Hello Benny! adds to the 'Growing Up' stories which tells of young Benny, who celebrates his first year of life. Simple text and large pictures tell of Benny's first experiences in life, from encounters with admiring adults to growing older. A fine celebration which comes alive with Michael Emberley's drawings.

The fabulous illustrations in this darling book delight small children, who have a way of making a mess of themselves, literally.

Jessie loves messes. She's into crayons that color the edges of her paper and keep going--onto the table--and big red dots on her face and hands. She can't contain her yogurt in a cup; it spills.

Her dad says, "How about a carrot, my Messy Jessie? A carrot's not messy." When he runs to answer the door, he comes back to find that she has dropped an egg on the floor, dumped out the milk, catsup and mustard, stepped in them, and is dancing about singing "Messy Jessie!"

The cat and dog lap up the mess, making footprints and pawprints all over the floor.

"This isn't funny," says a dad losing patience.

She takes a bath and goes to bed. "I love you my Messy Jessie," says her dad.

But she even dreams of messes. The message is real for children of a certain age.

And of course, it's the dad who takes care of the messes. Alyssa A. Lappen

Harris and Emberley have done it again! "It's So Amazing!" is a much-needed follow up to their prior book, "It's Perfectly Normal."

The text is clear, while maybe a little advanced for the younger solo reader -- this would be a good one for parents and kids to read together at first. Numerous captions and illustrations help children understand the material more fully, and are entertaining, to boot.

The bird and bee characters are back, too, speaking many of the feelings, doubts, and questions real kids may have when mulling over the information. They provide some comic relief, but their function as a sounding board is more important than many people realize. This can be confusing (and hard to believe) stuff.

There is much more in-depth material on the actual mechanics of reproduction and birth than in "Normal," but it is nicely balanced by the sections on how families are formed, how families relate to and love each other, and what makes each person unique.

This would make a perfect teaching tool for a kid who has a basic understanding of anatomy and physiology, but is ready for some behind-the-scenes details as to how babies are created, and how they grow into children who then grow into adults -- and start the whole process over!

Since our nine year old son is the result of donor insemination within a two mom family, he is pretty well informed on how a baby is biologically created. All those questions and more were answered in a humorous way in this book. A child can take this book and read a page or a chapter at a time by himself or with his family. It allows him to feel comfortable with the whole factual human sexual process through humor and easy to understand child-text. I would recommend this book to any family that wants their children to understand all types of relationships, families and the unique process of conception and birth.

The best part about this book is the organization; it's easy to skip around and address the speifics that your child has questions about. The beginning parts are a perfect introduction to "How babies are made," and acknowledges all the mixed feelings kids might have on the subject. It's a good book to leave around for your child to "find"; kids have an idea of what they're ready to deal with. (As a 13-year-old, I picked up my parents' copy of "The Joy of Sex" and quickly put it away because I wasn't ready for that!) I like "It's so Amazing" better than "It's Perfectly Normal" (acknowledging that you will need a more advanced book for your older children to "discover"); "Normal" is thorough about anything a preteen could possibly want to know; unfortunately, some of the pertinent info you have to discover by accident while reading other sections of the book. Also, "Normal" equates having a crush with "sexual attraction" - I'm not comfortable with that assumption. Note: "Amazing" is not a sufficient resource for your reaching-puberty boy or girl; you should have a boy-or-girl-specific book for that 9-12 age. I'll be on the lookout for a knockout book for graduates of "It's So Amazing!" Maybe we need a really advanced teenage book that tells it all about contraception, bodies, and sexual risks in a way a 9th grader can relate to - after that it may be too late!

I am a Reading Specialist and have taught Special Education students for 14 years. I found this book wonderfully stimulating and the language easy to read and follow. I recently had my 2nd baby and my husband and I have enjoyed reading this to my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I especially like that there is a realistic picture of a mother nursing her baby. Pictures like that are very hard to find. It is wonderful to see realistic pictures depicting a nursing mother and child. It is hard to find children's books that DO NOT show a baby is bottle fed only! Wish I had found this book before I had my baby so I could show my daughter what was about to happen!!

I purchase this book for everyone close to me who has a baby. It is a wonderful rendition of childbirth and the first day of a baby's life. The book is written from a parent's perspective to the child. The text is written with easy-to-understand language and has beautiful illustrations. A special note: This book would not be good for parents who experienced a particularly troubling delivery because the book describes the perfect situation.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this book when I was about 7 months pregnant with our second child. Our oldest was then almost 2 1/2. Harris's wonderful book was instrumental in preparing our daughter for the impending arrival of her baby brother. The illustrations are beautiful and life-like; excellent pastel artwork. The text did a fantastic job conveying the wonder of birth and the first day of life for a newborn. We renewed it twice, keeping it a total of 9 weeks and my daughter had it memorized by the 2nd renewal. She loved the "howling at the moon" part along with the "sneezing, hiccuping, peeing and pooping." The pictures of the naked newborn complete with umbilical cord and the baby nursing at her mother's breast were wonderful in preparing my daughter. She was totally at ease with her brother's newborn "looks" at the hospital and was not at all shocked by the sight of him nursing. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone wanting to prepare their older child/children for a new arrival. It would also be great for any child just for learning more about their own arrival in the world.

Our family loves the book Happy Birth Day by the same author and illustrator, so I was delighted to see Hi New Baby! on the bookstore shelf -- it even features the same family as Happy Birth Day. However, when I read this book, I was very disappointed -- like too many other books in this genre, it dwells very heavily on the negative feelings an older child has about a new baby, and only on the last page is any positive feeling expressed. Of course it's important to acknowledge the negative feelings an older child will have -- but a book that presents a more balanced picture of feelings about new siblinghood, such as Joanna Cole's books I'm a Big Brother and I'm a Big Sister, or Martin Waddell's lovely book When the Teddy Bears Came, seems much more appropriate and comforting reading for siblings-to-be.

We received this as a gift for my 2 1/2 yr old daughter when our son was born. The pictures are beautiful and the story is so sweet. It definitely helped her with the adjustment of having him around. She really identified with the little girl in the book and still, a year later, she loves to read it. And I love it so much that I am giving it to friends expecting a second child!

My son loved this book before his little sister was born, and now that she's a year old, we're still reading it. (We change genders for the baby.) It has helped him feel that it's okay to be the big boy and to feel gently superior because of it. I say gently because it's an age-specific superiority which he knows won't last once his sister gets bigger. We started reading it before he was potty trained, and I believe it helped him on that road, too, since using the potty is part of being "superior." :-) I like this book because it acknowledges the confusion, fear and anger that older siblings can have -- and it encourages a nice relationship with the younger sibling.

I purchased this book over a year ago when my daughter was nine. After a short perusal I decided it wasn't quite time to bring it out, but have kept it in the back of my mind for 'the right time'....it amazes me how quickly 'the right time' sneaks up.

This book is well organized into several sections and addresses the basics of various 'sex' topics: sex and sexuality, physiology, puberty, the 'scientific' side of reproduction, health issues, and family life. The discussion is both frank and appropriate; assuming your child has begun asking questions and/or started through puberty.

The chapter layout provides the ability to address topics one by one or as you see fit. 'Sensitive' topics such as homosexuality, birth control, abortion, and STD's are covered (distinct sections if you are not ready to address them ) along with some history and 'varieties of public thought' discussion.

The illustrations are commendable - all of shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. The author integrates the various slang body terms - addressing both their humor and/or disrespectfulness as well as discussing gossip, teasing, superstitions, and all the confusing things that abound. Many of the other positives are address in earlier reviews.

My one critiscm is lack of pronunciation guides or 'sounds like' references. I think it's critical to provide confidence in saying the words correctly - for both children and parents! (Though a good incentive to promote use of the dictionary.)

I purchased this book over a year ago when my daughter was nine. After a short perusal I decided it wasn't quite time to bring it out, but have kept it in the back of my mind for 'the right time'....it amazes me how quickly 'the right time' sneaks up.

This book is well organized into several sections and addresses the basics of various 'sex' topics: sex and sexuality, physiology, puberty, the 'scientific' side of reproduction, health issues, and family life. The discussion is both frank and appropriate; assuming your child has begun asking questions and/or started through puberty.

The chapter layout provides the ability to address topics one by one or as you see fit. 'Sensitive' topics such as homosexuality, birth control, abortion, and STD's are covered (distinct sections if you are not ready to address them ) along with some history and 'varieties of public thought' discussion.

The illustrations are commendable - all of shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. The author integrates the various slang body terms - addressing both their humor and/or disrespectfulness as well as discussing gossip, teasing, superstitions, and all the confusing things that abound. Many of the other positives are addressed in earlier reviews.

My one critiscm is lack of pronunciation guides or 'sounds like' references. I think it's critical to provide confidence in saying the words correctly - for both children and parents! (Though a good incentive to promote use of the dictionary.)

This book is a wonderful book for boys AND girls who are learning about their bodies. I thought the information was excellent and the way it was presented was very understandable..and more importantly READABLE for children. There were ALOT of pictures drawn with a cartoon-ish and colorful manner...very attractive and appealing. Even though the pictures were done in a cartoon format they were frank enough to provide clear information...( some parents may find them *too* frank... but i think it is information that children need) I especially liked the *mascots* of this book. 2 cartoon caracters that are seen thrughout the book...a bird and a bee (cute :) one really likes the info and one seems kind of less thrilled....sometimes not interested...sometimes bored...sometimes amazed... many feelings that kids will have. I think he is an imprtant little character and gives my son *permission* to feel different ways about the info he is reading... Besides giving excellent over-all information about growing up, sex and sexual health...the books over-riding message is that "you are okay" and i think children really need to hear that. The book does it with words and pictures (cartoons showing different people and how they all look different and are all just fine the way they are) I gave this book to my son and he didnt read it cover to cover...he read what intersted him...passed on the rest...picked it up some other day...read more... picked it up on another day.... etc. I like that he has a book like this available to have when he has a question and for some reason doesnt want to ask me or feels that i didnt give him an answer that wasnt what he was looking for. sometimes i think he gets embarrassed to ask *exactly* what he wants to know...and the questions are asked a bit crypically... and are hard to figure what he wants to know... if i cant make out what he is asking...and dont quite answer the right thing...i am glad that he has this book to go to

I have to say I haven't completely read this book, but I stumbled across it while doing some research at my school library. Personally, I think it's great that this book is so open...sex shouldn't be hidden away in the closet. In this day and age, it's important to talk about sex, and books like this are helpful. Many kids my age have sexual encounters, but still don't know all the basics. I live in an international community, and some parents leave their children in the dark. Further more, no matter how well a parent educates their child, there are ALWAYS questions, trust me. It's good for anyone, to be able to get answers, because talking about sex with your parents is very rarely comfortable. However, a lot of the illustrations in this book disturbed me. I know at my age it's not nessary to be embarresed, but some of the pictures were...too detailed...too graphic. It's great to be open about sex and love....just make sure it doesn't go too far.

What subject other than human sexuality and reproduction can cause so much uproar? This book offers a way for parents to give all the available information on growing and changing, without the embarassment kids, and parents!, often feel. The author presents answers to questions that a parent might never think their child wants to know, but they probably do!! As well as answers many parents didn't even know!! The drawings are exceptional in detail but do not come across as vulgar. This book is perfect for any household with children. I have 5, and the book is left out for them to use and share at thir own discretion. When offered in an open and caring atmosphere, this helps to make sexuality a family subject, and not taboo.And when information is shared with the family children will grow up with a healthy respect and understanding for their bodies and their minds.

Kids talk about sex A LOT. The problem is they often pass on incorrect information. This book is perfect to make sure that what they learn is correct, accurate and healthy. I read 1/3 of this book to my 9-year-old daughter and despite the late hour, she was mesmerized. The pictures are explicit, but is necessary so that children make no mistake about what is being discussed. It also has funny cartoons that address people's attitudes about sex, and which a kid can relate to. I like the part where it covers the various definitions of sex: gender, desire, reproduction, intercourse and homosexuality. Kids really do get warped concepts of sex and this book covers all the ways people talk about it (silly jokes) and their attitudes about it. The book also covers anatomy, puberty, families and babies, birth control, and staying healthy. It's well organized, well-written and concise. I recommend every parent who hears the word sex uttered from their child's lips, read this book to him/her. Even teenagers can benefit from this information.