Rating: 
Summary: THE WINNER & STILL CHAMPION
Review: SIMPLY PUT, "HOW BABIES ARE MADE" IS BY FAR THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN THAT PARENTS, TEACHERS, & OTHERS CAN AND SHOULD USE TO TEACH BASIC SEX EDUCATION TO CHILDREN. YOUNSTERS LEARN JUST ENOUGH FROM IT, AND IT MAKES THE JOB OF CONCERNED ADULTS VERY EASY.
"HOW BABIES ARE MADE" WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN (1968 or 1969). IT WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. SINCE THEN,(36 OR 35 YEARS), MANY OTHER BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED, YET NOT ONE EVEN COMES CLOSE TO "HOW BABIES ARE MADE" - IF THERE EVER WAS A CHAMP, THIS IS IT! IN ADDITION, IT'S SO "CURRENT" YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS WRITTEN JUST YESTERDAY, AND IN FACT, THIS BOOK IS NEEDED AS MUCH AS WHEN ORIGINALLY WRITTEN, IF NOT MORE SO TODAY!
Rating:
Summary: excellent for small children
Review: Hurray to the author of this book! Some things in life don't change and how babies get made is one of those things. I didn't want explicit technical pictures. This book provides a platform for the embarrassed parent. The pictures are simple cutouts that explain the process of reproduction. The book begins with flowers and pollination and progresses steadily towards human fertilization. No shocks, no surprises, just simple facts clearly stated. Excellent book. Children are still children and shocking them with a book that they are not prepared to look at is not the answer. This book was a mild approach to a tense subject and I've already recommended it to friends.
Rating: 
Summary: good for young children
Review: I bought this book for my son (now age 5) two years ago at Christmas time. I was searching for a beginning book about sex that would not offend or embarrass me. (He was a little too young to worry about offending or embarrassing!) It has been a good starting point for us. I think that some parts of the book are unclear to me as an adult and perhaps might be confusing to an older child, but that's why you buy other books as your children get older! This book makes a good foundation.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, Just The Very Thing
Review: I read this very book thirty years ago when I was six years old and my parents wanted me to know how babies were made. Last night I read it to my four-year-old son because he was asking so many questions that could be simply and non-dramatically answered by this wonderful little book. The book is not dated at all and it explains how flowers, chickens, dogs and people are conceived, develop and grow or are born. The language is simple and addresses only biology, leaving sexuality for a later, more appropriate time. My four-year-old son has been asking about whether girls have penises and how his infant brother "walked out of my tummy." So this was a perfect way to show him that boys are born with penises and girls are born with vaginas and uteruses (thus erasing a common fear among little boys that girls lost their penises somehow, and so the boy could lose his) as well as to explain things in a non-threatening way. Because the book is so utterly limited to simple biology (with illustrations in the form of very-well-executed paper cut-outs and drawings) -- to the extent that the act of human sexual intercourse is covered by a blanket -- there is plenty of room for parents to instill their own values about sexuality, masturbation, birth control and sexually-transmitted diseases, at a much, much later time as deemed appropriate by the parents.The only criticism I have of this book is that it presumes that every child is conceived by a mother and a father engaging in traditional sexual intercourse. For the child conceived by IVF or GIFT, or by artificial insemination, the book doesn't answer any questions. Since the second edition was printed in 1979, I don't think this reflects so much a deficiency as a change in technology. It may be that IVF, GIFT and artificial insemination are concepts that carry too much complexity for a young child just learning the basics, anyway. Alternative methods of conception might be the perfect subject matter for a sequel to this book. The biological information presented by this classic little book is so complete that it answered every question my inquisitive little son had -- and only the questions my inquisitive little son had.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, Just The Very Thing
Review: I read this very book thirty years ago when I was six years old and my parents wanted me to know how babies were made. Last night I read it to my four-year-old son because he was asking so many questions that could be simply and non-dramatically answered by this wonderful little book. The book is not dated at all and it explains how flowers, chickens, dogs and people are conceived, develop and grow or are born. The language is simple and addresses only biology, leaving sexuality for a later, more appropriate time. My four-year-old son has been asking about whether girls have penises and how his infant brother "walked out of my tummy." So this was a perfect way to show him that boys are born with penises and girls are born with vaginas and uteruses (thus erasing a common fear among little boys that girls lost their penises somehow, and so the boy could lose his) as well as to explain things in a non-threatening way. Because the book is so utterly limited to simple biology (with illustrations in the form of very-well-executed paper cut-outs and drawings) -- to the extent that the act of human sexual intercourse is covered by a blanket -- there is plenty of room for parents to instill their own values about sexuality, masturbation, birth control and sexually-transmitted diseases, at a much, much later time as deemed appropriate by the parents. The only criticism I have of this book is that it presumes that every child is conceived by a mother and a father engaging in traditional sexual intercourse. For the child conceived by IVF or GIFT, or by artificial insemination, the book doesn't answer any questions. Since the second edition was printed in 1979, I don't think this reflects so much a deficiency as a change in technology. It may be that IVF, GIFT and artificial insemination are concepts that carry too much complexity for a young child just learning the basics, anyway. Alternative methods of conception might be the perfect subject matter for a sequel to this book. The biological information presented by this classic little book is so complete that it answered every question my inquisitive little son had -- and only the questions my inquisitive little son had.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best after 36 years
Review: I recommend this book to everyone. First issued in 1968 when I was 6 years old, I still remember being impressed, even at that age, by the logical progression of this book. It explains in the most respectful, lucid way where babies come from. I passed this book on to my older sister when she had kids and they hung on to it and passed it down to me when my kids were learning to read. I just left it in the bookcase and they all picked it up when they were ready for it. For anyone mystified about how and where to begin explaining this subject, here is everything you need. This book is in no way dated and should still be at the top of every list of books on this subject.
Rating:
Summary: Just enough for my 6 year old
Review: My very inquisitive, 6 year old scientist wanted to know the facts. This book eases everyone into the conversation, starting with plant reproduction, then animals and of course, finally people. It's written in a way as to not interfere with religious beliefs, and brief enough to allow parents to input their own values.
Rating:
Summary: Bright colors, subtle pictures and clear explanations
Review: Originally published in 1968 by Time-Life Books, this book hasn't changed either - and it needs no revision to remain up-to-date. It actually addresses "the birds and the bees": beginning with flowers, then moving on to chickens, dogs and finally humans, the authors show how reproduction happens in a similar way for all types of living creatures. The brightly colored paper cutout illustrations hold a young child's attention, and keep even the most squeamish parent from being embarrassed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly Interesting
Review: The book How babies are Made, was an interesting book by the way it displayed many different animals with the use of clever illustrations. The topic of Child Birth can be a difficult topic to teach young children, so I do not find it supprising that the author used simple animals and illustrations to try to make it easier for the parents to relate the animals to the children. I did find some of the illustrations a bit confusing, and that is coming from a college student taking a child developement class. Overall for the level of difficulty associated with the topic of child birth, I believe that the book does make a sufficient point to illustrate the nature of child birth, yet some of the illustrations can be confusing so keep that in mind. That is my personal oppinnion and I am a Psychology Major at Cal State Northridge.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Interesting
Review: The book How babies are Made, was an interesting book by the way it displayed many different animals with the use of clever illustrations. The topic of Child Birth can be a difficult topic to teach young children, so I do not find it supprising that the author used simple animals and illustrations to try to make it easier for the parents to relate the animals to the children. I did find some of the illustrations a bit confusing, and that is coming from a college student taking a child developement class. Overall for the level of difficulty associated with the topic of child birth, I believe that the book does make a sufficient point to illustrate the nature of child birth, yet some of the illustrations can be confusing so keep that in mind. That is my personal oppinnion and I am a Psychology Major at Cal State Northridge.
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