Written by Peter Mayle, Illustrated by Arthur Robins
Picture Book ages 4-8
Rating: 2/5
A "no nonsense" book explaining reproductive parts, how sex happens, and how babies are made.
Opinion: Maybe I am just not used to this, but this book was graphic, even for me. The pictures are disturbing and uncomfortable and the explanations of sex are raunchy and go into way too much detail. If I may quote the book, "Some people calls these 'titties' or 'boobies'" "Being inside her..." "Sex is like scratching an itch...only better." It explains an orgasm as " a tickly feeling in your stomach that goes all throughout your body." It literally has a play-by-play of sexual intercourse like "he pushed his penis inside her vagina and moves back and forth." I was not comfortable reading this book, and I wouldn't expect children to be either. There is a difference between a logical explanation of sex and then there is detail-by-detail that gets borderline pornographic.
Curriculum Connection: I personally would never use this in a classroom, unless I was told to or was teaching sex education, and even then I would get a book that is less graphic, illustrations wise and words wise. I do not feel comfortable subjecting 5-year-olds to that type of language. The parents can teach them that all they want, but I'm a teacher to teach them other things besides their reproductive glands. This book is somewhat disgusting and I cannot imagine a child reading it!> This picture is even too graphic for the INTERNET! It is not censored in the real book.
I never came across this book in class, but I was curious as to what all the commotion in the back of the class was. Now I know why.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your blog post 100%, and I would never use this in my classroom! I am honestly shocked that the intended audience for a book like this is elementary aged children. It is upsetting that in some cases children even need to be aware of sex ed before middle school or high school. This is definitely not a good way to enlighten children of what sex is. I would be mortified if anyone made me share this with my students.