What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys - Revised Edition

Very clear and concise book that pre-teens can learn from. It is written in a way that is scientific, but not overly stuffy and in a language that can be easly understood by a pre-teen/teen. This is a sexual education book, so yes it does talk about reproductive organs of both boys and girls. It does discuss sex. It does have illustrations. It also includes slang for reproductive organs. As an open-minded adult who encourages her child to ask questions, I really liked this book. I read it first. I gave it to my kid and told him that he can read it whenever he wants to and we don't have to talk about it unless he wants to talk about something or has questions regarding anything he has read in the book.

I bought this book after my friend...then our pediatrician suggested it for my 11 year old son. I read it through first and learned quite a bit myself! Then I casually gave it to my son (who doesn't like to read in the first place) who put it up on the shelf and didn'touch the book for a few months, until one day. He's reading bit by bit, and seems to be thankful for knowing he's not the only one. He hasn't come to me with questions....yet!

The subject of human development for some reason is difficult. We can have great relationships with our children but even the best of those don't always meet the needs of theirs. Some times reading a book at ones own pace and having the privacy the book allows is what's needed. I bought my son two books, this being on of them and was very help full making the subject more discussable.

Fantastic! I spent about 10-15 minutes a night reading this out loud to my nine and twelve year old boys. I am very open about the body but this has been an incredibly informative book. Dealing straight with topics of the boys body, the down and dirty basics of the female body, puberty (hormones and emotions), achne, sex, you name it. As I am reading aloud I am often surprised at what I am reading so bluntly to my boys. But that is the point and the beauty of this book. It takes you where you may not be sure how to go on your own. It has opened up the opportunity for questions and great conversations. Sometimes my answer is "well let's read what it says about that question".....whew! Saved by the book which gives an in emotional answer. We did the skip the in detail shaving portion at this point, but when the time comes it will be handy to have this book to reference. I am happy to be giving my boys the facts they can take with them so when they hear the stories and misinformed people speak they will comfortably know the truth. Nice.

Bought it for my son to answer questions he might be hesitant to ask of me. I skimmed it before handing it over, and it looked age-appropriate. My son read it twice, and said it cleared up a few mysterious concepts.

Even if you already have good communication with your son, this helps for those things he just doesn't want to discuss with his parents. I looked through it first and found nothing objectionable. The truth is, in this age of the internet they are going to hear about all this stuff sooner than you think, so why not have it be the truth and not misinterpretations from their peers. The book has been reassuring to my son that he is normal, and that is priceless.

After reading the reviews for this book (both the good and the "not so good"), i decided to buy it for my 12 years old son, with the understanding that it is best for me to participate in the reading process, not to drop the book in the kid's lap and leave.
I am vety pleased with the results. By following the book together, we had the opportunity to discuss the contents, answer questions about the different topics, and understand how far off my son or daughter was in terms of his previous understanding f the topic. Yes, it has some graphic content, and some topics might be controversial, but as long as the adult drives the discussion and the book review, everything will be fine. The fact that the book is detailed actually helps, as there were actually a couple of topics I would have not had the chance to explain fluently without using the book as a guide.
I highly recommend using this book as a guide to have a good discussion with your kids.

This is an easy-to-read, comprehensive book that I intend to give to my 11 year-old boy after I finish reading it. I recommend the parent read it before giving it to the son, because the book covers a lot and in a fair degree of detail. As a mother, I have learned things about male puberty and sexuality that I never knew before, and it is good to know what the book says so you can be prepared to discuss it with your son. I am happy with this book and would recommend it to others.

This is an easy-to-read, comprehensive book that I intend to give to my 11 year-old boy after I finish reading it. I recommend the parent read it before giving it to the son, because the book covers a lot and in a fair degree of detail. As a mother, I have learned things about male puberty and sexuality that I never knew before, and it is good to know what the book says so you can be prepared to discuss it with your son. I am happy with this book and would recommend it to others.

I decided that my son who was already beginning puberty and body changes need some material that he could keep to refer to in private. I said in another review that nothing takes the place of open communication with your child but sometimes it is good for them to read and have some privacy about this subject. I chose this book because it was accurate facts about body changes without stepping into morality views that I did not agree with.

This book, and its counterpart (The What's Happening to My Body Book for Girls) are absolute necessities for any parent, with children from age eight to probably age thirteen or fourteen. No matter how open, honest and sex positive we are with our children, talking about all of these topics can be awkward, tense, and difficult to navigate for parents, and embarrassing, or boring, for kids. This book helps with all of those issues. It addresses the snicker-worthy slang terms in the first chapter, and gets your child accustomed to hearing all of the anatomical terms for the reproductive organs and their component parts. This eases the tension, and helps to keep the focus where it belongs - on preparing your child for the changes puberty will likely cause in their bodies, as well as all the social, physical, and emotional aspects of sexuality. Counting the girls' version of the book, this is the fourth copy I've purchased. I buy one for anyone I know who has a child coming towards the end of his or her elementary school years, and into pubescence.

I recommend a read through on your own, first. Depending on your child's age, there are some chapters you may wish to hold in reserve for a later stage of development. I also recommend reading it together. It should be a conversation STARTER, not a replacement. With my eldest, we read a chapter together every night, and I always allotted plenty of time for questions and answers before, during, and after the reading.

This book helped me to raise one sex positive, well adjusted, (now) older teenager, capable of setting their own boundaries, and of respecting those of other people, without having internalized the stigma so much of Western culture places on sex and sexuality.

Bought this for my 10 (almost 11yr old) because he was starting to ask questions. The book is great for touching upon a variety of stuff. Both anatomy's, how they mature and work, sexual orientation and of course how babies are made. There are drawings but he really enjoyed the comics throughout the book. This book opened doors for my son so he could ask questions. I would recommend for teens and pre teens

Most comprehensive book on boys puberty and sexual development that I've seen thus far (and I've reviewed quite a bit). In addition to the standard growth and development topics generally covered, it also goes over girls puberty, sexual development, erections, masturbation, homosexuality, pregnancy, STDs, you name it. Pretty much everything a pre-teen or young teenage boy might want to know, but wouldn't want to ask his parents about. It's easy to read, and uses frank language, and provides the common slang terms for body parts in addition to the clinical terminology. It also contains detailed and realistic illustrations of the various body parts in different stages of development. This book covers pretty much everything, and is more appropriate for boys 11 years old and older. There are other books out there that would be more appropriate for younger boys. It was definitely written with the liberal/progressive parent in mind, and the subject matter may be too mature for certain parents tastes. Some conservative or religious parents may be put off by the frank and open nature of the book, and may not agree with its stance towards subjects like masturbation or homosexuality. If you have a more "sheltered" parental style, then this book would not appeal to you.

One of the things that helps separate this book from others printed in the United States is the instruction it provides on circumcision and the foreskin. Since it is becoming more common in recent years to leave boys intact, the authors of this book recognized the need to keep up with the times and provide information about the male anatomy that was generally lacking in similar boys puberty books. In the chapter title “An Owner’s Guide to the Sex Organs: What’s Normal? What’s Not?” there was an entire section on uncircumcised penises that explained the difference, why a boy might or might not have a foreskin, and care instructions. Many of the diagrams explaining changes in the body also had uncircumcised equivalents. This more inclusive focus is something I’ve never seen before in these sorts of books. Not only does the book normalize male anatomy in its natural state, it also educates on its purpose. Such a relief to find a source that teaches a boy about his foreskin, and the reason why he has smegma. These are natural, FUNCTIONAL parts of being human! The stages of separation of the foreskin from the glans is depicted, and a fused foreskin normalized - Phimosis before the completion of puberty is not mentioned in this book, rather, it is explained that it is NORMAL for the foreskin and glans to be fused in some boys until the end of puberty. Its just one of those things! The authors have also explained circumcision and the differences in penile functionality displayed in the circumcised penis, but have not promoted it in any way - just explained that it happens, and if you happen to be one of those boys, this is what you should expect. The current controversy surrounding circumcision and STI rates is touched on, but no negative stigma is placed on the child for having been circumcised. The process is explained briefly. A very well-written book, with clear preference for the natural state of the body, because lets face it, it was made this way for a reason.

I was looking for an educational book for my 11yr old. This book was inappropriate. Exposing way too many slang " dirty words" ones I'd never even heard of which in my opinion is totally unnecessary when trying to explain things that are happening to you your body. Very distracting.