It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

By: Robie H. Harris

Emberley, M., & Harris, R. H. (2009). It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing up, Sex, and Sexual Health. Somerville: Candlewick Press.

Summary and Response:

This is a great book to begin the conversation of growing up and puberty. It's Perfectly Normal tackles all the subjects that can seem overwhelming, daunting, and scary to many parents and kids. The book is broken down into 6 main sections such as "Our Bodies". Each section is then broken down further into subsections detailing all the facts and information about the topic. The book does not stop at just the physical changes but also the emotional concepts that tag along with our bodies changing and growing up. The pages are adorned with hand drawn illustrations that make some of the more difficult concepts easier to understand. You will find information about a wide range of topics from sexual activity, birth control, puberty, masturbation, gender issues, and even AIDS. While this book tackles some serious issues it should be used as a great reference source. Because of the subject nature and the very candid straight forward approach to the writing, it should be used with your beginning tweens and teens. Science and Health classes could use this book to help aid in teaching about reproduction.