Book Review
A short overview of this book
Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies & boys’ bodies is written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.
It is a book all about bodies that has been written to help parents to answers kids questions about their body parts. Books like this are a useful tool that parents can use when talking to their kids about their body parts.
Sex education for young children under 5 isn’t about sex at all. It is all about sexuality ie bodies, gender differences and roles, relationships, feelings, diversity, boundaries and reproduction. There are many reasons as to why parents should be reading books like Who has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies? to their children.
Robie H. Harris has a new series of age-appropriate books out, in which she very simply and straightforwardly lays the foundations for sex education. The first book, Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies, looks at bodies.
The penis shown in this book is circumcised ie the foreskin has been removed. This book does not display intact penises (with a foreskin).
Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies talks about:
- the fact that we all have bodies
- that our bodies change as we grow older – baby to child to adult
- boys and girls have lots of things that are the same – how they play, things they like to do, being silly, etc
- that some parts in a boys and girls body differ
- the different parts are what makes you a man or a woman when you are grown up
- boys and girls have many body parts that are the same
- naming the private parts and their functions (with drawings)
- normalising the fact that even animals have private parts and functions to
- naming and illustrating the internal reproductive organs
- pregnancy can happen to women which means growing a baby that they will breast or bottle feed
- that girls can become mums and boys can become dads on growing up
- bodies are all different and unique and special
- that boys and girls will keep on growing up until they are grown up and this takes a long time
So, as you can see, this bookprovides the opportunity to have a lot of discussions with your child about bodies. You can talk about how bodies are similar. And you can talk about how our bodies can be so different. The book talks about all of our differences and not just the obvious ones, like genitals!
Reading Tips
Make sure you have a look at the book, Who has What?, first (before you read it to your child)! That way you will know what to expect. You won’t find anything too ‘scary’ in this book. The drawings of the genitals are quite simple, but still get the point across about their differences.
You can find some tips in this article on how to read ‘sex ed’ books, like Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies.
Who has What? is a picture book but it is very wordy. You may have to summarise the text on some pages, as it is very comprehensive. Most 3-year-olds would not have the attention span to sit through a read of this book. So you may need to speed read it, or simplify the content so that they don’t get too bored!
If you’re struggling with saying the words – vulva, penis, scrotum – practice saying them in front of the mirror or even with your partner. It will help!
The more that you read sex education books like, Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies, the easier you will find it. The first time is the hardest and then it gets a little bit easier, the more you read. Eventually, you reach the stage where you begin to feel a lot more comfortable with reading sex education books.
Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies by Robie H. Harris, is a great first book on bodies. If you have a child who is very curious about bodies, this book will satisfy their curiosity. It provides a lot of detailed information.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 3 to 8 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of Who Has What? All about girls’ bodies and boys’ bodies, at Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! I’m Cath Hak, and welcome to Sex Ed Rescue. I’ve got something great to share with you today—a lovely book for talking to younger children about bodies. It’s called Who Has What? by Robie Harris. Trust me, my kids absolutely loved this book when they were younger, and I always find myself recommending it to other parents.
Now, before we dive in, I want to mention that this video is a rerecording from 2022, and there’s been a movement towards more inclusive language when it comes to gender. So, some parents prefer books that don’t say all girls have a vulva, but rather acknowledge that most girls have a vulva, but some don’t. Just wanted to put that out there.
Alright, let’s talk about the book itself. The illustrations are just lovely, and it’s part of a series by Robie Harris. These books are like a sex education Bible—they cover pretty much everything you need to know. But sometimes, they can be a bit overwhelming because they cover so much ground. That’s why I really appreciate that they also released this collection of books that focus on specific topics. And this one is all about the differences between girls’ and boys’ bodies.
One thing I really love about these books is how inclusive they are. They feature diverse parents from different cultures, and as you flip through the pages, you’ll see a wide range of people represented—different cultures, disabilities, body shapes, you name it. It’s great to see that kind of representation in a book like this.
So, what’s inside Who Has What? Well, it’s a story about a day at the beach where the characters talk about body parts. They start by naming all the other body parts and pointing out the similarities. Then, they move on to the genitals, and they even mention that dogs have them too. The book also touches on internal organs and emphasizes that adults have the same body parts. It’s all about normalizing and celebrating our bodies, and it does it in such a gentle and beautiful way.
I have to admit, my kids loved these books so much that I sometimes wished I hadn’t bought them because we read them over and over again. But that’s the magic of these books—they capture kids’ attention with their engaging illustrations and all the things happening on each page. They’ve definitely been well-enjoyed in our household.
Now, I know some parents have concerns about books that use language like all girls have a vulva and all boys have a penis. But here’s the thing—you can always adapt the language to suit your own preferences and what you want to teach your kids. No book is perfect, so it’s all about using the resources available and making them work for you and your family.
I hope this review helps you out. If you’re looking for a great book to talk about body parts with your little ones, Who Has What? is definitely worth grabbing. Remember, every body is different, and that’s totally okay. And as the book reminds us, we all grow up, and that’s something to celebrate. Cheers!
