It's Perfectly Normal

Harris, R. (2009). It’s Perfectly Normal. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

If you’re looking for a book that can explain the gist of IT all, then It’s Perfectly Normal is the right book to read. This informational book provides important updated facts about gender, sexual health, puberty and much more. For a conservative reader, this book might cause hairs to rise up on the back of their neck because of all the detailed illustrations. It might even cause some discomfort. The fact of the matter is that the information in this book is simply the same information any person can access on the Internet nowadays. What makes this book a keeper is that it serves as an easy to read reference guide for readers 10 years old and up. This book provides term and definitions before introducing the topics. The author uses two characters throughout the book that help the reader reflect on their own feelings about each topic. The characters happen to be another way the author chose to address the general topic of the book as she uses a bird and a bee to narrate the questions and answers in a conversational tone, which is sometimes humorous. This book serves adolescence who are experiencing physical development and who have questions that they might prefer not to ask because of embarrassment. The book is a great resource for parents as well to be prepared with answers for their children. I know this book may cause much controversy among adults, but as I like to think of it: I’d rather have it be me who gives this information to my children than have them discover it on their own or by a stranger. So as parents we must embrace these type of informational books and know that when used intelligently, they will serve us well to educate our loved ones.