It’s so Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie H. Harris

Book Review

An overview of the book

It’s so Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie H. Harris is a sex education book for kids aged seven to ten years of age. Now, this is what I would call an encyclopedia or a ‘sexopedia’. It has everything that kids at this age would possibly be interested in or want to know about.

This book was first published in 1999, and was last revised in 2014. The book is quite up to date, except that it doesn’t reflect the many different ways that babies today can be born (surrogacy, sperm donation, egg donation and adoption). It also doesn’t discuss gender in great detail. For example, we now know that our gender doesn’t always match our genitals. For example, you might have a vulva and everyone calls you a girl, but on the inside you might feel like a boy. So it doesn’t include any of that terminology and jargon just yet.

The content is very similar to the earlier book, It’s Not The Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Families And Friends, which is for the 4-7 year old age group. There is also another book for the tweens, It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health.

So what’s inside this book? There’s a lot! So at the start, we’ve got a nice big index which clearly breaks the book up into lots of very small chapters. This means that you can tackle a chapter a night. This isn’t the sort of book that you would sit and read the whole book aloud to your child – it is just too long! The book is filled with comics and many illustrations that break the text up into an ‘easy to digest’ format!

It’s so Amazing starts off by explaining that adults can get embarrassed by talking about sex, and that sometimes you might hear some pretty crazy explanations about how babies are made. It then talks about the fact that all animals and plants reproduce, along with humans, explaining that humans need an egg and a sperm to make a baby.

It then talks about how we are the same but also different, with the difference being our reproductive organs. It then talks about the fact that we all grow up, and that puberty will one day happen. It then talks about the reproductive organs, with illustrations and information about the outside parts (genitals) and the internal organs.

It’s so Amazing then talks about the changes that happen inside once puberty arrives ie eggs, periods, and hormones. And for male bodies, it talks about sperm, hormones, erections and ejaculation. As kids get older, they start to become more curious about what actually happens on the inside of their bodies

Sex is then talked about in an age-appropriate way, in regards to being male or female but also as in something that adults do ie sexual intercourse. Now, at this age, it just talks about the sex that is used for baby-making – that’s all that kids are really all that interested in. We talk about the other types of sex and the other things that we do sexually as they get a little older and as they’re ready to understand it.

Next, we get onto the different types of love. It does talk about same-sex attraction as well, ie males falling in love with males. Then it talks about conception ie how the egg and sperm meet ie sexual intercourse and also IVF.. Then pregnancy (how the baby develops ) and birth is discussed. It talks about the different types of births, ie vaginal and caesarian.

It’s so Amazing then talks about the different things that make you up as a person. So in regards to chromosomes and genes, and why do you have red hair but mum has black hair. And it talks about different families, and the fact that not all families are like yours, all families can be different.

Then it talks about keeping safe, about good touch, bad touch, what’s okay and not okay. The jargon for touch keeps changing, it’s like private and public, all those words change. And then it does start talking about HIV/AIDS. For some strange reason, sexually transmitted infections aren’t talked about. I’m not sure why. My attitude is that if you are going to talk about one, then you should talk about the other.

It’s so Amazing is not the sort of book you’d want to read in one sitting. If your child is a good reader, it’s the sort of book that they could actually take off and read by themselves. But you just want to make sure that you’re still having conversations about what they are reading and making sure that they know that they can come to you with their questions.

It’s so Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie H. Harris is a great little book if you just want to have the one book. The downside though, is that there is going to be a lot of information in it that your child won’t be ready for. This isn’t that big a problem though, as you can pick and choose the chapters that are relevant.

Ideal Age

Ideal for children aged 7 to 10 years.

Buy this book

Buy a copy of It’s so Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families by Robie H. Harris  from Amazon.

Video Transcription

A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener

Alright, let’s dive into this awesome book called Okay. It’s So Amazing. It’s like an encyclopedia of all things related to eggs, sperm, birth, babies, and families. The author, Robie Harris, really knows her stuff!

Now, this book is regularly updated, although the version I have might not be the latest one. Robie Harris makes sure to keep it up to date every ten to fifteen years. However, there are a couple of topics that haven’t been fully covered yet. For example, it doesn’t talk about the fact that not all boys have penises or explore the idea that someone may look like a girl on the outside but feel like a boy on the inside. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of valuable information in here.

First off, there’s a handy index at the beginning to help you find what you’re looking for. The book is filled with cool comics, so you’ll find lots of pictures and text to keep you engaged. It starts by explaining how babies really begin, emphasizing that it takes an egg and sperm to make a baby. It also talks about the similarities and differences between boys and girls.

The content is pretty much the same as the earlier version, just with more detailed information that’s appropriate for your age. It covers everything from growing up to what’s going on inside boys and girls. There are even little diagrams to help you understand better. As you get older, around seven, eight, or nine, you’ll start to get curious about what happens on the inside. The book explains the steps of egg and sperm meeting and cell division. It’s fascinating stuff!

Now, let’s talk about sex. Most books only focus on heterosexual baby-making sex, but as you grow older and become more interested, this book also covers other types of sex and sexual activities. It even talks about same-sex attraction, like boys falling in love with boys. It’s important to learn about different experiences and perspectives.

The book also explores conception, pregnancy, and birth. You’ll find similar pictures to other books, learning about what the baby does inside the womb and the different types of birth, like vaginal and cesarean. It also touches on what babies do after they’re born and discusses what makes each person unique, like chromosomes and genes. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and this book celebrates that diversity.

Safety is another important topic covered in the book. It talks about good touch, bad touch, and what’s okay and not okay. The language around these topics might change over time, but the message remains the same: it’s crucial to keep ourselves safe and respect our boundaries.

Now, there’s a mention of HIV/AIDS in the book, which might seem a bit heavy for some kids. While it’s important to address these topics, it would be great if the book also covered other sexually transmitted infections. But hey, I didn’t write the book!

Overall, Okay. It’s So Amazing is a fantastic resource that covers a lot of ground. It’s not the kind of book you’ll read in one sitting, but as you become a better reader, you can explore it on your own. Just remember, it’s essential to keep having conversations with your parents or trusted adults and let them know they can always come to you with questions.

If you’re looking for a book that covers everything and want to have just one book on the topic, this is definitely the one to go with. Enjoy your journey through the fascinating world of sex and reproduction!

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