Somewhere between the formatting/layout of this book and its thorough, somewhat clinical descriptions, the sex drive is lost. This is an excellent compilation of information if you know little about the physiological aspects of sex--we all have something to learn in that regard. But the positions and technique seem oddly out of place. Maybe it's the pastel colors and soft lighting. Get your bird's-eye-view here, but consult a book on the Tao or Kama Sutra if you want to be intrigued and inspired by your sexual potential.

Not to be confused with sex magick, for sure. This is the kind of book your mother would write for you if she was a doctor or sex therapist. Very informative but unenticing. Most interesting parts: lists of common sexual fantasies and partner preferences, by gender. You might be surprised at how matter-of-factly the truth is delivered--it catches you off guard. Most disappointing: no mention of Taoism, Tantric sex, sex magick, or any other type of cultural tradition other than Suburban Caucasian-American. Much of the practical advice could be much more explicit and varied. What about sex laws? So many interesting diversions left untouched. Too many common denominators. Still, a good reference, especially for the uninformed or those interested in statistical generalizations...

If you are looking for a book which will explore the main aspects of marital sex, this book is for those who are in stable, long-term relationships. Dr. Miriam Stoppard emphasizes that the best sex can only be attained in a truly loving relationship which is nurtured, pursued and lasts the test of time.

"This kind of love is not static; it grows and changes and develops in both partners. It encourages candor, sympathy, feedback about one's own and one's partner's behavior."

She uncovers the male and female desires and shows how men and women approach love and sex very differently. She shows how a good sex life is not just about physical agility, but is more about being aware of the importance of closeness and caring, wanting to give love and to give pleasure.

The Contents Include:

Man & Woman: The Sexual Partnership
Attraction
Foreplay
Making Love
Sex Throughout Life Stages
Making Sex Better
Emotional Factors
Reproduction
Contraception

There are some questionnaires to help you improve your sex life and help you put the magic into your love life. This book will answer many basic questions and it is a good overview of human sexuality.

I enjoyed some of the descriptions and easy to understand terms used to explain some of the more sensitive subjects that most parents are uncomfortable with. I do, however, believe some of her discussions about social and emotional issues were lacking and in some ways, outdated. A particular example of this is her explaining what to do about coping with bullys. I found it appalling that in this day in age, her advice is to warn the bully you will strike back, and then do so upon further harassment by the bully. "Take one final swoop" and then go find a grown up. Sounds like an outdated mode of coping, one that in today's society would get you suspended from school, at the least, fatally wounded at the worst. Made me question some of her other explanations about similar issues.

My wife & I found this one in a bookstore and thought it was a great book... for those truly interesting questions that invariably kids will ask...

Perfect for any parent with inquistive kids...

Children are naturally curious. That is how they learn. By asking questions, they find their way through the world of endless information. This book gives answers for children in four age groups. This includes age 2-4, 4-6, 6-8 and 8-11.

While many parents will find this book a bit controversial, I think once they read the contents for what it is, it will in fact help them to decide what they want to tell a child and when. It is my understanding that this is a guide for parents to help them answer questions, so that is my word of caution to parents.

Each parent will have to decide what they want to tell a child or what they don't want to tell them. I do not advise this book for reading with a child. It is way too detailed for the earlier ages. Plus, don't you want your child to think you really know all this information and look up to you with great awe. I am joking, but really some of the information presented was a bit much to tell a child.

The sections on sex are very graphic and tell all. Now that you are all pulling out your credit cards.....shall I go on? Well on a more serious note, do I want my children to know the mechanics of sex if I want them to abstain until they are married. Then on the other hand, do I want my child to be prepared to fight off a molester? Yes! So, what do I tell a child at a young age so they are safe. That is the trick question and this book will help parents to know what to tell a child and at what age. This book deals with very difficult issues, ones that even adults don't want to deal with, like divorce.

It is sad that children can't grow up in a perfect world and what is a parent to do when their child comes home with questions about life as they know it. In this day and age, children sometimes have to learn "survival skills." Subjects like drugs and alcohol are things you have to discuss with a child in order to protect them from getting physically harmed. Dr. Miriam Stoppard has a very open policy. She believes in keeping the lines of communication open between the parent and child from a very early age. She believes this helps to prevent the typical teenage withdrawal.

Some of the questions included are:

Where did I come from? Does the baby grow inside you? How does the baby get out? What is sex? (then a bunch of sexual questions I will let you discover on your own) Why can't I take my clothes off? What happens when you die? Why do some babies die? Who is God? What is Religion? Where did Mommy/Daddy go? What's a divorce? Why am I adopted? Why can't I make friends? Why do I have to go to school? Why is my skin color different? Why can't she walk? Do I have to eat meat? Why can't I talk to strangers? What is a bully? What does violence mean? What is alcohol? Why is smoking bad for you? What are drugs?

As you can see these are issues children have to deal with. I can't think of a subject this book doesn't cover. While the guidelines are practical, use your own moral standards to decide how much you will tell your child. The age chart is helpful, yet I recommend this book with a word of caution. Dr. Miriam Stoppard says this: "To no child is my whole answer necessary. Pick and choose; discard and invent; reject and create." I can heartily agree with that advice and in that way this book can become very useful as a tool for parents to use to help a child understand the world around them.

This book suffers from the unfortunate modern thought that if a book uses a lot of technical and explicit sexual terminology, then we can rely on the good doctor's words. Dr. Stoppard tackles many important topics for sexually curious teens, but her advice generally is a soft-sell on sexual risks and an encouragement to teens that any and all sexual behaviors are enjoyable, 'when you are ready.' She repeats the popular line, "Contraceptives can prevent pregnancy, and condoms in particular can prevent STD's from being passed on." The emphasis is on PREVENT. Cute cartoons then suggest "some" people do get an STD from sex, but there is never an honest discussion of failure rates for condoms or a loud warning about the STD's like HPV or herpes which can be transmitted to a partner, even if a condom is used. In fact, in a chart on contraceptives, she lists the condom as 98% effective, when industry experts agree the effectiveness is 87% in reality, with teens turning in the lowest rates of all. (Contraceptive Technology Update, 2000) In spite of the medical community's authoritative warnings against the term "Safe Sex," Dr. Stoppard tells teens, "Always practice safe sex. You want to relax when you have sex; you don't want to have to worry about pregnancy and STD's." In order for teens to decide for themselves if they are mature enough for sex, they are given a short list of 12 simplistic questions: "Would I stand up for a friend? Do I keep promises? Can I accept criticism?-and others." Her "Guidelines for Responsible Sex" begin with, "No sex unless you really care about him, and he cares about you." How many teens "care about" each other? Is this truly when we want them to decide sex is permissible? When discussing HIV, she cautions teens to never have sex with a stranger, implying that teens are protected from AIDS if they "know" the person. This advice flies in the face of the fact that HIV and many other STD's give no outward symptoms, even to the infected person. And she tells teens to try mutual masturbation and oral sex as a way to avoid the problems of intercourse, (including the statutory rape laws in many states, she points out,) while, in truth, mutual masturbation and oral sex are highly effective ways to transmit STD's. In a book targeting pre-teens and younger teens, this is woefully inadequate advice. Finally, at the end of a book that honors any and all sex as permissible for a "mature" person, Dr. Stoppard drops the bombshell of teen pregnancy with this understatement, "An unwanted pregnancy is difficult for everyone concerned...If you're pregnant, it's too late for regrets." In the United States 40 percent of all females will become pregnant before their 20th birthday, and up to 95% of these pregnancies will be unplanned. (CDC Fact Sheet) This unfortunate statistic can be understood in light of the sexually permissive and encouraging advice contained in "Sex Ed." This book ends by reminding teens that everyone "has the right" to basic freedoms. Number 4 on the list is, "Freedom from repression by the older generation." In spite of earlier suggestions in the book that parents are important, this basic freedom No. 4 gives teens complete freedom to ignore their parents. This is the kind of duplicity in "Sex Ed," by Dr. Stoppard, that will allow teens to gain whatever type of permission they seek for whatever type of sexual behavior they want to explore. If teens are truly mature enough to be considering sex, they deserve better than a lukewarm, 'be careful, but enjoy,' served up with cute cartoons. Any adult concerned for the health of a child will pass this book by.

I found this a good book for an older mature teen. It is very refreshing compared to other books on the market for advice to teens on sexuality. It's very important that our kids are taught about sexually related diseases and unwanted pregnancies. They also need to be warned of the emotional consequences of getting physically involved with a partner before they are ready. Most books cover these topics, and advise abstinance until marriage. Which is all fine to a point. I have been searching for a book for older teens who are mature and in a loving relationship, that would introduce to them how to begin slowly and cautiosly intergrating a little sexuality into their realtionship. One day their sexual relationship should be a very fulfilling and enriching part of their lives. I feel that if we "scare" them too much,they will learn unhealthy sexual outlets (such as pornography), and will then be incapable of developing a healthy loving sexual relationship with their life partner. While this book is not the perfect answer, it's the best I've found so far, and I intend to give it to my teenagers when the time is right.

Sex Ed is a good book for teens that are going to become sexually active not pre-teens like me. The book gives a lot of good information on puberty, birth control, and STD's; but toward the end the book turns into a so called sex manual! Dr. Stoppard actually explains how to have make foreplay more enjoyable. how to get an orgasm, and how to have better sex. I don't like those type of things in a book that teens read. Besides all of the that type of stuff the book is actually pretty enjoyable. Not great for pre-teens but pretty good for teens starting a sexual relationship.

This is a dangerous book written for young girls age ten through 16. Besides coming out and saying that marijuana is not addictive or dangerous and does little if any harm, she spends a full one fifth of the book preparing girls for sexual intercourse during their teen years.

The chapter on sex includes the following topics, thinking about sex, loosing your virginity, choice of contraception and how to use, being a lesbian, foreplay, how to have heterosexual sex, how to determine you're pregnant, how to get your abortion, how to determine your sexually transmitted diseases and the common-ness of rape.

The following are quotes from the book:

Pg. 62Sex, particularly good sex, is fun and it gives a great deal of pleasure in many contexts. It can be thrilling, exciting, moving, comforting, even consoling. All of these are positive and genuine reasons for having sex. Note: There is a picture of a ten-year-old girl on the front cover of this book.

Pg. 64The basic foundation for a sexual relationship is having someone whom you really care about and respect and who feels the same about you. Never mentions the adult committed marital relationship.

Pg. 65 Spends several paragraphs saying many girls have negative feelings about the loss of their virginity, quoting girls interviewed, and adds this unbelievable statement: It may help you to put the whole subject into perspective if you remember that girls who play sports (and most do during their teenage years) will have lost their hymens anyway. So the chances are, if you're an athletic person, your "virginity" will have been lost without you even knowing it.

Pg. 66 There's only one reason for having sex and that is because you want to.

Pg. 67If you or your boyfriend believes that only through intercourse can you reach orgasm, you should read the information on sex without penetration (see p. 72). You'll find there are several methods of arousal that can be just as exciting as full intercourse. She delivers that information as promised, includes masturbation and vibrators.

I cannot imagine how any adult could put a book like this together and declare that it is good; that it is Every Girl's Life Guide. It is simply dangerous reading material for our young children that is marketed to look worthwhile. We picked up this book from the new nonfiction shelf at the library. The innocent child on the cover reminded my daughter of herself. She handed me the book and we checked out. I always go over the reading material, so much of it is suspicious these days, but was horrified by the destructive sex manual buried in the body of this Doctor's work. My daughter, age 11 asked to write her own letter of complaint to the publisher.

I work with girls in the age range that this book covers. I have seen first-hand what misinformation and lack of information can lead to. My own daughter is twelve today. This book is concise, straight-forward, and not the least bit condescending. I do think that it's a bit above the intellect of the youngest in the group, but the information it contains is invaluable. Many parents today still have trouble talking to their kids about sex, drugs, feelings, etc. This book offers advice that is both necessary and up-to-date. I learned a few things myself! My daughter and my other charges will be able to make clearer decisions and cope with more of life's challenges because I had the foresight to "allow" them to read it. Teen catastrophes won't go away until we give them the tools to stop it. It's the only control we have. Think about it.

Nice approachable book for teens on sex. Hope there will be one for boys soon. Covers the relevant material clearly and succinctly, and shows that sex is a normal part of life. (None of us would be here without it!)

I purchased this book to try to learn how to feed my 6 month old. We just started solids and I've been looking for information on how to introduce foods, how much to feed him and the like. This was not the book for me. Basically, there are 7 pages of information on how to feed a child under 18 months. And I'm suspicious of the information presented there since she recommends giving whole milk to a 6 month old, when the American Academy of Pediatrics is very clear about not giving milk until after 1 year.

There are a few pages on feeding a toddler. The rest of the book offers recipes and instructions on how to make a "cat faced omlette" or a "meatloaf car", which is cute and instructional, but not very helpful in learning how to feed your infant.

Unless you have the time and inclination to create "vegetable rocket ships" I would not buy this book.

I checked this book out from the library and decided to order it from Amazon because it had so many great recipes. I cook a great deal and could tell these recipes will be terrific. The foods are simple in preparation and very nutritious. The recipes are obviously for a toddler with teeth, and my son is just about there. I think it will be fun to arrange his meals into funny, cute shapes and animals and look forward to using this book a lot.