Asking About Sex and Growing Up: A Question-and-Answer Book for Boys and Girls

Rating:
Summary: Great Info, Too Many Pictures
Review: As a mother and a teacher, I appreciate Cole's sensitivity and frankness with a difficult subject. I am afraid, however, that the adolescent audience for whom the book is intended will be distracted by the many graphic illustrations. This is unfortunate because the book has many good things to say. I especially appreciated the chapters on AIDS/STDs and sexual abuse. Children need this information. I would like to see this book reprinted with fewer illustrations. Descriptions will often suffice as children have vivid imaginations!

Rating:
Summary: Simple, well written but best for adolescents...
Review: I bought this book hoping to have an early broad conversation about sexuality with my 9 year old boy and found this book to be too detailed for someone that young. The illustrations are over-simplified and may be good for younger kids, but it doesn't jibe with the text which is more complex and biologically, fact-based. A great book- but I found I have to leave it on the shelf for another year or so. I don't think most 9-year olds will get this stuff yet so I'd advise you to hold off buying this unless you have an exceptionally mature child of this age. I'm sure it will be an excellent reference at 10 or 11.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best choice.
Review: I bought this, along with several similar books, for my 11 year-old son. The Q&A format of this book made it easy to read, but many topics were handled in a clinical, vague manner and spent way too much time on trivial subjects (e.g., a whole chapter on "Crushes.") I actually checked the copyright, to see if it was written in the '50's. (It's 1988.) I was very troubled by the section, "What Happens if a Young Girl Gets Pregnant?" It ignored the boy's role & responsibility, and glossed over the topic with vague statements such as: "Her whole life will change, and not usually for the better." And, "She may feel upset for a long time afterward." There's even a section, "Why Would a Girl Let Herself Get Pregnant?" which suggests "Sometimes a girl secretly wants to get pregnant..." The section ends with: "The surest way to prevent pregnancy is not to have intercourse." I found a much better book for my son: "What's Going on Down There." Silly title, but much more thorough, balanced and practical.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best choice.
Review: I bought this, along with several similar books, for my 11 year-old son. The Q&A format of this book made it easy to read, but many topics were handled in a clinical, vague manner and spent way too much time on trivial subjects (e.g., a whole chapter on "Crushes.") I actually checked the copyright, to see if it was written in the '50's. (It's 1988.) I was very troubled by the section, "What Happens if a Young Girl Gets Pregnant?" It ignored the boy's role & responsibility, and glossed over the topic with vague statements such as: "Her whole life will change, and not usually for the better." And, "She may feel upset for a long time afterward." There's even a section, "Why Would a Girl Let Herself Get Pregnant?" which suggests "Sometimes a girl secretly wants to get pregnant..." The section ends with: "The surest way to prevent pregnancy is not to have intercourse." I found a much better book for my son: "What's Going on Down There." Silly title, but much more thorough, balanced and practical.

Rating:
Summary: simple!
Review: I have used this book many times, checking it out from the library multiple times until I finally bought it. It is short, simple and covered alot of information. This book is nonjudgemental and opens up dialogue in a relaxing way.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for the younger pre-teen years of life.
Review: This book goes into explanations that are clear to understand for the average 7-12 year old. The book is outlined in specific sections in a question and answer layout.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad but illustrations could be better
Review: This book's text does present clear and factual information on growing up, BUT the illustrations are lacking. Preteens that are reading this book will probably want clearer and more finely drawn pictures that what is presented here.

Rating:
Summary: Great questions.
Review: This is a question-and-answer book which covers much of the same ground "It's Perfectly Normal" and other books for pre-teens, and would be unexceptional if the questions weren't so good. The authors assume their readers know the basics about pregnancy and doesn't bother with much detail; it focuses instead on puberty in boys and girls, masturbation, having crushes, pregnancy, homosexuality, and one chapter entitled "The Most Important Thing to Know About Sex" (to respect yourself and others). There's an excellent chapter on teen pregnancy. This quiet, unassuming book with non-graphic pictures is an excellent choice for kids who don't ask many questions about sex - and for parents who are uncertain how to answer them (also look see "Sex is More Than A Plumbing Lesson"). An added bonus - your kids may recognize the illustrator from Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby books.

Rating:
Summary: Could it get any worse!?d
Review: This was a pretty dumb book I already knew all of this stuff!