"Where Did I Come From?" by Peter Mayle Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of "Where Did I Come From?"
Book Review: Comic Gold!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this book at a rummage sale a few years back, and let me tell you, there is not better book to read to friends at parties.It's simply halarious.
They have fun examples and silly explanations.
I love this book.
Book Review: Covers the embarressing areas
Summary: 5 Stars
This book does a great job at explaining why grownups like to have sex. It describes the feelings, without getting lewd.Book Review: Curiosity got my....kids!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
Ok, Kid's Perspective:
This is my mom's sign on name, but I have an opinion about this book.
I'm sixteen right now, and I'm astounded that the book is STILL selling well! My dad had read the book, for pete's sake! I remember when this was presented to me about 10 years ago, and it had REALLY graphic stuff, too graphic for young kids to read, and I wasn't sure what to think of it all. The one thing that has stuck in my head over 10 years is the side by side comparison of a naked man and a naked woman. Not only did I find this a bit confusing, the idea of sex never really dug deep into my skull till I was much older. The pictures themselve have stuck with me (to my horror) and unfortuanetly, I have to admit, that I wanted to see these pictures again...I was extremely baffled and very curious. The entire book, itself, is not meant for young kids because it gives the wrong connotation about sex, making kids more curious than needed. This is meant rather for perveted teenagers *OR MUCH OLDER AUDIENCES* to giggle over. My parents' read this to my sister and I with the best of interests, and I'm very thankful my mom could explain more about this subject better than the book.
Book Review: Definitely not what I wanted, especially for a girl
Summary: 2 Stars
I gave this book two stars instead of one because it won't hurt the child if he/she reads it. But it's definitely not what I had in mind for the first conversation with my 8-year-old daughter about how babies are made, and I'm glad I looked at it at the store before committing.
Problem number 1 is that there is too much emphasis on the description of the sexual intercourse and feelings during it. For this age, I would prefer something focused on reproduction and anatomy. The whole book is just a dozen pages, and this part takes up three or four of them! The description is cheesy, silly and just doesn't do the deed any justice ('wiggling' and 'tickling' are the typical words).
Problem number 2 is, as mentioned by other reviewers, that it's very male-centric. There is nothing about where the egg comes from, nor a picture of it. When the anatomical differences are discussed, it simply says boys have a penis and girls don't, end of discussion, and not what girls do have.
Problem number 3 is that the font is too large with small spacing, so I found it hard to read. And I didn't fancy the pictures much.
I also find it kind of distasteful that there is a whole page in the beginning talking about what an embarrassing subject this is and how difficult it is to talk about it. Maybe if sex education books didn't start with warnings like that and dealt with the matter in an age-appropriate manner, it would be much easier.
Book Review: Don't get squeamish, this is what kids need to know
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm surprised to see that some people are concerned about the so-called explicitness of the pictures, the description about what sex entails, and about what an orgasm feels like. Maybe that might seem gratuitous to an adult reading it for the first time, but I can tell you that as a little kid, all the information I got from this book was welcome and did not harm me in any way whatsoever. My parents got me this book at least by the time I was in kindergarten or first grade.
From this book, my 6 year old self learned that sex was enjoyable, it came from love, it was not dirty, and it (basically) ended in a baby. I especially count myself lucky on learning that sex was enjoyable because I think too many girls are shamed away from their sexual feelings.
I am now 24 and just fine. I didn't have sex early in life, I am mostly comfortable with my sexuality, and I am conscious of my sexual health.
I don't agree that this book should be introduced at upper elementary level. You might notice reading the book that the tone is silly and seems geared more toward younger kids. This is because it's a little kids' book. I imagine if it had been introduced to me at 6th grade, I would have sneered at the pictures and then died of embarrassment.
If you'd like to wait until after your kids have gathered bits and pieces of semi-reliable information from their peers during most of elementary school before officially introducing sex to them, at least give them a book suitable for their age level. I remember "It's Perfectly Normal" was a good book during my preteen/teen years.