Let’s Read About Sex: Books to Help with 'The Talk'

I have a deal with my husband: He digs into the sex talk(s) with our sons, and I’ll do everything else. Okay, so it isn’t so much a deal as a vain wish. I wish, in fact, that I didn’t have to have these talks at all. But I know that I do, and in fact, I value what’s been, so far, a nicely open relationship with my sons. They’ve asked questions, and I’ve answered them all, calmly and (I hope) clearly, and I want that to continue. They already know how babies grow inside women, and how they get out (a bit of info that elicited a sharp, “I’m so glad I’m not a girl!”), but so far no one’s asked, specifically, how babies get in there to begin with. I think I may need a little help. Which is — as usual — where books come in.

We gathered up sex-talk book recommendations appropriate whether you’ve got a kindergartner or a teen about to head off to college.

For Younger Kids:

The Baby Tree

by Sophie Blackall

Buy from:

Some tots, when their moms are pregnant again, ask hardly a single question. Others? Well, they need this book, which offers an engagingly illustrated, age-appropriate answer to the perpetual question: Where do babies come from?

Buy from:

It’s Not the Stork!

by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley

Buy from:

You might have to start by explaining what the stork story even is, but once you dispatch that tired myth, Harris’s book gives parents of the kindergarten to third grade-ish set clear info on body parts, physical love, and the difference between “OK touching” and “not OK touching.”

Buy from:

For Tweens:

Sex is a Funny Word

by Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth

Buy from:

The title gets it right: If you’re an 8- to 10-year-old, it is funny. If you believe a comic-book take on the sex talk isn’t serious enough, think of it from your tween’s perspective. This answers the essential questions without resorting to health-class slide-show stuff you might remember, and covers issues of boundaries and safety.

Buy from:

It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health

by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley

Buy from:

It’s Perfectly Normal — just the title is comforting, right? Because at the root of nearly every question your pre-teen has about sex and his or her changing body (changes that often feel like a betrayal) is the “normal” query. This book, universally praised by parents in the know, strikes that reassuring and knowledgeable tone you wish you just naturally had.

Buy from:

American Medical Association Boy’s (or Girl’s) Guide to Becoming a Teen

by American Medical Association and Kate Gruenwald Pfeifer

Buy from:

That AMA imprimatur gives parents reason to trust this easy-to-read book, perfect if you have a child who’d rather grab the book and run off to his or her room to read solo.

Buy from:

For Teens:

Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex, and Safety

by Nikol Hasler

Buy from:

Uncensored is right: This book is best for parents of teens who are already sexually active and need some straight-talk information about … well, you name it.

Buy from:

S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College

by Heather Corinna

Buy from:

Ironic, isn’t it? The “is this normal?” question never really goes away. Corinna helps questioning (and sexually active) older teens wrestle with questions of homo- and bisexuality, navigating sexual relationships, and much (much) more.

Buy from: