An informed, affirming guide to talking about sexuality with children.
A series of sex-education scripts for children ages 9 to 12.
For her model of best practices when it comes to sex education, Lang looks to a part of the world with very few unwanted teen pregnancies—Scandinavia—where frank discussions of all things related to sex begin in kindergarten. “They have sex ed all the way through school so there is no not knowing,” she writes. “Everyone knows nearly all of the sex things, and it shows in their teen sexual-health outcomes.” This is the thinking behind her own book: The earlier and more thoroughly little children are educated about sex, the better off they’ll be. They’ll have a more positive sense of themselves as sexual beings, they’ll feel more prepared for dating, they’ll wait longer to become sexually active, they’ll have a clearer sense of the urgency of safe sex, and so on. In these pages, Lang covers everything from old familiar basics—the centrality of consent in all forms of physical contact; the whys and hows of trusting adults; specifics dealing with things like body hair, acne, and such—to some of the latest required discussions on the subject of sex, including introductions to terms like cisgender and the spectrum of sexualities. The coverage of queer identity is positive and thoughtful: “If you can, use your friends and family members as examples of different orientations. This will normalize being something other than straight and (assuming they are trustworthy) can give your kid someone to confide in if they are sorting out their sexual orientation.” Throughout, Lang uses an upbeat, encouraging tone clearly designed to allay parental fears and anxieties. The prose is clear and accessible, and the focus is always on the well-being of the children. Potentially divisive subjects—some parents won’t like the idea of talking to their 10-year-old about herpes or polyamory—are handled with sympathy and sensitivity.
An informed, affirming guide to talking about sexuality with children.Pub Date: June 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66783-617-1
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Birds & Bees & Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Bosworth—late of Laguna Beach and The Hills, two MTV series that showcased the lives and loves of Southern California’s young and glamorous—is building a brand for herself: the sensible-yet-sexy older cousin. This book, which shares a title with her recently launched lifestyle website, expands on the romance-advice section of her site and ably offers an appealing mix of generic and specific relationship advice in a breezy, knowing tone. Using a mix of anecdotes from her own life and those of her friends, quizzes, recipes and straight-ahead advice in a post-feminist–meets-retro mashup that may make older readers occasionally gnash their teeth, the author counsels girls never to forget their intrinsic excellence and not to settle for bad relationships. Readers might expect a funny and wise young advisor to address sex more directly than she does here, but this is clearly a title intended to capitalize on a specific moment in its author’s life. Bosworth is focused on broad appeal, not breaking new ground. Overall, the positive aspects of her message outweigh the sigh-worthy bits. (Relationship advice. YA)
Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4424-1200-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2010
Presents many inspiring, resilient role models along with encouraging advice to take away.
Interview- and research-based profiles of prominent contemporary women of different backgrounds who share some life lessons with readers.
Each clearly written brief biography opens with a black-and-white portrait photograph, includes several pages in which the subject’s impressive achievements are recounted, and concludes with a few lines of advice and reassurance by the interviewee to her younger self. Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi woman who defied the law against women drivers, helped bring about a change in legislation, and wrote a bestselling book, writes, “Question the system, never yourself.” Harvard-trained psychoneuroimmunologist Joan Borysenko, who’s done groundbreaking work in integrative medicine, urges her younger self to be kind, grateful, and curious. Journalist and author Boxer pushes back against the societal emphasis on “doing rather than being” and reminds readers to be themselves, “authentically and unapologetically.” The profiles highlight the subjects’ admirable values and display a multitude of visions of success across a variety of fields, including neuroscience, entrepreneurship, climate-change activism, health care, disability rights, racial justice, and wildlife conservation. Some of the subjects are famous—like Temple Grandin, S.E. Hinton, Gabby Giffords, Nancy Pelosi, and Sheryl Sandberg—but most will be new to readers and are worth learning about. There is some diversity in race, nationality, physical ability, and sexual orientation among the subjects.
Presents many inspiring, resilient role models along with encouraging advice to take away. (resources, endnotes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781538175514
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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