Books we like
As a sexual health organization, we often get asked to recommend books. The following book list [pdf] is a collection of the books we and the people we work with like! Many of these books are available to borrow through your local public library or you can purchase them through your local booksellers (Bolen’s, Munro’s, Tanners, Chapters). Bold selections are our current favourites.
For Adults/Parents/Caregivers/Allies
- Beyond Birds and Bees. By Bonnie J Rough
- For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens about Sexuality, Values and Health. By Al Vernacchio
- Talk Sex Today. By Saleema Noon and Meg Hickling.
- Sex & Sensibility. By Deborah Roffman.
- Talk to Me First. By Deborah Roffman.
- got teens? By Logan Levkoff and Jennifer Wider
- Beyond the Bird and the Bees: Fostering Your Child’s Healthy Sexual Development in Today’s World. By Beverly Engel.
- My Teen Has Had Sex. By Maureen E. Lyon and Christina Brenda Antonaides
- Raising the Transgender Child. By Dr. Michelle Angello & Alisa Bowman
- The Transgender Child: A handbook for Families and Professionals. By Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper
- The Transgender Teen: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals. By Stephanie Brill and Lisa Kenney
- Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community.
For Preschool and Primary Children
- What Makes a Baby? By Cory Silverberg
- Who has What?; What’s in There?; and Who’s in my Family? By Robie Harris
- I loVe my Family By Tammy Troute Wood (A story about IVF for young children)
- Amazing You. By Gail Saltz
- Boys, Girls and Body Science. By Meg Hickling
- It’s Not the Stork. By Robie Harris
- The Bare Naked Book. By Kathy Stinson
- Belly Buttons are Navels. By Mark Schoen
- Some Secrets Should Not Be Kept. By Debra Byrne
- Talk about Touch. By Sandy Kleven
- The Very Touching Book. By Jan Hindman
- Where Did I Come From? By Peter Mayle
- What’s The Big Secret? By Laurie Brown
- It’s So Amazing. By Robie Harris
- Welcome to The Family. By Mary Hoffman & Ros Asquith
- We Belong Together: A Book about Adoption and Families Together. By Todd Parr
Orientation and Identity Diverse Families
- And Tango Makes Three. By Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
- ABC: A Family Alphabet Book. By Dana Levy
- This Day in June By Gayee Pitman
- Heather Has Two Mommies Donovan’s Big Day. Mommy, Mama and Me. Daddy, Papa and Me. Each By Lesléa Newman Donovan
- My New Daddy and My New Mommy. By Lilly Mossiano
©Island Sexual Health, 2019
Gender Diversity
- Who are you? The Kids Guide to Gender Identity (Pre K-3)
- All I Want To Be Is Me. By Phyllis Rothblatt (Pre K-3)
- 10,000 Dresses. By Marcus Ewert and Rex Ray (grade 1-3)
- Be Who You Are. By Jennifer Carr (grade 1-4)
- The Boy & The Bindi By Urek Shraya (grades 1-4)
- George By Alex Gino (grade 4+)
- Gracefully Grayson. By Ami Polonsky (grades 5-7)
- By Ellen Wittlinger (grade 9+)
- By James St. James (grade 9+)
- Alex as Well. By Alyssa Brygman (grade 9+)
For Children Near/In Puberty
- It’s Perfectly Normal. By Robie Harris
- Sex is a funny word. By Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
- What’s Happening to Me? By Peter Mayle
- Me, Myself and I. By Louside Spilsbury
- Growing Up Inside and Out. By Kira Vermond
- Hair, There and Everywhere. By Jacqui Bailey
- Sex, Puberty and All That Stuff. By Jacqui Bailey
- Will Puberty Last My Whole Life? By Julie Metzger and Robert Lehman
- Usborne Facts of Life Growing Up. By Susan Meredith
- On Your Mark, Get Set Grow By Lynda Madaras (for younger boys – early tween age)
- Ready, Set, Grow By Lynda Madaras (for younger girls –early tween age)
- What’s Happening to My Body book for boys. By Lynda Madaras
- What’s Happening to My Body book for girls. By Lynda Madaras
- Puberty Boy. By Geoff Price and Puberty Girl. By Shushann Movsessian
- Girl to Girl By Sarah O’Leary Burningham
- What’s Happening to Me? Usborne Books (Boys Edition – Alex Firth/ Girls Edition – Susan Meredith)
- The Boy’s Body Book. By Kelli Dunham
- The Girl’s Body Book. By Kelli Dunham
For Older Youth
- S.E.X. 2nd Edition By Heather Corrina
- 100 QUESTIONS you’d never ask your parents. By Elisabeth Henderson & Nancy Armstrong
- doing it right By Bronwen Pardes
- SEX: An Uncensored Introduction. By Nikol Hasler
- The Little Black Book for Girlz and The Little Black Book for Boyz. Stephen’s Community House
- Queer – The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens. By Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke
- What if? Answers to Questions about what it means to be Gay and Lesbian. By Eric Marcus
- Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf: A Sex Education Comic Book: Saiya Miller & Liza Riley, editors.
- Beyond Magenta. By Susan Kukin
For Families with Children with Learning Challenges and or Disability
An excellent lending library is available through the Sunny Hill Health Centre in Vancouver. Visit this link to search resources by specific inquiries.