(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan. This Little Golden Book explains what pride celebrations are and where the rainbow flag came from; subsequent pages give the meaning of each color on the flag. (“Red is for life...all LGBTQIA people deserve to have full, happy lives”). The text is direct and age-appropriate; the color-saturated pages feature plenty of rainbows as well as a diverse community of happy people. A concluding note defines each of the terms in the "LGBTQIA initialism."

Reviewer: Rachel L. Kerns

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Clare Owen. In this logical follow-up to Making a Baby (rev. 9/21), Greener and Owen turn their attention to puberty and the changes that happen to “many people born with a vulva” and “many people born with a penis” (there is also mention of intersex people). As in the first book, both text and art carefully avoid gender stereotypes and assumptions. Topics covered include menstruation, erections, boundaries, friendships, and online behavior. Owen's cleanly rendered art includes people of different races, genders, shapes, and abilities. More about gender identity and online safety is appended, as is a glossary.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kate Gardiner. Taking its title from Eleanor Roosevelt's 1958 remarks delivered at the United Nations about the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights she had helped champion ("Where, after all, do universal rights begin? In small places, close to home"), this book informs young children of their own rights and responsibilities as humans. Hopkinson's text (also inspired by that Declaration) uses active first-person language: "I am free to choose what I think and believe. And it's up to me to listen and respect how others think and believe too." Each assertion is direct and powerful, with sections starting with "Me" and then expanding to "My School and Community" and on to "My Country and World." Gardiner's gouache and pencil illustrations, assembled digitally, have a soft color palette with pops of yellow and tomato red and demonstrate human rights playing out across a variety of communities. Front and back matter pay tribute to Roosevelt's work, including resources for learning more about her and the United Nations. This elegantly and accessibly presented book empowers the youngest humans and their accompanying grownups to recognize their rights and safeguard them by extending them equally to others.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(3) K-3 Open-ended questions encourage readers to consider our assumptions about gender. "Who made these rules? Do we need to follow them? What happens if we don't want to?" An opening double-page spread of labeled images--e.g., "blue things," "pink things," "ballet," "building blocks"--gets the conversation started, asking "Are some for girls? Are some for boys? Are some for everyone?" Gravel's friendly cartoon drawings welcome all readers to a thoughtful discussion of gendered language, identity, laws, and unspoken rules that try to proscribe what men and women can and can't do. A handful of gender pioneers are introduced, including the first male U.S. Army nurse; a Zuni Mexican two-spirit person; and girls' rights advocate, Malala Yousafzai. A list of related websites is included on the copyright pages; "Fun facts about gender and clothing" concludes the book.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) YA Beginning with basics (e.g. how sex, gender, and sexuality differ), this guide to "inhabiting a body in a gendered world" covers an astonishingly broad yet interrelated array of topics in double-page-spread sections. Discussion includes intersectional feminism, the "pink tax," women in STEM, trans issues, violence against black males, abortion, sex work, advertising, alternate genders in Indigenous cultures, and snail sex and sea turtle gender. "Spotlight" pages highlight gender nonconforming role models like Laverne Cox and Prince. Gottlieb's simply drawn and colorful illustrations lighten each page with a striking image and plentiful white space, and a concluding section reveals her unfolding understanding of her own gender. Back matter includes a bibliography, websites and hotlines, and an index. This is the paperback edition of a book previously published in hardcover.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Illustrated by Timothy Corbett. Bondy's comprehensive overview aims to define terms relating to sexual assault and abuse and to counter pervasive misconceptions about these issues. The book offers practical strategies for survivors as well as thoughtful support for becoming an effective ally. Numerous boxed case studies (both real and fictional situations) help humanize the concepts but make sustained reading difficult. Corbett's illustrations feature artists' manikins as human stand-ins, which elides issues of gender identity but leaves the artwork impersonal. A list of related websites and resources is appended.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Clare Owen. "When they are born, most babies are either called boys or girls based on what their bodies look like." This baby-making primer takes a decidedly inclusive approach to the topic, steering clear of rigidly gendered language and featuring a wide range of family members and configurations. Using a muted color palette, Owen's cleanly rendered art has a retro aesthetic and includes people of different races, genders, shapes, and abilities--happy-looking families all. After dispelling some popular dodges (stork, cabbage patch), the forthright text launches into the old-fashioned method: "A grown-up with a penis and a grown-up with a vagina can make a baby by having sex, if they want to." The illustration keeps the covers on an interracial couple in bed, but a helpful cross-sectional inset image shows what it looks like when "the penis [is] inside the vagina." Greener explains that "there are lots of reasons why" sexual intercourse isn't the only way people have babies and includes descriptions of assisted reproductive techniques, surrogacy, and adoption before moving on to discuss pregnancy, fetal development, labor, and delivery. A final spread discusses gender and biological sex, why "some babies [don't] grow," and premature births. An authentic and honest celebration of babies, families, and diversity.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) YA Illustrated by Fuchsia MacAree. UK-based sex and relationships educator Hancock offers an accessible, positive, down-to-earth introduction to agency and consent, not only as they apply to physical and sexual situations but also as tools to strengthen all kinds of relationships. Bold design built around MacAree's colorful artwork helps underscore humorous moments and emphasize key points. This is a non-threatening way to make abstract concepts not only understandable but also engaging to consider and discuss. A glossary and list of resources concludes the book.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Emberley. This fifth edition of the classic sex-ed compendium for tweens and young teens updates the 2014 edition, most notably revising the text throughout to use more gender-inclusive language and less binary thinking. Harris lays the groundwork in the first chapter, e.g., providing definitions for sex and gender and acknowledging that for some people the labels assigned at birth "do not describe who they are." Many pages have been redesigned to accommodate added text and reconfigured chapters. The addition of new illustrations better reflects diversity in all its forms. A welcome--and welcoming--edition.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1995

(3) YA Sex and relationships guru Dr. Drew is joined by his millennial daughter to provide a humorous, intergenerational guide to sex, relationships, and consent. Father and daughter offer their own takes on their shared advocacy of trust, compassion, and boundaries (TCB), which they use as their guiding principle to approach sexuality, gender identity, healthy sexual relationships, and more. Anecdotes and examples are uniformly positive and inclusive of a range of identities, and the narrative offers one model for how parents and kids can discuss tough topics together. An extensive list of books and websites is appended.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Noah Grigni. Written by the parent of a transgender child and illustrated by a nonbinary artist, this book has an unapologetic agenda and will be most welcomed by grownups looking for a primer on beyond-the-binary gender identities. Grigni's fanciful mixed-media illustrations celebrate the various identities introduced in the clear if purposeful text. Notes on pronouns and from the creators are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) YA Illustrated by Maria Llovet. YouTube vlogger "Chusita Fashion Fever" writes candidly, approachably, and specifically (she emphasizes "calling things by their name") in this teens' guide to sexuality. Sections cover discovering one's own body, sexual identity, dating, masturbation, and sexual intercourse. A flashy book design includes (semi-blinding) neon-orange backgrounds and accents as well as comics-style panel illustrations. An unabashedly sex-positive resource for teenagers "ready for it." Glos.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elise Peterson. A gorgeous docu-collage of colorized black-and-white photographs shapes a radical vision of racially and economically diverse motherhood. The text riffs on how "mamas use their bodies to care for their babies in so many ways" as images show working women throughout the twentieth century: stay-at-home moms, feminist activists, business executives, house cleaners, and even erotic dancers. The message is powerful but may be more for mamas than babies.

Reviewer: Robyn Bahr

(3) YA Sex educator Green expands on her popular YouTube videos with this hefty guide to modern sexuality and relationships. With a slangy but knowledgeable tone, Green expounds on the expected subjects (anatomy, birth control) as well as relevant issues such as gender identity, communication, and consent. Her deft, gentle treatment of delicate topics and commitment to sex-positivity makes this informational book stand out among similar titles for older teens. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) YA This thoughtful, well-rounded account examines the history of marriage, from the earliest examples to modern-day trends. Keyser considers all angles, describing the business and political arrangements that inspired many early marriages and the powerlessness of the women involved. Other topics covered include interracial, interreligious, and same-sex marriage; engagement and wedding traditions; forced marriages; and the prevalence of divorce. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maja Kastelic. "Lots of children have a parent behind bars." Birtha introduces a multicultural cast of children, each with at least one incarcerated parent (the crimes aren't specified) and a unique challenge (e.g., social ostracism, foster care); the book also addresses their coping strategies. Kastelic complements the text's gentle frankness with subdued but emotion-filled art. Adult-directed supplemental information concludes the book. Reading list.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Ordinary Terrible Things series. A child who sees references to sex everywhere comes to Grandma for the skinny. Grandma has all the right answers ("Curiosity about sex is your birthright"; one's sexuality "belongs to no one else but you") as well as a sense of humor. As always with this series (including Death Is Stupid), the rough-hewn collage art makes clear that the book approaches the topic unsentimentally.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(1) K-3 "This is me," announces the opening spread, while seven children, ages seven to eleven, smile out at the viewer and introduce themselves with their names and nicknames. Successive spreads show panels of each child's home, family, classroom, etc.; the countries represented are India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Peru, Russia, and Uganda. The neatly schematized organization plays nicely with the cozy digital illustrations. Glos.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) PS Photographs by Shelley Rotner. The title says it all: friends come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and species. Paired with a direct and friendly text, Rotner's intimate color photographs show a diverse array of children at play and at school; using sign language and wheelchairs; hugging each other and pets; laughing together but also experiencing moments of anger and sadness. The last page invites contemplation: "What kind of friends do you have?"

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) YA Adapted by Laurie Calkhoven. The adaptation of Solomon's adult bestseller examines the intricacies of family dynamics: how do the Columbine killers' parents cope with their children's crimes? How does a severely autistic child's behavior affect the family? With astounding empathy for both parent and child, Solomon probes the myriad ways "vertical identities" (those shared with parents) and "horizontal identities" (unique traits) intersect and diverge to make us human. Ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum