Bethany House Publishers sent me two children’s books with the understanding that I would post reviews about them on the Internet. These books are God Made Your Body and How God Makes Babies, both written by Jim Burns.
God Made Your Body is beautifully written and illustrated. Children will be instantly drawn into the bright creative photographs and illustrations. The text and pictures bring out the similarities between people and their differences in a beautiful way. God Made Your Body moves from the discussion of eyes, skin and hair into the differences between the sexes. This too is done tastefully with lined drawings. Information is given about where babies come from without being overly graphic. The book ends with the scripture passage from Psalm 139:13-16 where the Psalm describes how a baby is created in the mother’s womb.
How God Makes Babies is an accurate and tasteful explanation of how babies are conceived and born. The entire presentation is bathed in wholesome expressions and good taste. The text also discusses the need to protect one’s private parts from being touched by the wrong people, and about saving these body parts for marriage. Different kinds of families are discussed including the plan for mother and father and children, single parent families, blended families, and adoptions. Scripture passages are appropriately placed throughout the book to bring focus to the spiritual nature of our sexuality.
Both books are written for younger children. God Made Your Body is for children ages 3-5 and How God Makes Babies is for children ages 6-9. I suspect some parents will be uneasy with giving this depth of information to their children at this young age. However, in today’s society, the alternative of not teaching them young is that some other kids will tell them the raw details with their own slant on it before their parents tell them anything. I believe the decision about when to share this information should remain in the parents’ control, and for this reason these books do not belong in a children’s collection of books in the church, school, or public library. I would encourage parents to purchase these books for their children. Libraries might carry the books, but they should be shelved with parenting books, not with children’s books. The information is classic. I can recall a time in my younger years when I would have appreciated learning what is presented in these books.
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