God Made Your Body

FANTASTIC resource for parents with young children!

I recently received a complimentary copy of God Made Your Body from Bethany House Publishers. Written by Jim Burns, this book is full of bright, interesting pictures and photographs and is a wonderful resource for parents of young children. God Made Your Body is part of a series of developmentally appropriate books called PURE FOUNDATIONS. It is geared for children ages 3-5, however I recently read it to my son and my daughter who are 2 and 3 and they were well entertained and very interested. At this young age, children are fascinated by their bodies and what makes them different. This book covers the many similarities and differences that all people have, different colored skin, hair, eyes, etc. It talks about the different parts boys and girls have with very tasteful young silhouettes drawn and how that enables them to become mommies and daddies. It touches on the development of babies as well as adoption and how every family looks different.

There is quite a bit of writing and I was concerned that it would not hold my children's interest, however they loved the pictures and sat through the whole book. What makes this book different to other common "body" books is the depth of topics discussed and yet the tact with which they are introduced. You as a parent could go into as much depth as you felt your child was ready for. It is a tool to facilitate discussion and build relationship between parent and child and help set a foundation for conversation and openness in the future.

Who this book is good for: This is a fantastic book for any family with young children. It is great as a gift or a parenting resource. Ideally it is geared towards children aged 3-5, but it could be relevant to many age groups if your child seems receptive.

Book Review of God Made Your Body By: Jim Burns

I loved this book and the whole series! This seems like an easy way to talk to children about their body and about sex and babies. It is short and to the point, it has excellent and clear pictures for children to look at. The book has the Christian perspective and is great for anyone wanting to teach their children about God and their bodies. The book emphasizes God and makes several good points along with relating the information to children in a simple and direct manner. I do not have children yet, but I am definitely hanging onto this book and probably going to get the rest of his series because it can help me talk to my child one day when I have one. I would recommend this book to anyone with children or as a gift to a family member or friend with young children.

is this right for your children?

A new series called Pure Foundations is being released by Bethany House Publishers. One of the books is God Made Your Body, which is said to be for children ages 3-5.

I totally agree with the author that as parents we need to provide "values-centered sex education at home." This is important and maybe never more important than it is now with all the conflicting information our children will hear in the world. This book is to be used by parents as a way to introduce children to the idea that God created their body and begin laying the foundation of the basics of sexuality. According to the book, one of the goals of this series is to help the child develop trust in their parents so they will want to talk about these issues when they're older.

There were some things I really liked about this book. I enjoyed the photographs in this book. A variety of children and families were used as well as some diagrams. I liked that questions were asked related to the text, like "What are you good at doing?" These type questions help engage the children in the text they are hearing.

What I didn't like was some of the word choice used by this author. As it begins talking about babies, it says how "mommy and daddy come together in a special way called making love." I don't really think this is necessary to share with 3-5 year olds. My philosophy has been to not give more information than is needed. There is no point in my opinion to overwhelm a child with terms and phrases, especially at this preschool age.

I've seen other reviews who think this is a perfect book. I will say you will have to decide for yourself if you think this book will be appropriate for your family and children.

No text was provided for this review.