Sex is a Funny Word: A book about bodies, feelings, and you by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
Seven Stories Press, 2015 | ISBN: 9781609806064
Awards for Sex is a Funny Word:
2016 Stonewall Honor for Books in Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Winner of the the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction
American Library Association Reading List 2016
Best Book of the Year Selection, Quill & Quire
About the Book:
A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers.
Much more than the "facts of life" or “the birds and the bees," Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy.
Sex Is a Funny Word is the first sex education book for this age group that is inclusive of lesbian, gay, and bisexual experience as well as gender creative and gender-nonconforming children. The book is also inclusive of trans and intersex bodies and lived experience.
Topics covered include:
What is sex?
Privacy, safety, and respect
Boundaries regarding nudity, talking about sex, and touch
Sex assigned at birthsex, gender identity, and gender roles
Names and functions of body parts
Talking about the word “sexy”
Protecting yourself against unwanted sexual touch and abuse
Crushes, love, and sexy feelings
Buy it from your favourite US independent bookseller, Canadian independent bookseller, or online everywhere.
Reviews:
"Sex is a Funny Word is nothing short of revolutionary. Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth’s newest book is brilliant in its approach to giving caregivers and educators the tools they need to talk to kids about their bodies." -- Kristin Russo, Buzzfeed
"Exciting, enlightening, and innovative, this book addresses timeless questions about sex for a new generation of kids who are increasingly aware of the broad spectrum of gender and sexual identities." – School Library Journal, starred review
“Emphasizing the importance of trust, respect, justice, and joy—as well as open communication—it’s a thoughtful and affirming exploration of relationships, gender identity, and growing sexual awareness.” – Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review
“Not your typical book about sex for kids, this fun, honest volume covers the topic in new and exciting ways. Sex Is a Funny Word provides a framework of foundational information about bodies, gender, and touch, and then invites young readers and their adults to talk to each other in order to "fill in the blanks" with beliefs, values, and connections to family history, culture, and community. This book isn't actually about sex: It's about providing a foundation for kids to understand sex as a big, multifaceted life experience.” – Common Sense Media
“An intelligent and inclusive illustrated primer on sexuality. From crushes to gender identity, an honest, openhearted, and stereotype-defying celebration of our bodies.” – Maria Popova, The Marginalian
"Done with great sensitivity, precision and poise ... having access to a book like this could change the life of a lot of kids." – Feministing.com
"Silverberg is posing big questions at a crucial time. . . .[Books like his] represent shifting ideas and the inevitable parent-kid conversations around them."
– Maclean's
“This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated.” – Kirkus
Praise:
“This deliciously illustrated book fills a huge need for interactive sex education that parents can feel comfortable reading with their kids. It will result in some very interesting conversations. I wish the teenagers that I treat had been able read this book with a parent when they were younger!”
“You could send your kid to college and graduate school, and years of therapy, to learn how to lovingly come to terms with their gender and sexuality. Or you could simply read this book with them—it’s that thorough, and that good.”
“Sex Is a Funny Word is a wonderful resource for parents and educators who want to talk with kids about sex and sexuality in a positive, loving, inclusive, and joyful way. For people who care about social justice and want to raise our kids to be healthy, safe, and strong, this is the book we have been waiting for!”
“I read Sex is a Funny Word with my 10 year old daughter who immediately got it! She saw herself, family, and friends in the characters. It’s an amazing resource and makes what could be a difficult conversation, quite easy. I wish I had this book as a child.”
“Inventive, inclusive, and inspiring Sex is a Funny Word is a fantastic new resource for young people to learn about sex and so much more! Brilliant in color and content, the protagonists Zai, Cooper, Mimi, and Omar provide children with the means and the encouragement to explore their feelings, to ask questions, and to be who they are. This is a book that puts diversity and justice at the center of sexuality education - exactly where it should be!”
“Sex Is a Funny Word opens a portal to a world where gender is exactly what we say it is rather than simply the sum of our ‘middle parts.’ Silverberg provides the template for all of us to see the simplicity with which we can step out of today’s binary gender paradigm.”
“It’s hard to descibe exactly how much I love Sex is a Funny Word. It is the book that I wish I had when I was young, and the one that I want all young people to have now. Sex is a Funny Word goes beyond token inclusion, and is fully inclusive and affirming of a range of identities and experiences. That said, this is not a book about inclusion nor is it written specifically for people with diverse identities — at it’s core, Sex is a Funny Word is a book for all young people and gives them a solid start on the pathway to being happy and healthy adults.”