This cheerful volume offers tweens information on sex, gender, bodies, and relationships—and assumes an audience of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Author Rachel Simon informs young readers in accessible, short chapters about the difference between sex and gender; the anatomy of genitalia and reproductive systems; what it means to be cisgender, transgender, and intersex; physical and emotional changes of puberty; love and attraction; sexual intercourse; pregnancy and birth; different types of families; consent and safety; how sex is depicted in the media, and more.
Simon, a licensed social worker, is a psychotherapist and educator who specializes in gender and sexuality and runs a private practice in Philadelphia. She has worked in partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic, the Mazzoni Center, and Walnut Psychotherapy Center. She brings not only her expert knowledge but also a caring and thoughtful approach to every page. Throughout, the book recognizes the range of human gender and sexual identities. Explanations are clear and—equally important—affirming. “Whatever you feel is okay,” she assures readers at the very beginning, adding, “There are no silly questions about sex.”
Noah Grigni’s illustrations reinforce this, showing people of various gender identities and expressions along with close-up anatomical diagrams. The chapter on pregnancy even includes an image of two people, one with a masculine gender expression (short hair; facial stubble) and the other with a feminine one (ponytail; earrings), standing face-to-face with hands on their pregnant bellies.
The page of resources at the end of the book could have used more careful editing, however. Some of the URLs listed have “http://” before them and others don’t; it’s not a big deal (in modern browsers, the URLs will work either way), but feels a little sloppy.
This isn’t the first LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed book for tweens. The Stonewall Honor Book Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU
I say all that not as a criticism of either book, but merely to guide readers (and their parents) towards what they might be seeking. Ultimately, I’d recommend that families get both books, perhaps starting with Silverberg and Smyth, whose bold graphics and dialogues along with factual explanations make it feel a touch lighter, and then reading Simon and Grigni, still highly accessible but a little more text heavy. Much will depend, too, on the learning style and needs of any given reader—which is why it’s so exciting to have more than one LGBTQ-inclusive book on sex ed for tweens—and books that are not only LGBTQ-inclusive, but never treat being straight and cisgender as the default. Young people of all identities today will be more informed, more self-confident, safer, and healthier as a result.
