BOOKS

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

9780606358637. ea vol: illus. by Michael Emberley. (Family Library). index. notes. Candlewick. 2014.
COPY ISBN
Gr 1 & Up—These highly acclaimed titles have been go-to guides for a whole generation of children, teens, and their parents wishing to address these delicate, often difficult-to-discuss topics. They are noteworthy for their straightforward and accessible style, reliable information, and warm, inclusive artwork. It's Perfectly Normal, which is geared toward children nearing puberty, has sold more than one million copies, been translated into more than 35 languages, and has been endorsed and used by teachers, librarians, clergy, health care and mental health professions across this country. It also has the distinction of being listed as #7 on the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged books of the 21st century. This edition has been revised for a new generation, including updates in scientific and medical information about reproduction, birth control, abortion, sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases. Harris and Emberley have also included information on gender identity and online safety. It's So Amazing!, written for a younger audience, has also been revised to include up-to-date scientific and medical information and also addresses being online and using the Internet.
New ed., 1994. The original Horn Book review described this invaluable resource as an "unassuming, coherent, comprehensive explanation of sex in all its complicated glory." The frank and nonjudgmental discussion is illustrated with anatomically correct cartoon drawings; this twentieth-anniversary edition includes a broader definition of gender, expanded information about using the internet, updated information about contraception, abortion, sexual abuse, and STDs, including HIV/AIDS. Ind.
The original Horn Book review of the 1994 nonfiction book It's Perfectly Normal (rev. 3/95) aptly described it as an "unassuming, coherent, comprehensive explanation of sex in all its complicated glory." Harris and Emberley's 1999 book for slightly younger readers, It's So Amazing! (rev. 1/00), celebrates our bodies and our sexuality. Each book includes frank and nonjudgmental discussion of a wide range of topics illustrated with anatomically correct cartoon drawings. The new twentieth (Normal) and fifteenth (Amazing) anniversary editions of these invaluable resources are Harris and Emberley's laudable attempt to keep the content "as up-to-date and accurate as possible." Both books include updated text and art, a broader definition of the term gender, and expanded information about using the internet, while the fourth edition of Normal also includes new and updated information about contraception, abortion, sexual abuse, and the prevention and treatment of STDs, including HIV/AIDS. cynthia k. ritter

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