It’s So Amazing!

Harris, R. (1999).  It’s so amazing.  Boston, MA:  Candlewick Press.

This book discusses many aspects of growing up, from development to how babies are made. It uses a cartoon bird and bee to ask questions and add humor to a very delicate topic. The book covers puberty, pregnancy, babies and families.  It handles the many ways of becoming a family from birth to adaption very well along with a chapter at the end about “Keeping Safe”.  It’s straight forward manner would be very reassuring to children and make it an easy springboard for adults to discuss these topics with their child.

The book is geared for ages seven and up, with a version titled It’s Perfectly Normal for kids ten and older. The illustrations have a cartoon like style, but with complete accuracy making it a perfect for this hard to talk about topic. All of the issues discussed are handled with sensitivity and honesty helping children feel at ease while reading about what could be a very overwhelming amount of information.

ALA Notable Children’s Book