Amazing You!: Getting Smart About Your Private Parts: A First Guide to Body Awareness for Pre-Schoolers Paperback – Picture Book, 31 Jan. 2008

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago for my 6-year-old son who kept asking me why I was a girl and why he and his dad were boys. I am very liberal and I am a school teacher, so I should know how to explain facts about life to my own child. However the explanations I gave to my boy were not enough or not clear enough. So I "googled" for books about the subject and found this one on an American website. My son loves it. He reads (or rather looks at) it all the time and he seems to understand more now. I like the drawings (accurate but cute) and the fact that it gives the appropriate explanations for a child of 6 and nothing else. It is liberal (no patronising, no religious bigotry) but at the same time respects the necessary innocence of a young child and tells children that they are the result of love between a man and a woman. That is all what my 6 year old needed for the moment as I give myself a bit of time before I explain that two men or two women can be parents as well etc. Thank you for a very cheap and great book!

I did a lot of searching for a 'facts of life' book for my two children (4yr & 6yr). I didn't want anything too graphic or too mature. I settled on three books Hair In Funny Places and What's the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys and this one.This is the only one I have chosen to share with them so far (I have kept the others for when they are older as they are good but contain images and topics I don't think are suitable for this age(intercourse, masturbation, wet dreams etc.)This book however, I felt, was just right. It mainly talks about the differences between girls and boys bodies - which at this age is what they are mainly interested in, I reckon. Please don't think the images of naked adults are in any way 'too graphic' as another review said - they are lovely and innocent in their cartoon depictions.It does cover eggs and sperm but does not say about, or show any, sexual intercourse and my guys seemed perfectly happy without further explanation. It also only briefly mentions that their bodies will change as they get older without going into teenage issues.Overall I think this is a great book for young children, looking at private parts without too much detail. I didn't feel embarrassed at all reading it to them. It now sits on our library bookshelf amongst all our other books.

I think it's important to teach young children at least the correct names for their private parts as soon as they are old enough to notice and start asking questions. I have had this conversation with my pre-schooler to not only make him aware of the name but also the personal nature of his genitals, for safe-guarding reasons. I.e. they are his property alone for looking at and touching! I found this book endearing and simple to read. The only thing I would have omitted was the diagrammatical illustration of the inner parts of the reproductive organs. I felt this went over my child's head somewhat because it relates to the internal anatomy that he can't see. It was also a bit confusing because he couldn't make sense of the diagram. The book also should make up its mind about whether it is purely discussing sexual organs and puberty, or discussing sexual intercourse and reproduction. Trying to do both superficially didn't really work. However, as a starter book this is fine and I would recommend to all responsible parents to open up an honest dialogue with your child about the sexual organs and privacy.

My 5 year old was starting to get inquisitive about bodies and I wasn't sure quite how to explain at the right level.Que the search for a book like this. It is very informative and explains the differences between boys and girls (and also men and women) and also explains how babies are made but all at an appropriate level. I.e. My son learned that when he is older he will have sperm that look like tadpoles and older girls will have eggs. When a Mummy and Daddy love each other the egg and sperm join together and a baby starts to grow. He didn't ask how, he just assumed love made it happen.It then goes on to show a baby in utero. He was amazed when I told him his belly button came from the umbilical cord he could see in the picture.It is a very body positive book.He loved it so much we had to immediately read it again!

Bought this for my very body curious 3-year-old boy. We had to read it four times in a row when it first arrived and it's been our bedtime story all week. Initially I thought about only reading the pages on bodies and leaving out those focused on how babies are made as he hasn't yet asked about this, but he wanted to know when he saw the pictures. For now, I'm simplifying the description of female body parts (he's more interested in how girls pee without a penis) and where a baby comes out. A brilliant book that can easily be simplified to your child's current questions and curiosities that's written in a lovely style that's easy to understand but not talking down to children. Fabulous drawings too. Will be buying another for my godson.

My daughter (just turned 6) really liked this book and I felt it was just the right level of information for now. I read this with her in the run up to the birth of her new sibling as she was curious about how the baby was made and how he would come out so I wanted to explain things properly to her. It discusses sperm and eggs meeting but without mentioning intercourse. It seemed to satisfy her curiosity for now and it's good she knows and understands the proper names for genitals. Its also a good starting point to discuss why no one can touch your private parts etc. I will be using this book again when my next 2 children are old enough.