Sex Ed Books for (almost) All Ages
Ages 4 – 7 (or so)
Tell Me about Sex, Grandma (Ordinary Terrible Things)
by Anastasia Higginbotham
The dialogue focuses on the dynamics of sex, rather than the mechanics, as Grandma reminds readers that sex is not marriage or reproduction, and doesn't look the same for everyone. Instead, each person's sexuality is their very own to discover, explore, and share if they choose.
Red: A Crayon's Story
by Michael Hall
Red, a blue crayon with a red label is the main character of the story who suffers an identity crisis. All the other crayons expect Red to conform to their expectations by drawing red objects like firetrucks, strawberries, and even a self-portrait, but Red's drawings always turn out blue.
Julián Is a Mermaid
by Jessica Love
Parents need to know that Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love is a story about a boy who wants to be a mermaid that will resonate with all kids who have secret dreams. Julián shares his dream and identity with his abuela, but when he first tries dressing as a mermaid, he does it when he's alone.
What Makes a Baby
by Cory Silverberg
It is a twenty-first century children's picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of kids, adults, and families, regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender and other identity, or family composition.
It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends
by Robie H. Harris
It's Not the Stork! helps answer the endless and perfectly normal questions that preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary school children ask about how they began. Through lively, comfortable language and sensitive, engaging artwork, addressing readers in a reassuring way, mindful of a child's healthy desire for straightforward information.
What's the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys
by Laurie Krasny Brown
Simple, straightforward, and age-appropriate answers to kids' most common questions about sex, the human body, reproduction, and development.
A Family Is a Family Is a Family
by Sara O'Leary
One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One has many stepsiblings, and another has a new baby in the family.
As her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them ― family of every shape, size and every kind of relation ― the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, it is special.
Who's In My Family?: All About Our Families
by Robie H. Harris
Join Nellie and Gus and their family — plus all manner of other families — for a day at the zoo, where they see animal families galore! To top off their day, Nellie and Gus invite friends and relatives for a fun dinner at home. Accessible, humorous, and full of charming illustrations depicting families of many configurations, this engaging story interweaves conversations between the siblings and a matter-of-fact text, making it clear to every child that whoever makes up your family, it is perfectly normal — and totally wonderful.
Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept
by Jayneen Sanders
Making a Baby
by Rachel Greener
To make a baby you need one egg, one sperm, and one womb. But every family starts in its own special way. This book answers the “Where did I come from?” question no matter who the reader is and how their life began. From all different kinds of conception through pregnancy to the birth itself, this candid and cozy guide is just right for the first conversations that parents will have with their children about how babies are made.
The Great Big Body Book
by Mary Hoffman
There are all kinds of bodies in the world. What are YOU like? Celebrate our brilliant bodies in this fantastic book jam-packed with interesting facts. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes as we change from babies to children to teenagers to adults, our bodies change too! Find out about growing and learning, keeping fit, breaks and bruises, the five senses, using our minds, how we are the same and how we are different.
And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson
At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo get the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
Listening with My Heart
by Gabi Garcia
Listening with My Heart reminds us of the other golden rule — to treat ourselves with the same understanding and compassion we give to others. It also touches on the universal themes of friendship and inclusion. Including kid-friendly mindfulness and self-compassion activities that support the book’s message.
Just Because I Am: A Child's Book of Affirmation
by Lauren Murphy Payne
Young children need support and encouragement as they learn to value themselves. This book of sweet, simple affirmations for children builds self-esteem and self-confidence through clear language and colorful art. Invites little ones to love, accept, and feel good about themselves exactly as they are. Includes tips, activities, and discussion questions for parents, teacher, and caregivers.
Elbert in the Air
by Monica Wesolowska
Shortly after he is born, Elbert floats up into the air. Before long, his mother must stand on her tip toes to reach him and toss toys into the air at playtime. While everyone in town, from the school nurse to the mayor, is full of advice for keeping her boy down, Elbert’s mother knows her son is meant to float. And so, she lets him.
But as life becomes more and more difficult for a floating boy, and people understand him less and less, Elbert has to make a decision: Stay bound to the ground or float higher in the hopes of finding the world — and community — he’s always wished for.
Middle elementary
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU
by Cory Silverberg & Fiona Smyth
A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers. Much more than the "facts of life" or “the birds and the bees," Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy.
Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of YOU
by Rachel Brian
This is a smart, playful guide to consent and bodily autonomy, packed with bright and energetic illustrations. Readers will learn about boundaries and how to set them; ways to respect themselves and others; what to do if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and much more. Along the way, they'll be encouraged to reflect on (and improve!) their own behavior and to practice consent in their daily lives.
It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families
by Robie H. Harris
How does a baby begin and how is it born? How did I begin? Why are some parts of kids’ bodies different from some parts of other kids’ bodies? Most younger kids have questions about reproduction, babies, love, sex, and gender too. Some also have concerns. For over twenty years, It’s So Amazing! has provided children age seven and up with the honest answers they’re looking for through age-appropriate, reassuring words and accurate, up-to-date, inclusive art.
For youth ages 10 and older
You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things
by Cory Silverberg & Fiona Smyth
In a bright graphic format featuring four dynamic middle schoolers, You Know, Sex grounds sex education in social justice, covering not only the big three of puberty — hormones, reproduction, and development — but also power, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being.
Centering young people’s experiences of pressures and joy, risk and reward, and confusion and discovery, there are chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, masturbation, consent, boundaries and safety in our media-saturated world, puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies and experience, and more.
You-ology: A Puberty Guide for EVERY Body
by Trish Hutchison MD FAAP, Kathryn Lowe MD FAAP, Melisa Holmes MD FACOG
Remember that awkward day in school when the boys went to one classroom and the girls to another and everyone nervously giggled, learning about taboo topics like menstruation and erections? What if your kids could learn about changing bodies in a way that isn’t secretive or shameful? And what if it could even be inclusive, fun, and, well, kind of adorable? A new kind of puberty guide, You-ology embraces an inclusive approach that normalizes puberty for all kids.
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health
by Robie H. Harris
When young people have questions about sex, real answers can be hard to find. Providing accurate, unbiased answers to nearly every imaginable question, from conception and puberty to birth control and AIDS, It's Perfectly Normal offers young people the information they need — now more than ever — to make responsible decisions and to stay healthy.
Young Adult Literature
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
by Saundra Mitchell, Malinda Lo, Robin Talley, Mackenzi Lee, Kody Keplinger, Elliot Wake, Anna-Marie McLemore, Shaun David Hutchinson, Dahlia Adler, Tess Sharpe, Kate Scelsa, Natalie C. Parker, Sara Farizan, Nilah Magruder, Tessa Gratton, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Alex Sanchez, Scott Tracey
From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier… to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain… to forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent… and an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods, and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.
None of the Above
by I. W. Gregorio
This relatable and groundbreaking story for the LGBTQIA+ audience is about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex… and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school.
Let's Talk About Love
by Claire Kann
Alice had her whole summer planned. Nonstop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting ― working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating ― no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.
But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).
Not Your Sidekick
by C.B. Lee
Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship — only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious "M," who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out — without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
by Emily M. Danforth
When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.
But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both.
Hidden Oracle, The Trials of Apollo, Book One
by Rick Riordan
How do you punish an immortal?
By making him human.
After angering his father, Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the 4,000-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus' favor.
But Apollo has many enemies — gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.
The House You Pass On the Way
by Jacqueline Woodson
Thirteen-year-old Staggerlee used to be called Evangeline, but she took on a fiercer name. She's always been different--set apart by the tragic deaths of her grandparents in an anti-civil rights bombing, by her parents' interracial marriage, and by her family's retreat from the world. This summer she has a new reason to feel set apart — her confused longing for her friend Hazel. When cousin Trout comes to stay, she gives Staggerlee a first glimpse of her possible future selves and the world beyond childhood.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship — the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
Adults
Bang!: Masturbation for People of All Genders and Abilities
by Vic Liu
Want to know how to masturbate? Here's your guide. Whether you're jerking the gherkin, flicking the bean, or something in between, masturbation doesn't have to be a taboo topic. This straightforward, unapologetic illustrated guide to self-pleasure will teach you what you need to know to get to know your own body. This inclusive manual covers basic anatomy, techniques, mindsets, orgasms, troubleshooting, and a wide range of the tools and toys.
Sex Education!
by Yanik Lazarov
The answer to its convolutedness can’t be answered in a quick summary, but the rest of these questions are answered in SEX EDUCATION! It includes easy-to-read topics on STIs, STD testing recommendations, temporary and chronic contraceptives, lubrication, how to have socially safe sex, oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, frictional sex, dispelling popular myths on anal and vaginal sex, masturbation, how hormone replacement therapy and gender reassignment surgery impacts sex, kinks, fun facts on intersex conditions, a glossary, popular resources, and an eight-page list of references that are easily accessed in one medium.
You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things
by Cory Silverberg & Fiona Smyth
This is a great book for older teens, but can be a great resource for adults of all ages who didn’t get great sex ed AND for guardians who need help supporting and educating their teens!
The Sex Education Answer Book: By the Age Responses to Tough Questions Kids Ask Parents About Sex
by Cath Hakanson
Unsure where to begin? The answer book’s opening section helps you get started, and explains why asking questions is so important while putting to rest any fears or doubts you may have. Includes child-friendly answers to more than 200 commonly asked questions! With content organized by age group, navigation is quick and easy. Learn how to speak to your child about reproduction, sex, bodies, relationships, pregnancy, masturbation, sexual diversity, gender, STIs, and more!
The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic LGBTQ+ love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner.