Review: The birds and the bees...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 29, 2013
Youngsters Orly and Lior are chatting, and as curious kids will do eventually, they wondered where babies came from. They figured out that storks don't deliver babies, but beyond that, they were clueless. They had read fairy tales about babies growing inside cabbages or flowers, but they just didn't buy that anymore. They would have asked their parents or grandparents, but the grown-ups weren't available at the time. Instead, they got their answers from a book that magically appeared. The book explained how fish reproduce, then moved on to ducks and cats, then tackled the big one - people.The text and illustrations are remarkably explicit without being too graphic for younger kids. The story isn't going to answer all of a kid's questions, but it may be enough to satisfy their curiosity for a while, at least until the parents have THE TALK with their kids.I noticed that the author is from Israel. I know that different countries have varying customs regarding when and how children learn about "the birds and the bees." I'm not sure what age most parents think learning about human reproduction is appropriate nowadays, but Anat Umansky's story may be a good introduction to the subject.