I discovered this controversial book at a friends house only a few short years ago. We flipped through it and laughed at the images, but I did not sit down and actually read it till now. "Where did i come from" is a book that parents can use if they want to teach their child about how babies are made. This is a very sensitive subject to talk about with young kids. There are parents who avoid the subject and wait until they learn about it in health class, while some like to be honest and upfront with their kids.
For parents who want to be upfront and honest with their children at a young age, then this book is fun for them. It expresses the act of a mother and father making a baby in terms that children can understand. I would say this book should be used for third graders and up, third being the absolute youngest. The book starts out by explaining the different body parts in a boy and a girl. It then goes into the act of "making love". This part I feel is a little to graphic, but that is why this book could be considered controversial. It does not leave out ANY detail. After the book explains "making love" it goes into the stages of pregnancy until the baby is born. I found this to be very informative and a good way to explain the stages of pregnancy.
The illustrations, all in cartoon form, show the differences between the male and female form. They are graphic, but are still suitable for children. Though I can see why parents would use this book to explain the miracle of life to their children, I personally do not think that I would use it until my children were in middle school even. There were many things about this book that I liked and found informative, but it is also a bit much for young children and might cause them to ask more questions. It is something that is entirely up to the parent. I would feel somewhat uncomfortable reading this with young children and am sure many parents would.
When you brought this book into class yesterday, I was shocked that a book like this is out there for young children. With cartoon pictures, the books is supposedly "kid friendly." However, when I opened the book, the pictures were very detailed, graphic, and yet accurate. Therefore, I feel that I would not include this book in my elementary classroom library. This story may be too overwhelming for students, especially in a school setting and could create angry parents. The sensitive topic of reproduction can be left up to the parents to handle outside of school, at least when children are young. In my terms, that would be 5th grade and younger. For parents who are very open with their children, I agree that this book serves as a good resource. For the people like me out there though, which I believe is the majority, I would introduce reproduction slowly and work up to this book to get full understanding.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this book might cause some students (and parents!) to ask many questions about this book. But I think that there is a time and a place for this in the classroom. I would not use this as a read aloud or anything like that, but I would bring it into our classroom library when the sex education course in upper elementary grades begins. I think this book is rather informative and a good way for children to learn about these topics like you said. I just think that it has a time and a place in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this book is probably most suited for parents who want to use it to discuss sexuality issues with their young children, rather than in the classroom setting. As I shared in class, I think it is important for parents to set the tone with their kids early, so that their children feel comfortable talking with them about these typically "uncomfortable" topics. Similarly, as teachers, we need to send the message that we can be comfortable talking about uncomfortable topics. This doesn't necessarily mean using books like this in the classroom, but it does mean being prepared to talk with students if the need arises.
ReplyDeleteI definitely would hesitate to use this book in the classroom setting, although I agree with Lisa, and it may serve a purpose when implementing a sex education curriculum.