Maybe I should put this in the books forum, but it's parenting related...anyone know of good books about the facts of life (reproduction, etc.) for 5 year olds? I mean books to be read *to* the child, not read *by* the child. I'm getting some questions along those lines from my son, and I find myself strangely at a loss to explain in terms I think would make sense to a child that young, and I can see how a book geared towards that age group would help. I can't make myself give cutesy or inaccurate answers, but launching into a scientific explanation is my next reflex and I don't think that's necessarily appropriate, either. He already knows things like babies grow inside the mommy from an egg and some animals hatch from eggs outside the mommy, but I've found myself diverting the conversation a couple of times when the questions are more pointed, which makes me squirm a bit because I knew these kind of things as far back as I can remember as a child myself, and it seems silly I should find it uncomfortable to explain to my own child, but there it is. I don't want to go the TMI route, but don't want to go in the extreme the other direction, either. I hope this makes sense.
good "facts of life" book for young kids?
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Oh, we have one I really like but it is in dd1's bookcase and she is asleep...<br><br>
It has real photos of plants, animals and people. It explains how things grow from a seed and shows pictures of the growth. When it gets to people, it says something to the effect that the sperm comes from the daddy, the egg comes from the mommy, they grow together inside the mommy in a special place called a womb. Actually it says that about the animals too of course. It is very specific for that amount of information but doesn't go to the next step of HOW the sperm get to the egg... It does use accurate terms and has some information that he may not know so may be enough for him right now. There is lots of repetition - first pages are the plant, then chickens, cats, more animals, ending with people. But the same story - takes a mom and a dad, egg from mom and sperm from dad, grow in the mom, baby born - whether it is an animal or person. I want to say it is a DK or Usborne book... I will look and post again tomorrow.
It has real photos of plants, animals and people. It explains how things grow from a seed and shows pictures of the growth. When it gets to people, it says something to the effect that the sperm comes from the daddy, the egg comes from the mommy, they grow together inside the mommy in a special place called a womb. Actually it says that about the animals too of course. It is very specific for that amount of information but doesn't go to the next step of HOW the sperm get to the egg... It does use accurate terms and has some information that he may not know so may be enough for him right now. There is lots of repetition - first pages are the plant, then chickens, cats, more animals, ending with people. But the same story - takes a mom and a dad, egg from mom and sperm from dad, grow in the mom, baby born - whether it is an animal or person. I want to say it is a DK or Usborne book... I will look and post again tomorrow.
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How Babies Are Made.<br>
Sorry I don't remember the author's name. It has wonderful cut-paper illustrations of how flowers, chickens, dogs, and people reproduce. It is clear about which part goes into where and shows the dogs doing it, but the people are shown in bed under the covers...so not too embarrassing! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">
Sorry I don't remember the author's name. It has wonderful cut-paper illustrations of how flowers, chickens, dogs, and people reproduce. It is clear about which part goes into where and shows the dogs doing it, but the people are shown in bed under the covers...so not too embarrassing! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">
<span style="text-decoration:underline;">How Babies Are Made</span> is very good. It's by Andrew C. Andry and Steven Schepp.<br>
They make the point that this is a continuum throughout Nature, that it takes two parts to make the new.<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline;">It's So Amazing</span> is the book we used in DD's OWL class, Our Whole Lives, for 4-6 year olds. It goes into much more detail, but mostly about how babies grow. It's by the same guys who did <span style="text-decoration:underline;">It's Perfectly Normal</span> for kids hitting puberty, Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley.
They make the point that this is a continuum throughout Nature, that it takes two parts to make the new.<br><br><span style="text-decoration:underline;">It's So Amazing</span> is the book we used in DD's OWL class, Our Whole Lives, for 4-6 year olds. It goes into much more detail, but mostly about how babies grow. It's by the same guys who did <span style="text-decoration:underline;">It's Perfectly Normal</span> for kids hitting puberty, Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley.
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I had <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=motheringhud-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fexec%2Fobidos%2Ftg%2Fdetail%2F-%2F0818402539%2Fqid%3D1103839817%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fref%3Dpd_csp_1%2F102-6839670-6949732%3Fv%3Dglance%26s%3Dbooks%26n%3D507846" target="_blank">Where Did I Come From?</a></i> when I was little. My parents still have it in the bookshelf in the (grand)kid's playroom.
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I really love <span style="text-decoration:underline;">Mommy Laid an Egg</span>, by Babette Cole.
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my favorite is <a href="http://www.alibris.com/search/detail.cfm?BID=8272521530&pwork=7194785&siteID=5Nv03vHgBCI-Zrq2UjMH5kLnf1bCIBI02g" target="_blank">where do babies come from?</a> it is by margaret sheffield. unfortunity it is now out of print. this book does require that your family have a high comfort level with nudity...it has painted illistrations of naked babies, children, and grownups. it is beautifully done, though. the first page shows a mother nursing her child, it goes on to show the differances between the sexes, gently explains sex, shows the baby developing, and what looks to be a homebirth (though it does mention a doctor). it is all illistrated in beautiful watercolor looking paintings. It was my book opn the subject when I was a kid. We have several books on sex and babies in our home but I found a copy of this one at half price books and it is my childrens favorite now too.
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