To Tide You Over. A Bibliography.
Sexuality and Consent Education during Covid-Times.
Preface:
I don’t believe that is appropriate or safe, comprehensive, or as confidential as is my standard to provide online Our Whole Lives or Awesomely Awkward sexuality education classes. My classes have been cancelled, and unlike math and social studies, not moved online. (More later about why) But that doesn’t mean there isn’t support! There is support!
I am providing coaching for parents who find themselves leaning heavily into the “primary” part of our common phrase “Parents are a child’s primary sexuality educator.” Feel free to reach out. (email me at justiceandpeaceconsulting AT gmail DOT com)
In addition to private coaching, I would like to offer this book list. It contains books that are useful for, or about, bodies, babies, communication, sexuality, gender, puberty, consent, and more for people of various ages. Parents will find it useful to read some of these books themselves (for instance, It’s Perfectly Normal and Sex is a Funny Word) because they will provide parents with age and developmentally appropriate language for material parents know about but may not know how to say. As everything, this is a list in progress, more books and videos will be added, and brief annotations are forthcoming.
Support your local economy : I have not monetized this site and make no money from these recommendations, and so provide no links. Your favorite search engine will work for you. I do ask though that you support your local economy and BIPOC owned bookstores.
A note about language. Many books use boy/male and girl/female as synonyms. I recommend that you use boy/girl when referencing the innate sense of what gender one is, and male/female when referencing body functions and changes.) Also note, different people need different things. These are very loosely categorized in terms of developmental level.
For preschoolers and young elementary
The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson
My Body! What I Say Goes! by Jayneen Sanders
The Family Book by Todd Parr
What Makes A Baby by Cory Silverberg
What’s the Big Secret? by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
It’s Not the Stork! by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
https://www.flamingorampant.com/ all the books from these folk
Elementary
It’s so Amazing! By Robie H Harris and Michael Emberley
Who Has What?: All About Girls’ Bodies and Boy’s Bodies. Robie H. Harris
Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg
What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Boys by Lynda Madaras
What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Girls by Lynda Madaras
It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris,
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls by Valorie Schaefer,
What’s Going on Down There?: A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up by Karen Gravelle
Teens
Sex, Puberty, and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up by Jacqui Bailey
Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up, Heather Corinna, and Isabella Rotman,
How to Understand Your Gender. A practical guide for exploring who you are. Alex Iantaffi and Meg-John Barker
High School and Young Adult
Sex: A Book for Teens An uncensored guide to your body, sex, and safety by Nikol Hasler
S.E.X, second edition: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties by Heather Corinna
Consent: The New Rules of Sex Education: Every Teen’s Guide to Healthy Sexual Relationships, Jennifer Lang, MD
Queer. a graphic history, Meg-John Barker and Julia Scheele
For parents
Sex Ed Is In Session, Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski
Also available as an e-book. https://www.drmaryjopodgurski.com/sexedisinsession
For goodness sex. Changing the way we talk to teens about sexuality, values, and health, Al Vernacchio
Trans Kids and Teens, pride, joy, and families in transition. Elijah C. Nealy
Everything You ever wanted to know about Trans* (but were afraid to ask) Brynn Tannehill
Good Christian Sex. Why Chastity isn’t the only option – and other things the Bible says about sex. Bromleigh McCleneghan
For Adults of all ages
Paul Joannides, Guide to Getting it On, 8th ed.
Sexuality and Long-Term Care, by Gayle Appel Doll
For Older Adults who really wanted to start Our Whole Lives but can’t because pandemic… a list of books for a book discussion group
Joan Price, Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex, Seal Press 2011.
Moon, Susan, This is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity.
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, Tara Brach
Pema Chödrön. The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Lovingkindness, 2001.