It's So Amazing!

It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families is a 1999 children's book about pregnancy and childbirth. It is written by Robie Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley.[1]

It's So Amazing!
First edition cover
AuthorRobie Harris
IllustratorMichael Emberley
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHuman sexuality
PublisherCandlewick Press
Publication date
November 1, 1999
Media typePrint
Pages81
ISBN978-0-7636-0051-8
OCLC40433137
612.6
LC ClassQP251.5 .H37 1999
Preceded byIt's Perfectly Normal 

Content

The book is intended for tweens, a slightly older demographic than Harris' previous books on sex education, It's Not the Stork and It's Perfectly Normal.[2][3] It deals with topics related to sexual reproduction, human sexuality, relationships, sexually transmitted infection, and safe sex practices. Educational cartoon illustrations provide visuals of processes such as fetal development.[4][5] The information is presented alongside the commentary of two characters, a curious bird and a bee who finds the topic embarrassing, acting as emotional stand ins for the readers.[3][5]

Publication history

An updated edition of the book which included information about internet safety was published in 2014, alongside an expanded edition of It's Perfectly Normal.[6]

Reception

The book received praise for its informative content, age appropriate humor and approachable writing style.[5][4][3][7] Publishers Weekly praised the book's "informal yet informed perspective" and usefulness as an educational resource.[5] K. J. Dell'Antonia of The New York Times praised its illustrations, particularly a "glorious, life-sized image of the fetus in the womb."[6] Kirkus Reviews wrote that it "expertly walk the line between frankness and bluntness, keeping the actual sex act under the covers, and nimbly explaining how abuse differs from normal human contact and affection."[4] Common Sense Media awarded the book four out of five stars.[3]

Both Kailen Stover of Scary Mommy and Carrie R. Wheadon of Common Sense Media recommended the book as a way for parents to open up a dialogue about sex and their personal values.[2][3]

It received an award for Notable Children's Books from the American Library Association (ALA) in 2000.[8] The book has subsequently been included in several publications' lists of the best books for teaching sex education, including New York Times,[9] Bustle,[10] Scary Mommy,[2] She Knows,[11] and Redbook.[12]

The book was frequently challenged by groups who objected to the inclusion of information about sexuality in children's books, including homosexuality, abortion and masturbation. However, it was subject to less controversy than It's Perfectly Normal.[13] It appeared as #37 in the ALA's list of Most Banned Books during the 2000–2009 decade.[14] In 2014, a petition for the National Library Board (NLB) to reinstate the book and others which had been removed received 3,800 signatures.[15] After The Straits Times reported that these books were removed because of customer feedback, the NLB stated that they had actually been removed because of an internal review.[16] It appeared on Salon.com's 2014 list of the most controversial sex ed books of all time.[17]

References
  1. Harrison, Colin (November 21, 1999). "The Birds and the Bunnies". The New York Times.
  2. Stover, Kailen (May 8, 2021). "These Resources Will Help You Have 'The Sex Talk' With Your Kids". Scary Mommy. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  3. Wheadon, Carrie R. (2004). "It's So Amazing! Book Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  4. "It's So Amazing!". [Review]. Kirkus Reviews. November 1, 1999.
  5. "It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families". [Review]. Publishers Weekly. January 4, 1999. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  6. Dell'Antonia, K. J. (September 17, 2014). "20 Years After 'It's Perfectly Normal,' What's Changed?". Motherlode Blog. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. Ingle, Róisín (February 19, 2020). "Shame-free sex education: It's So Amazing! And only a little bit mortifying". The Irish Times. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  8. "It's So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families". American Library Association. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  9. Dell'Antonia, K. J. (December 10, 2014). "Parents in Europe, Talking to Kids About Sex". Motherlode Blog. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  10. Weiss, Suzannah (June 15, 2015). "You Have To See This Sex Ed Book From 1975". Bustle. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  11. Auteri, Steph (August 4, 2022). "These Frequently Banned Sex Ed Books Are Essential Reading in My Home". Book Riot. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  12. Cho, Nuy (April 29, 2016). "How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex So You Don't Make the Same Mistakes I Did". Redbook. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  13. Jarvis, Zeke (August 18, 2017). Silenced in the Library: Banned Books in America. ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-4408-4395-2.
  14. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000–2009". Banned & Challenged Books. American Library Association. March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  15. Lee, Howard (July 10, 2014). "Petition with 3,800 names demands that NLB reinstate books". The Online Citizen Asia. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  16. "NLB says other titles withdrawn because of internal reviews". Today. July 16, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  17. Clark-Flory, Tracy (May 7, 2014). "Inside the most controversial sex-ed books of all time". Salon. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
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