 Overall， this was a fantastic read and truly it is timeless as the information is accurate and true regardless of the age of the reader。 The author does also have a similar book for ages 7+ which goes into greater detail， titled "It's so Amazing。" I highly recommend sharing this book with any curious reader。 。。。more
kim
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pretty good but not fantastic， also no trans friendly
Lisa
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This book is 15 years old and it shows。 There’s definitely a lot of very clear and useful content in here， but I’m returning it to the library because I just can’t。 I can’t stand the thought of reading this to my kid， even wih extensive side commentary。 It’s completely heteronormative and binary， and glides over so many experiences of family （adoption is basically a footnote）。 And it feels like it talks down to kids。 （Basically， the same gripes I had about Harris’s other book， Who Has What？） I’m This book is 15 years old and it shows。 There’s definitely a lot of very clear and useful content in here， but I’m returning it to the library because I just can’t。 I can’t stand the thought of reading this to my kid， even wih extensive side commentary。 It’s completely heteronormative and binary， and glides over so many experiences of family （adoption is basically a footnote）。 And it feels like it talks down to kids。 （Basically， the same gripes I had about Harris’s other book， Who Has What？） I’m going to keep looking for a book that goes into the level of detail this one does， with the inclusivity of Cory Silverberg’s What Makes a Baby？ 。。。more
Nicole Lesavoy
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Perfect to explain where babies come from to young children。 Wish it touched on the mensural cycle but very informative。
Christina Nguyen
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It's good but I have to add explanation about non-binary people when I read it to my kiddos。 It's good but I have to add explanation about non-binary people when I read it to my kiddos。 。。。more
Sydney Loveland
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I've been a little clueless about how to get into the deeper parts of this subject as my daughter gets older， so I'm very grateful to have this book to help me out！！ We read it together over a few days and as soon as we were done she wanted me to start again from the beginning。 It does a great job explaining it in a way kids can understand and is entertaining for them too。 I've been a little clueless about how to get into the deeper parts of this subject as my daughter gets older， so I'm very grateful to have this book to help me out！！ We read it together over a few days and as soon as we were done she wanted me to start again from the beginning。 It does a great job explaining it in a way kids can understand and is entertaining for them too。 。。。more
Sarah
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Note to self: Recommended in Bless This Mess。
Ashley
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Very informative for kids。 I decided to to take out the page that had the parents under the covers together。 Other than that， fabulous book。
laurajimenan
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This books is so helpful and informative！
Lu
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Pretty good。 Very educational。 Not overly graphic but I'm not sure seeing the other genders private parts are something I'd show to a 4 year old。 （The book is for age 4 and up）。 I also don't know many 4 year olds who would be able to sit through this book。 I'd probably gear this towards 10 year olds。 If you want to read this to a kid even with all the explanations you're going to have to stop a lot to explain。 The book teaches a lot。 Inside and outside parts （including a picture of circumcised v Pretty good。 Very educational。 Not overly graphic but I'm not sure seeing the other genders private parts are something I'd show to a 4 year old。 （The book is for age 4 and up）。 I also don't know many 4 year olds who would be able to sit through this book。 I'd probably gear this towards 10 year olds。 If you want to read this to a kid even with all the explanations you're going to have to stop a lot to explain。 The book teaches a lot。 Inside and outside parts （including a picture of circumcised versus uncircumcised penises）， how fertilization happens （through sex， artificial insemination， etc）， how the baby grows throughout the 9 months， how a baby gets its nutrients inside， what the baby does inside， how to see the baby while it's inside and know how many babies there are， birth of the baby （natural and cesarean）， what babies can do， different kinds of families （including same sex， foster， adoptive）， good touch versus bad touch， saying no， being friends， and growing up。 I like that the book is inclusive of different types of families mentioned， it shows that whether you're a boy or girl you can do the same thing， and mentions how different families are made。 Honestly I'm 36 and just learned something reading this book for 4+ year olds。 :---P。 20The penis hangs in front of the scrotum。 Sometimes， penises get hard and stick out。 That's called "having an erection"。 Baby boys， boys， and men all have erections。 Baby boys even have erections before they are born， while they are growing inside their mothers' bodies。 ---I never knew that happened while inside the mother。 。。。more
Nicolle
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Helpful book to teach curious children about where babies come from。
BethG
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Lots of detail about boys and girls bodies， very clearly written。 It discusses some body changes， but focuses on the whole lifespan。 This book gives information on sex and conception and the details of how a fetus grows。 It discusses birth and how little babies might act and what they need。 It ends with a description of different types of families and body safety/boundaries。 The book is advertised for kids as young as 4。 All of the content is appropriate for that age （and the pictures of bodies Lots of detail about boys and girls bodies， very clearly written。 It discusses some body changes， but focuses on the whole lifespan。 This book gives information on sex and conception and the details of how a fetus grows。 It discusses birth and how little babies might act and what they need。 It ends with a description of different types of families and body safety/boundaries。 The book is advertised for kids as young as 4。 All of the content is appropriate for that age （and the pictures of bodies are focused on a younger kid）， some of the advanced details may go over their head， but serve to introduce them to words。 Some families may be upset by the level of detail of which sex is discussed （this is on one page of the book）。 Much of the content would be well written for older elementary （but the book does look like a younger kid’s picture book）。 This would likely be an ideal book for a 4+ to-be big brother or sister， as they may be asking many of the questions that are beautifully answered in this book。 。。。more
Ela Meadows
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This book helped me （as an adult） to address some of the trauma I experienced as a child and learn what sex and consent are actually about。 I also read through it with my son who enjoys asking questions about his body。
Kirsten
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This was once a really solid book but it DESPERATELY needs an update to take into account trans experiences。 I had to do a lot of editing on the fly， because it's very essentialist in terms of conflating sexual organs with gender。 I would love to see the author take a cue from Cory Silverberg。 I'm still giving it three stars because it offered a good basic starting place and I was able to edit to make it more relevant， but it's pretty disappointing that this is still considered by a lot of peopl This was once a really solid book but it DESPERATELY needs an update to take into account trans experiences。 I had to do a lot of editing on the fly， because it's very essentialist in terms of conflating sexual organs with gender。 I would love to see the author take a cue from Cory Silverberg。 I'm still giving it three stars because it offered a good basic starting place and I was able to edit to make it more relevant， but it's pretty disappointing that this is still considered by a lot of people to be the gold standard for sex ed。 。。。more
Portia
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Very thorough， science-heavy explanations - good for preschoolers and younger elementary school children。
Kelly
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We read this with our boys， ages 7 and 5， tonight。 It’s an excellent exploration of anatomy and how babies are made， grow， and are born。 The illustrations and text work together seamlessly。 Note that this is comprehensive， so even though it says “ages four and up，” it does cover intercourse and insemination。 I was grateful for the chance to cover these topics with my kids in easy-to-understand language while they’re young。 I’m hoping this open， simple approach will make it easier for them to com We read this with our boys， ages 7 and 5， tonight。 It’s an excellent exploration of anatomy and how babies are made， grow， and are born。 The illustrations and text work together seamlessly。 Note that this is comprehensive， so even though it says “ages four and up，” it does cover intercourse and insemination。 I was grateful for the chance to cover these topics with my kids in easy-to-understand language while they’re young。 I’m hoping this open， simple approach will make it easier for them to come to us with any questions in the future。 I’m so glad that I heard about this book， and I look forward to checking out the other versions （targeted to slightly-older kids） in the future。I’d like to see a future edition of this include information about transgender and non-binary people。 。。。more
Tranylle
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I read this to my 5 year old daughter and 8 year old son。 It was great at discussing the basics of our anatomy， how babies are conceived and born， appropriate and inappropriate touches， and how we grow。 My kids asked a lot of great questions about everything。 I think this is a super important topic that a lot of kids unfortunately aren’t learning from their parents。 They then are forced to turn to less trustworthy people and the internet， who are less likely to give them accurate information。 Th I read this to my 5 year old daughter and 8 year old son。 It was great at discussing the basics of our anatomy， how babies are conceived and born， appropriate and inappropriate touches， and how we grow。 My kids asked a lot of great questions about everything。 I think this is a super important topic that a lot of kids unfortunately aren’t learning from their parents。 They then are forced to turn to less trustworthy people and the internet， who are less likely to give them accurate information。 This book is a great way to begin those discussions （especially for those parents who struggle to know what to say， since this gives you pretty much all of the basics） and will help you become a safe space/listening ear for your kids for their whole lives。 。。。more
Evonne
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Kayla
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designed for older kids。 very wordy。 we skimmed it a lot， but 3。5 year old still asked to reread。
Christy
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Pictures were a little goofy， but otherwise just about perfect for my 7 year old son who had a lot of questions he was too nervous to ask。
Fabi
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شایعه ی انتشار این کتاب در ایران بسیار سروصدا کرد، و مخالفان اون رو غیر اخلاقی و در مقابل فرهنگ دینی و عرفی میدانستند。 شاید یکی از دلایل این مقاومت،آموزشهای جامع و همراه با جزییات از اندامهای جنسی، بارداری، زایمان و روابط دوست دختر/دوست پسری باشه که در فرهنگ ما تمایل به سربسته بودن و گاهی انکار وجود آن در لفافه ی حجب و حیا صورت میگیره。کتاب با زبان بسیار ساده و با نقاشی و طرح سوال، سعی در آموزش مفاهیم مهمی داره، که به طور طبیعی در ذهن کودک شکل میگیرن。 به نظرم خواندن این کتاب برای والدین بسیار مفی شایعه ی انتشار این کتاب در ایران بسیار سروصدا کرد، و مخالفان اون رو غیر اخلاقی و در مقابل فرهنگ دینی و عرفی میدانستند。 شاید یکی از دلایل این مقاومت،آموزشهای جامع و همراه با جزییات از اندامهای جنسی، بارداری، زایمان و روابط دوست دختر/دوست پسری باشه که در فرهنگ ما تمایل به سربسته بودن و گاهی انکار وجود آن در لفافه ی حجب و حیا صورت میگیره。کتاب با زبان بسیار ساده و با نقاشی و طرح سوال، سعی در آموزش مفاهیم مهمی داره، که به طور طبیعی در ذهن کودک شکل میگیرن。 به نظرم خواندن این کتاب برای والدین بسیار مفید و راهگشا خواهد بود، تا اگر روزی با سوالات کودکشان مواجه شدند، به جای پاسخ های سرسری و قصه های تخیلی و بی ربط، بتوانند صادقانه و در حد درک کودک، اطلاعاتی صحیح در اختيارش بگذارند。در بخشی از کتاب در مورد خودمراقبتی جنسی کودک، مطالب مفیدی آورده شده، و نکته ای که توجهم را جلب کرد آموزش های به دور از کلیشه های جنسیتی بود؛ به عنوان مثال در بخش شباهت های دختران و پسران آمده؛پسران قوی هستند، دختران هم قوی هستند。دختران عروسک بازی میکنند، پسران هم عروسک بازی میکنند。و الی آخر。。。。نمره ی پنج رو مناسبش میدونم، چون اطلاعات این کتاب جزو دانسته های ضروری، حداقل برای پدرو مادرهاست، و خوندنش از اوجب واجبات。 😊و به نظرم در روزگار ما، ناآگاهی میتونه بیشترین آسیب رو به کودکانمان وارد کنه。 و طفره رفتن از صحبت در این موارد، زیر اسم حیا خیلی بی معنیه。 。。。more
Marlee
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A children's sex ed book （recommended ages 4-7） that has an entire section on adopted/foster children， families with same-sex parents， single parents， and other non-nuclear families？ Um yes please！ Scientific terms are used while keeping the language simple enough for kids to understand。 There's also a section on good vs bad touching and consent。 This is definitely going on my list of excellent kids sex ed books。 （The surprising part？ it came out over 13 years ago - wayyyy ahead of its time）。 A children's sex ed book （recommended ages 4-7） that has an entire section on adopted/foster children， families with same-sex parents， single parents， and other non-nuclear families？ Um yes please！ Scientific terms are used while keeping the language simple enough for kids to understand。 There's also a section on good vs bad touching and consent。 This is definitely going on my list of excellent kids sex ed books。 （The surprising part？ it came out over 13 years ago - wayyyy ahead of its time）。 。。。more
Caitlinleah
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I’m sure I will re-hold and re-review this book in a few years as it’s definitely for the 4yo crowd and way too wordy for my 2。5yo。 So any suggestions for a younger child？ I appreciate the openness for gender expression and how people make a family。 The description of boys and girls seemed very physical and binary to me。 I prefer to pair this with “It Feels Good To Be Yourself” by Theresa Thorn。
Joanna
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We are finding this helpful in speaking to our 7-year-old about his body and how babies are made。 Doesn't have to be read straight through - we are using it more as a reference when we need to discuss something。 We are finding this helpful in speaking to our 7-year-old about his body and how babies are made。 Doesn't have to be read straight through - we are using it more as a reference when we need to discuss something。 。。。more
Jesse
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My 3。5 year old daughter is fascinated by this book and books on similar topics。 I'm glad we're able to begin talking about these topics early。 The book helps to guide that along in a child-friendly way。 We'll be getting a copy to keep at home for future talks。 My 3。5 year old daughter is fascinated by this book and books on similar topics。 I'm glad we're able to begin talking about these topics early。 The book helps to guide that along in a child-friendly way。 We'll be getting a copy to keep at home for future talks。 。。。more
Harriet
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I didn't know that boys needed to sleep with girls to make babies。 Thank you Mommy for reading the book to me。 I heart you Mommy。 Babies are actually in a little bag， I didn't learn that from the book， I just learned that from my mom。 Gigi and Buppy and Nana and Papa were babies when they were little， too。 Also， my mom and dad were in my grandparents' tummies。 Also， mammals are also just like people， they also need to sleep with a boy and girl to have a baby。 Thank you， book， for teaching me all I didn't know that boys needed to sleep with girls to make babies。 Thank you Mommy for reading the book to me。 I heart you Mommy。 Babies are actually in a little bag， I didn't learn that from the book， I just learned that from my mom。 Gigi and Buppy and Nana and Papa were babies when they were little， too。 Also， my mom and dad were in my grandparents' tummies。 Also， mammals are also just like people， they also need to sleep with a boy and girl to have a baby。 Thank you， book， for teaching me all this stuff， and it's kind of weird when the little thing goes into the egg， its tail falls off， it's kind of funny， and I didn't know about the parts， the vagina is connected to where the baby is， it's kind of weird。 It's kind of weird that when a boy becomes a grown-up， he has a different voice。 And also I really liked it。 。。。more
Anne Elaine
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Some parts were kind of silly。 I really liked it so much。 I learned some stuff from the book， that's why I really like it。 I learned that boys can do girl stuff and girls can do boy stuff， that is one thing I want to tell you。 I learned that you can make a lot of things with sand when it's dry。 I learned things about the parts of your body， that is one thing I also want to tell you， OK？ I learned some times that you need to clean since you're super dirty。 I learned cool stuff about your body and Some parts were kind of silly。 I really liked it so much。 I learned some stuff from the book， that's why I really like it。 I learned that boys can do girl stuff and girls can do boy stuff， that is one thing I want to tell you。 I learned that you can make a lot of things with sand when it's dry。 I learned things about the parts of your body， that is one thing I also want to tell you， OK？ I learned some times that you need to clean since you're super dirty。 I learned cool stuff about your body and also yucky stuff about your body。 I learned how you grow up。 Now I know when the babies come in the egg， the tail comes off。 I learned when you have a baby， you need to eat a lot of food。 I learned when the baby's in your belly， it doesn't have a TV or a computer or a chair or a bicycle。 I learned that you're so little when you're in the tummy， then you get bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and when you're super big you come out， and that takes a long time。 I know some dogs have babies， but not all dogs。 I love Nana and Papa。 。。。more
Em
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I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend and have found it quite helpful。 My 3-year old son has become very curious about body parts lately and the difference between boys and girls。 He has been asking questions like "what are these？" and pointing to my breasts and wanting to understand why he doesn't have them。 I read him selected chunks of this book， glossing over material that was too advanced and/or that I wasn't prepared to discuss with him， and focusing on the content that h I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend and have found it quite helpful。 My 3-year old son has become very curious about body parts lately and the difference between boys and girls。 He has been asking questions like "what are these？" and pointing to my breasts and wanting to understand why he doesn't have them。 I read him selected chunks of this book， glossing over material that was too advanced and/or that I wasn't prepared to discuss with him， and focusing on the content that he could handle at this age。 I could see us going back to it as he gets older。 The book talks about anatomical differences between boys and girls， explains that families come in all types， and also provides a G-rated explanation of how babies are made。 。。。more
Chappyfamily
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