Sexe, ce drôle de mot

by Cory Silverberg, Fiona Smyth (Illustrator), Rachel Arsenault (Translator)

Ce petit cours d'éducation à la sexualité en forme de BD éclaire les enfants de 8 ans + sur les corps, le genre et la sexualité. Bien au-delà des faits ou des réponses contournées par des fables, ce livre ouvre une franche discussion entre l'enfant et le parent ou le tuteur en respectant les valeurs et croyances de chacun. Convient aux enfants de toutes orientations et de tous genres. Conçu pour la co-lecture mais s'accommode d'une lecture en solo.

Reconnu en milieu anglophone, ce guide inclusif réussit à aborder avec bienveillance et humour l'intimité, le consentement, le plaisir, l'anatomie, l'identité de genre, les abus, les béguins et le désir. Les enfants du deuxième et troisième cycle du primaire entendent ces sujets ou vivent ces réalités sans les saisir, ce livre s'adresse à eux. Sur chaque sujet, une mise en situation puis, une explication suivie d'un appel à l'introspection.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Banned Books, Childrens, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Middle Grade

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2015

About the author

Raised in the 1970s by a children's librarian and a sex therapist, Cory Silverberg grew up to be a sex educator, an author, and queer person who smiles a lot when they talk. Cory received a master's degree in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Cory is the co-author of four books, including the ALA Stonewall Honor Book Sex Is a Funny Word, What Makes a Baby, and most recently, You Know, Sex, all with Fiona Smyth. Their life is full of kids. All of them know where babies come from. Some know more.

Reviews

[Leann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids at the library know exactly where this is shelved, and sneak off into aisles to read it all the time. I've talked to them about it multiple times, that it's okay for them to read and that's what it's there for! One finally checked it out this week, so I thought it was about time I read it too.

It's wonderfully inclusive, and I love the level of detail it gives. This book describes body parts and all the ways bodies can be different without getting too deep into the mechanics of sex, so it's a great introduction for younger readers (ages 9 to 12ish, I'd say). The authors continually make a point of how to treat others' bodies with respect and how all ways of having bodies or feelings are okay, but that boundaries are important. Highly recommend for the curious kiddo.

Of course some parents will have issues with the explicit nature and some of the drawings, but, parents will always find problems with things. There are short sections on inappropriate ("secret") touching and masturbation that are done really well. Otherwise it's really not about sex as an act at all.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know this is a banned book?

It is a graphic novel. Gorgeously illustrated with bold colors.

And…

It is a book that attempts to teach kids about their bodies. About words.

It includes children and families of all makeups, orientations and gender identities.

And…

Yes. It is a book that is teaching sex education by providing information about boundaries, and safety.

But…

It is also opening up conversations between young people and their caregivers about their body parts and their feelings, in an honest and matter-of-fact manner.

And…

Respectfully, joyfully, carefully, and safely.

Interest level: ages 8-10 years.

[Sha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank goodness for this book!!! I have been looking for a way to open the conversation with my kid about sex, and this is such a great resource. We are a queer family that includes a transgender person, so most of the resources about sex are not helpful for us because they describe sex in overly simplistic terms both around describing what genders have what body parts, and also equating sex with reproduction.
This book talks about the difference between three ways we use the word sex: 1. A person’s sex to describe what body parts a person has (different than gender); 2. Sex as a way for people to share touch and pleasure; 3. One way grown ups make babies (reproduction). This is so helpful for our family because there is no sex in our story of the way our child came to the world.
(This book is an excellent accompaniment to the intro book called What Makes A Baby? That book just talks about the biology of what it takes to create a human, and has no mention of sexuality, focuses more on biology and diverse ways that families come together.)
One of the things I love about this book is that there is a core theme throughout each section that talks about four key words: Respect, Trust, Joy, and Justice. That sets a tone of preparing kids for understanding consent, cultural difference, pleasure.
It also leaves a lot of room for whoever is reading to discuss key questions in each chapter and talk about what is true for their family, for their community, for their culture. Really well done - setting a tone that balances offering clear definitions but also doesn’t limit the definitions to the ones in this book.
I’m so grateful to the authors of this book! Thank you for creating this queer friendly, anti-racist, gender fluid resource for families to support our kids in understanding how to navigate so many complexities of learning about sex!

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's really no way around this. If you read this to your child, you are a bad person. This is something you pick up and make fun of with your friends and laugh at how dumb everyone is and how are society is crumbling. How many people are going to be depressed and confused their entire lives because their stupid single mother read this to them and it confused the hell out of them? Sorry, is them an acceptable word? It confused the hell out of xe. It confused the hell out of za. I can't even keep up with this lingo anymore

"Progressives" won't stop until everything is destroyed. They eat their own and most are overweight chicks with blue hair so they aren't a threat but to go after children? That's just low man. An 8 year old has no business thinking or discussing what he/she/it/za is attracted to or how they identify sexually. Dude, I was thinking about teenage mutant ninja turtles, goosebumps and mario kart at age 8. It's amazing that you can now go online, admit to abusing your kids, and be apart of this group that praises you for it. More people need to stand up against this insanity. You haven't even gone through puberty at age 8. You don't know what it means to be gay or straight or whatever buzzword is trendy today.

Another thing, either homosexuals are born the way they are or you can choose your sexual identity. You cannot have it both ways! Why are all "progressives" so devoid of logic? I don't get it, this is basic stuff.

I found this comment from a transgender person regarding this book:

"As a transgender person, this shit is f***ing stupid.

Being transgender sucks. It's not something you want to be. Sure, we should make children knowledgeable that hey, this kind of thing exists, but its absurd that some people think we should try and shove it in kids faces."

Another quote I found in regards to this abomination:

"This book asks children to act like adults and question the fundamentals of their body at an early age. If that sounds dangerous or like bad parenting, it’s because this book is not about helping children feel whole — it’s about promoting the ideology of broken adults."

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Where was this book when I was growing up? I'm so glad to give it to my kids and wish I could have even earlier. This is a respectful, clear description of the variety of feelings, relationships and experiences that are normal for anyone. It's inclusive and tolerant but not preachy. I'm very interested to see how my kids respond to it. Treatment of gender was particularly interesting to me since it contrasted so strongly with the birds and bees book my parents gave me.

[Danni Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, well-illustrated, informative book about bodies and genders. I think it is geared toward middle-school-aged kids, but I think it would be entirely suitable for younger and older people. Many different types of bodies, relationships, and families are covered. I really like that it's not just a book about sex; it presents concepts of gender and sexuality in the context of bodies which we use for a wide variety of activities, some of which happen to be sexual and/or gender-related. There are a few things I would have liked to see addressed in more depth -- in particular, intersex bodies, which are alluded to early on but not directly named until much later, and very little info is given that would be useful to an intersex reader. Overall, an excellent book that I highly recommend!

[Rachel Fellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would have had this book when I was younger. It is so thorough, so straightforward, asks the reader to think, and gives plain descriptions with zero judgment or shame. The illustrations of genitalia are cartoony, but extremely thorough enough to show the diversity of what our parts look like and what they can do, again, without shame or judgment. I also like that the book doesn't only focus on the practical, um, nuts and bolts functionality of secondary sex characteristics/puberty and the act of sex, but also focuses on relationships, gender, sexuality, the word "sexy," healthy communication, touching, and inappropriate (or "secret"--we call it "selfish") touching.

The book features four relatable kids who take the reader through all the topics covered in the book with humor and a little bit of sass. The illustrations are cartoony and colorful in a Todd Parr kind of way. And the book is very open towards gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA kids.

I've always been a fan of It's Not the Stork for this particular topic but I love, love, love that this book takes it a much needed step further.

[Dewi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex is a funny word memiliki format berbeda dengan beberapa buku edukasi seksualitas yang pernah saya baca. Alih-alih membeberkan banyak fakta dan jawaban, buku ini menampilkan banyak pertanyaan untuk didiskusikan. Menurut saya Cory Silverberg paham bahwa informasi tentang edukasi seksual mudah didapatkan. Yang ingin dipertajam oleh Silverberg adalah memberikan pencerahan pada orang tua dan anak mengenai nilai-nilai apa yang akan mereka anut. Plusnya lagi buku ini memberikan porsi banyak mengenai relasi. Relasi sebagai teman, relasi dengan diri kemudian relasi dengan pasangan. Bahwa pendidikan seksualitas tak melulu soal fisik, namun juga adanya keterlibatan emosi dan jalinan relasi di dalamnya.
Lima bintang untuk buku ini.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so excited to finally have found an amazing book aimed towards youth that is so inclusionary. There are some things I wish they had included or had been less vague on. All in all it is now my first pick for young kids to understand their body, sexuality, gender and so much more.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read many banned books, but this was very disturbing.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

By the time a kid finishes with this book, they’ll be more confused about what to expect with their bodies than when they started. Weirdly condescending and unnecessarily vague and obfuscating in its attempt to be “inclusive” (ie “some adult bodies produce milk for babies” Huh? Any in particular? We honestly can’t say mothers or women anymore?).

Then there’s promoting 1950’s sex stereotypes - apparently you know you’re a boy if you like the ways boys get treated in society, and the things boys do. Stereotypes. If a girl wants to be treated with respect and likes climbing trees is she still a girl? Not according to this book! What’s with this gender regressiveness in progressive clothing??

Honestly, just talk to your kids, as awkward as it might be. I think this book will only leave them more confused.

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 11-year-old niece and am so glad that I did! This book is geared towards kids a bit younger than her, but she is a very private kid and loves graphic novels so I figured it was a good resource for us to talk about bodies and gender and sex. She said she would rate it a 4.5 (given her tween defiance I call that a complete win).

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciate so much about this lovely book is that it touches on subjects that I find myself handling right now as they come up--for example, gender roles, the presence and validity of the LGBT people in our communities, the fact that relationships can be with men or women or individuals who don't identify as either. What's wonderful about kids growing up at this time is that this information is not shocking or hard to understand. I feel intensely grateful that I live at a time, and in a place, where the concept of gay or lesbian relationships do not strike my child as strange. In fact, what confuses him is that there are still many people who find them not only strange, but troubling, and want to prevent people who love each other from creating legally recognized partnerships.

I'm being far more specific and preachy about this topic than this book does--in fact, it's really a gentle breeze that runs through the book. Other topics broached, and again, with a very light touch, are crushes/relationships, "secret touching" (used to be called good touch/bad touch), masturbation, words associated with sex, and so on. It utilizes four "characters" who represent fairly fluid categories of individuals: for the most part, their sexuality is ambiguous.

I do wish there had been more specificity. There was no discussion of the mechanics of sex, nor was there any discussion of "sex words" beyond the word "sexy." There was some discussion of sexual organs (described in this book as "middle parts," which I thought was nice--any part of the body can be private, the author argues), but nothing clinical. The illustrations served to show that body parts can look markedly different from person to person, from age to age, which actually can come as a surprise in this time of standardized and totally unachieveable standards of beauty. My son and I laughed at several of the illustrated scenes, and we found the use of question marks and exclamation marks to convey a character's sense of befuddlement or shock really endearing. This book doesn't really explain what sex is, but it provides parents a really low-key way to reinforce the ideas of trust, justice, joy, and respect in the context of all kinds of relationships, sexual and otherwise, as well as an easy way to introduce LGBT "acceptance" or "understanding," which is still in short supply.

[Natalie Pietro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bloody hell is this book bad. Yes bad! This book reads like you are learning about the birds and the bees from Mr. Brady, you know the father from the Brady Bunch. However I was not looking forward to hearing long lengthy statements that beat around the bush and never make any sense when he is done talking. I never have been more confused about my body in my life.
I don't really know why I picked this book up but I loved the title and it seems like a funny graphic novel. However after I was done with this book I was not quite sure about myself. Are my touches bad, are my morals wrong, should I be dating girls? So many unanswered questions. God why would someone write this book and with kids in mind. No no no! This book is going back on the library shelf far in the back corner of the kids parenting section and hopefully will never come down again. I would pass this book up if you ever cross it path. You have been warned!

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for Banned Books Week!

I can appreciate an approach to teaching kids about sex in healthy ways. I think it is the right step towards abandoning abstinence as the only option. I think the approach in this book was an honest effort: welcoming of questions and inclusive of all types of people and situations. Most importantly, I liked the effort made towards helping kids come forward about abuse.

However, I can't help thinking that a lot of the subjects talked about are incredibly vague as a result of being so inclusive. Perhaps I'm too far away from that time when I knew nothing about these subjects. But I think this book could have been a great opportunity to discuss these subjects a bit more concretely.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robie Harris and Ed Emberley still rule in sex education books with their series but this one, featuring a diverse cast and notably touching upon transgenderism, is an excellent resource. Appealing, engaging, informative, and non-judgmental.

[Karis Ens · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never thought I'd see a book with illustrationed nudes in it, in the children's section of the library. This book is NOT appropriate for children. I reported it to the librarian that it should not be in the children's section. It's not worth the one star rating.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEX IS A FUNNY WORD
Cory Silverberg

For children, I would imagine 8 to 12 or so. IT asks them some valuable questions and provides an open opportunity for discussion about sex.

Well done

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Leslie D.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex educator Cory Silverberg and artist Fiona Smyth tackle—in a humorous and informative way—the birds and the bees. The colorful multi-racial comic book aimed at children ages 7 to 10 or Grades 2 to 5 depict children and families from all walks of life, orientations, and gender identities. Sex Is a Funny Word provides answers to questions children and adults may have, the author points out, “Everyone has their own idea of what sex is.” While others, “think they don’t know anything about sex.” And so the author provides different scenarios in which the topic may arise and poses questions to open up a discussion with family members or adults a child trusts. After all, “learning about sex is kind of like visiting a carnival or a fair. You can never do it all in one day.”

[Nichole Reilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan. I read a lot of reviews stating people really loved this book with the lesson plans or without. I felt very overwhelmed by all the colors and the fonts. I personally could not concentrate on the material presented because I could not focus. Everything was very cartoonish which I felt took away from reality. I wanted to give my kiddo a more scientific and realistic view on the changes he is going through and what to expect.

[Ninjamechanic · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8-year-old is an inquisitive person and a voracious reader. This provides just enough of a springboard to encourage conversation without getting too tied up in the squishy biology of being human.

The illustrations are vibrant and playful. The text is accessible and consistently supports discussion with trusted adults.

(LGBTQA+ friendly, diverse characters)

[Kari Yergin]

Wow, things have certainly changed since I was a kid! This is an incredibly inclusive book that feels like it gives children a healthy start to being able to talk about sex.

[Ryan Ebling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just phenomenal. I plan on using this to get the conversation about sex, etc started with our kids.

[ReGina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book to Explain a Complicated Topic

I read this book because it’s a banned book. That is one of the biggest crimes of all. As a former elementary school teacher who fielded lots of WILD questions, mostly based on misinformation, about sex, I know that kiddos need a reliable source of quality information. In the age of cable, social media and the Internet, children have far more access to all kinds of messaging without context. This book is extremely respectful in addressing all issues related to sex and some really important ones you might not think of. The section on touching was particularly striking as it addresses being respectful and asking people before you touch them as well as secret touching is not a good thing and what to do if it has happened or is happening. From nipples to masturbation, this book provides solid information with encouragement to follow this up with conversations with adults. I would definitely buy this book for my upper elementary age child, and then follow it up with lots of conversations. And this book is a great foundation from which to start.

[Liz Dzwonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading this with my 8 year old. There isn’t actually anything descriptive about having sex. It is about words and body parts and being comfortable with yourself. The 4 main themes throughout the book and Trust, Respect, Joy, and Justice.

The book is very inclusive and is very well done
With gender fluid characters, and multiple types of families represented.

My daughter likes the comics a lot and the different main characters. There are lots of questions in the book to start conversations, which I appreciate.

[Kjersti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and age appropriate book for 8-10 year olds. Checked a copy out from the library to preview it for my kids. Will buy a copy for them to have around at home. Wish I had this book when I was that age!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be in every home!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with our nine-year-old. Said kiddo appreciated the graphic/comic feel of the text and illustrations, which I found visually overwhelming as the older parent, but it was a good fit developmentally and content-wise. I really liked the open-ended questions for the child at the end of each section to prompt discussion.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

genijalno

[Jazmyn Dolbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GREAT book about sex for kids that includes proper vernacular, a variety of illustrations, incorporates LGBTQIA+ experience, and more. I think it talks about sex in a really healthy and appropriate way. I'll definitely be pulling this out in the future with my kids.