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It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends Paperback – Illustrated, Aug. 26 2008
Robie H. Harris (Author) Find all the books, read about the author and more. See search results for this author |
Michael Emberley (Illustrator) Find all the books, read about the author and more. See search results for this author |
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Young children are curious about almost everything, especially their bodies. And young children are not afraid to ask questions. What makes me a girl? What makes me a boy? Why are some parts of girls' and boys' bodies the same and why are some parts different? How was I made? Where do babies come from? Is it true that a stork brings babies to mommies and daddies?
IT'S NOT THE STORK! helps answer these endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary school children ask about how they began. Through lively, comfortable language and sensitive, engaging artwork, Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley address readers in a reassuring way, mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information. Two irresistible cartoon characters, a curious bird and a squeamish bee, provide comic relief and give voice to the full range of emotions and reactions children may experience while learning about their amazing bodies. Vetted and approved by science, health, and child development experts, the information is up-to-date, age-appropriate, and scientifically accurate, and always aimed at helping kids feel proud, knowledgeable, and comfortable about their own bodies, about how they were born, and about the family they are part of.
- ISBN-109780763633318
- ISBN-13978-0763633318
- EditionIllustrated
- PublisherCandlewick
- Publication dateAug. 26 2008
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions26.19 x 0.64 x 28.98 cm
- Print length64 pages
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From the Publisher
The Family Library provides accurate, up-to-date, and honest information about sexual health.
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For age 4 and up'Straightforward, informative, and personable. This book will be accessible to its intended audience, comforting in its clarity and directness, and useful to a wide range of readers.' - School Library Journal. |
For age 7 and up'This thoughtful, innovative, and comprehensive book helps children with issues that are on their minds anyway - and gives all of us the language we need to share with them.' - T. Berry Brazelton, MD, founder of Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Joshua Sparrow, MD, co-authors of Touchpoints: Birth to Three and Touchpoints: Three to Six. |
For age 10 and up'This refreshingly candid tour of the facts of life is just the ticket for jittery parents when it’s time to explain the birds and bees to their curious kids.' - People Magazine. |
Product description
Review
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Harris’ respectful writing targets children’s natural curiosity without cloaking matters in obfuscating language.
—Booklist (starred review)
In their previous landmark volumes . . . Harris and Emberley established themselves as the purveyors of reader-friendly, straightforward information on human sexuality for readers as young as seven. Here they successfully tackle the big questions . . . for even younger kids.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
An excellent introduction to babies’ origins for youngest curious minds.
—Publishers Weekly (featured in Children’s Notes: True Companions)
Emberley's cartoon cast, a celebration of demographic diversity, do double duty as helpful diagrams of body parts and fetal development, and as examples of loving families in action.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
A happy addition to the Harris-Emberley family.
—Kirkus Reviews
Many parents will like this book’s direct approach.
—Wall Street Journal
This informative book covers everything from why boys and girls have different body parts to how a baby is born.
—Parents
The book is written in clear, straightforward language and accompanied by cartoon illustrations.
—Columbus Dispatch (included in a list of the top children’s books of the year)
Adults will gratefully draw on the book's frank language and friendly tone when talking things over with their kids in the car or at the zoo… This must-have family resource addresses all kinds of such funny misconceptions, supplying instead the real facts of life.
—San Francisco Chronicle
Tackles the sensitive subject of human reproduction with delicacy and honesty.
—Baltimore’s Child
We recommend these books for parents, teachers, librarians, health professionals and clergy as trusted and accessible resources to get answers and information about how to talk to youth about sexuality.
—The Parent Buzz
There's a direct correlation between fear of naming body parts and kids' interest in finding out about them…The lucky ones discover the Robie Harris/Michael Emberley<B> </B>books…
—Newbery winner Susan Patron, quoted in PW Children's Bookshelf
Well-laced with humorous illustrations and diagrams that convey information as well as maintain the cheerful, even exuberant, ‘it’s perfectly natural’ tone of this book.
—Toronto Globe & Mail
Pure sterling. . . . No family with young children (or naïve young adults?) should miss this one.
—Sacramento Bee
A perfect starting point for sex education.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Simple language and colorful illustrations present straightforward and easily understood topics that are sometimes controversial.
—Library Media Connection
About the Author
MICHAEL EMBERLEY is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the illustrator of many books for children, including several collaborations with Robie H. Harris: IT'S SO AMAZING, IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL, HAPPY BIRTH DAY!, HI NEW BABY!, and three picture books in the Growing Up series, books that tell stories and facts about the first five years of life.
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Product details
- ASIN : 0763633313
- Publisher : Candlewick; Illustrated edition (Aug. 26 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 64 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780763633318
- ISBN-13 : 978-0763633318
- Item weight : 0.9 g
- Dimensions : 26.19 x 0.64 x 28.98 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Robie H. Harris, the award-winning author of over thirty children’s books, is known for writing about serious issues with honesty and humor and for her respect and affection for young readers. Her picture books center on the emotional life of young children and include titles such as: Goodbye Mousie and Who’s in My Family? Her nonfiction books such as It’s Perfectly Normal, It’s So Amazing!, and What’s So Yummy? center on giving children honest and accurate information they need to stay healthy and safe. Her newest books for young children include CRASH! BOOM! A Math Tale, and WHO? A Celebration of Babies.
Her books have won multiple starred reviews and awards, including the Reach Out and Read’s Mills Tannenbaum Award for Children’s Literacy and Bank Street College of Education’s Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature. Lesley University awarded Robie an honorary Ph.D. for her work. Read more about her books at www.robieharris.com.
Michael Emberley has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1979. He grew up in Ipswich, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, lived in San Diego, and Oakland California for many years, and now lives with his wife on the east coast of Ireland. He has no art degree, no writing degree, no kids, no house and no pets, but he does have a lot of pencils and a pretty decent computer. He also has a sister and father (Rebecca and Ed) who also make children's books, and a mother, Barbara, who has written books herself. His hobbies include bicycle racing, bike riding, cycling, mountain biking, reading about bikes and avoiding driving. He bought his first television set at age of forty so he could watch a bike race and his first car a few years later because there was no subway in California. He now lives quietly in a small village by the sea, spending most of his time cycling the narrow lanes up into the surrounding Wicklow Mountains. The rest of the time he can be spotted haunting the local pubs and coffee houses sketching and writing. He's easy to find - he's the tall thin one in the corner with the sketch pad, a tall glass or mug in front of him, and the funny accent.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from Canada
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But seriously, this is a fantastic guide and tool for parents. It was awkward to read at first, but that was quickly overcome by the informative yet entertaining writing style.
Since my kid is 5, we do have a conversation before we read the book about how not all her friends will know this stuff. So it's best to keep it to herself for now unless they bring it up. And as always, we make sure she knows if someone at school says something she doesnt think sounds right - we are here to talk.
My only criticism is that there is nothing about transgenderism/transexuality. There are many kinds of families included LGB-wise... but it's missing the T.
This book uses proper terminology and has illustrations of all body parts (my five year old thought the drawing of the child looking at his bum cheeks in the mirror was a hoot!) It covers everything and anything you can think of - family types, relationships with friends, how babies are made including at home and in the lab, circumcision... Just the facts, leaving you to fill in the rest.
I only have one beef with the book: the girl's body illustration. Her feet are turned inward suggesting some shyness, whereas the boy does not. Otherwise I love this book. We read through it once and now I leave it in his bookshelf. It's better than him looking this stuff up on the internet!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019
“As a conservative Christian and sexual abuse prevention educator, I have to share my thoughts about the negative comments. The number one thing sexual predators look for in their victims is a lack of knowledge about sex. They also look for families who don't educate their kids about basic anatomy and shame their children for discovering that their genital can bring pleasure. Not recognizing and teaching what an incredible gift from God our bodies are, is exactly what the enemy leverages against our kids and us. If you don't agree with EVERYTHING in the book .. great! Talk about it with your kids, "we believe this______ because_______. " It's a wonderful way to open communication about your beliefs and let the kids know that you're willing to talk about anything. I'm leaving this review in the 1-star section because people read the one start reviews more. I recommend this book and bring it to all my live speaking events. Yes, I speak at conservative Christian churches.”
Absolutely brilliant and well put.
I also highly recommend this book.
Top reviews from other countries


It also says boys stand to pee as a difference with girls, which is NOT what we want to teach our boys. The world would be a MUCH cleaner place if parents just simply taught their boys to sit to pee just like girls!


I bought for my 7 year old boy, and theres a few sections I feel were not necessary for even his age...
Probably more appropriate for 10-11 year olds in my personal opinion.
And no, I'm not a prude, I'm a young single mum who made questionable choices... trying to find an age appropriate way to discuss sex education so he's more informed than I was.
