Joyful and affirming, this gender-inclusive book is all about penises, long, short, straight, curved, circumcised and uncircumcised, and in a variety of skin colors. It’s aimed at young readers who may have a penis, know someone who does, or are just curious about them.
With a matter-of-fact tone, authors Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller explain the various parts of a penis (and scrotum) and what they do. Penises are where pee comes out, the book notes (though it also offers the “grown-up word … urine”). It also says that penises can become erect, and that testes can make sperm, which can combine with an egg from another person to make a baby, but it does not explain exactly how this might come about.
The book offers important messages about consent, too, saying that the penis is a private part of the body. It’s okay to touch these parts in private, but it’s also okay to say no if someone else wants to touch them. If someone asks you to keep touching a secret, though, or if you feel “mixed-up” about someone touching you, it’s important to tell a trusted adult.
Penises are “just another part of the body,” the small volume concludes, but they also do some special things.
Illustrations by Tyler Feder are clear and informative, showing a children with penises who are diverse in racial/ethnic identities and gender (or at least gender expression).
A section of Additional Information for Parents and Caregivers offers advice on how to talk further with children about penises and reproduction (in ways inclusive of many types of family creation), how to take care of penises with foreskins, intersex bodies, preventing sexual abuse, and more.
An empowering, useful, and recommended guide.
