WHERE BABIES COME FROM; Stories to Help Parents Answer Preschoolers' Questions About Sex

Silverman, M.D., Martin and Harriet Ziefert

ISBN 10: 0394827163 / ISBN 13: 9780394827162

Published by Random House, New York, 1989

About this Item

un-numbered pages. Illustrated by Claire Schumacher. Stories to Help Parents Answer Preschoolers' Questions About Sex. Hardcover. Light shelfwear. Very Good.

Seller Inventory # 113938

Bibliographic Details

• Title: WHERE BABIES COME FROM; Stories to Help Parents Answer Preschoolers' Questions About Sex
• Publisher: Random House, New York
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0394827163
• ISBN 13: 9780394827162
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Claire Schumacher

About this title

Synopsis

Animal stories illustrate the steps in reproduction from intercourse to the birth of a child. A separate section gives sample answers parents may give to their childrens's questions.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1-- In an attempt to explain sex "indirectly" to preschoolers, the authors have created a book in which readers can hardly see the forest for the trees. Four stories starring Little Elephant explain various facets of the reproductive process. The first focuses somewhat vaguely on the differences between mammals and egg layers--Little Elephant discovers a large egg that is the subject of much speculation. Although the story ends with an ostrich hatching from a similar egg, the fate of Little Elephant's find is never revealed. The second story is somewhat disturbing; the elephant and his friend Kikki, a monkey, find two giraffes mating. When Little Elephant asks his mother what they were doing, she explains that they were "doing something special that made them both feel good." Upon finding out that all mammals--including elephants--make babies this way, he becomes angry, runs away, and then returns to strike out at his mother. Apparently he resolves his confusion, as the story ends with the family snuggling together. The differences between boys and girls are discussed in part three. "It's time for you and your father to talk," says Mother Elephant, presumably at a loss herself. In the final story, Mother Elephant reveals that she is pregnant. First, Little Elephant is angry and wants the baby to go away, but all ends well. Mediocre watercolor illustrations featuring smiling animals accompany the text. While the topics addressed are handled accurately, these stories are far too long and wordy for preschoolers, with too many concepts introduced in each story. The tone is condescending, and the dialogue is as elephantine as the characters. Skip this one in favor of Joanna Cole's How You Were Born (Morrow, 1984), a much more straightforward treatment. --Lucy Young Clem, Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library, IN
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.