Book Review
A short overview of this book
Amazing You book by Gail Saltz is a book for young children that talks about body parts and where babies come from (with no mention of sexual intercourse).
This is one of those books that should satisfy a child’s curiosity about where babies come from and why bodies can be the same but yet different.
This book doesn’t talk about sexual intercourse but it does say that when a man and a woman love each other and decide to make a baby, that the man’s sperm will join with the woman’s egg, and a baby will grow. It also talks about how the baby grows and is born (vaginal birth only).
This book briefly talks about masturbation in regards to the fact that it is okay to be curious about your private parts and to touch them (just do it in a private place). This is one of the few books for younger children that does discuss masturbation (or touching your genitals because it can feel nice).
The penis shown in this book is circumcised ie the foreskin has been removed. This book does not display intact penises (with a foreskin).
You can learn more on this page, about how to talk to kids about sex education.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 4 to 8 years.
Buy this book
β Buy a copy of Amazing You book by Gail Saltz from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! I’m Cath Hak from Sex Ed Rescue, and today I want to give you a summary of an awesome book called ‘Amazing You’. This book is all about the differences between bodies, pregnancy, and what you could call an early sex education book.
Before we dive in, I just want to introduce myself. If you’re looking to get comfortable with sex education and talking to your kids about this stuff, make sure to check out my website. It’s all about helping you feel at ease.
Now, let’s talk about ‘Amazing You’. I’ve been wanting to review this book for a while, but I couldn’t find it at my local library. Turns out, it was published back in 2005, so it’s been around for 13 years. Luckily, a mom in my parent group bought it and gave me some feedback, so I got my hands on it.
I initially thought it was a book about the private parts of the body, but it’s actually a sex education book. The title doesn’t do it justice, but trust me, it’s really good. The book starts off by introducing a girl and explaining that we have parts of our body that are hidden under our clothes or underwear. These parts are special and belong to us. The book even mentions that sometimes we have funny names for our private parts, which I think is great because it acknowledges that kids might have their own names for them.
The book goes on to talk about the different parts of the body for girls and boys, using proper names. It has pictures of the inside parts, but it doesn’t show what a vulva looks like. It’s a bit more on the safe side, but still informative. The book also touches on the topic of masturbation, which is not something you find in many books for younger children. If you want more resources on that, check out my website where I’ve compiled a list of books that cover this topic.
One thing the book doesn’t mention is the importance of washing hands after touching themselves, so that’s something you might want to reinforce with your kids.
The book also talks about how our bodies change as we grow up. It explains the baby-making part, where a man’s sperm joins with a woman’s egg. It’s a pretty vanilla approach to the topic, but it gets the basic information across. The book mentions that the baby grows inside the woman for nine months and then comes out through the vagina. It doesn’t cover the topic of Caesarean births, though.
Overall, ‘Amazing You’ is a great little book that covers a lot of important information. It’s perfect for those early years when kids start asking questions. If you’re interested, you can find more details in the notes at the back of the book.
I hope this summary helps you out. Now, I’m going to check that phone just in case it’s something important. Take care and cheers!