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BOOKS BY CORY SILVERBERG

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"Raised by a children's librarian and a sex therapist, CORY SILVERBERG split the difference and grew up to be a sexuality educator and writer. With an academic background in education and counseling psychology, he has developed and facilitated workshops for hundreds of agencies across North America, working on a range of topics. In 2012, Silverberg developed a book project—What Makes a Baby?—that became the best-funded children's book on Kickstarter. He subsequently signed a three-book deal with Seven Stories Press to produce a series of inclusive children's books about gender and sexuality."

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Sex is a funny word: A book about bodies, feelings, and you.

By Corey Silverberg. Illustrated by Fiona Smyth. 2015.  9-12 years.

REVIEWS:

*   "Exciting, enlightening, and innovative, this book addresses timeless questions about sex for a new generation of kids who are increasingly aware of the broad spectrum of gender and sexual identities."   —Clara Hendricks, School Library Journal, starred review

*   "With skin tones in unlikely shades (blue! purple! green!) and wildly diverse crowd scenes, chances are good that any reader can identify with someone in these pages. Refreshingly, these crowds are diverse in a way that does not appear assembled by checklist. Lively design, bright, clashing colors, cartoon-style illustrations, comic strips, and plenty of humor support the informal, inclusive approach ... This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated."   —Kirkus Reviews

*   "You could send your kid to college and graduate school, and years of therapy, to learn how to lovingly come to terms with their gender and sexuality. Or you could simply read this book with them—it's that thorough, and that good."   —Kate Bornstein, author of My New Gender Workbook
*   “Sex Is a Funny Word is a book that brilliantly reminds us of our shared humanity. Whether you are LGBTQIA or any other letter in the alphabet (including 'U' for undecided), this book contains everything you ever wanted the kids in your life to know about sex.“   —James Lecesne, co-founder, The Trevor Project

*   "Sex Is a Funny Word opens a portal to a world where gender is exactly what we say it is rather than simply the sum of our ‘middle parts.’ Silverberg provides the template for all of us to see the simplicity with which we can step out of today’s binary gender paradigm."   —Aidan Key, founder of the Gender Odyssey Conference

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What makes a baby

By Corey Silverberg. Illustrated by Fiona Smyth. 2013.  3-5 years.

"Geared to readers from preschool to age eight, What Makes a Baby is a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid. It is a twenty-first century children’s picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of kids, adults, and families, regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender and other identity, or family composition. Just as important, the story doesn’t gender people or body parts, so most parents and families will find that it leaves room for them to educate their child without having to erase their own experience. 
    Written by sexuality educator Cory Silverberg, and illustrated by award-winning Canadian artist Fiona Smyth, What Makes a Baby is as fun to look at as it is useful to read."

Click for French edition.

COMMENTS:

*   Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult..
*   “What Makes a Baby is extraordinary! Cory is a Dr. Spock for the 21st century.”—Susie Bright
*   “A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?': The new book What Makes a Baby offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like." —The Atlantic
*   "This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic."—School Library Journal

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You know, sex: Bodies, gender, puberty, and other things

By Corey Silverberg. Illustrated by Fiona Smyth. April 2022.  9-12 years.

Click for French edition.

REVIEWS:

*   "Cory Silverberg bucks decades of conventional wisdom on how to teach kids about intimacy."    —Elaine Blair, The New York Times Magazine
*   "The pure energy of Smyth's art set the tone for the entire work. . . Silverberg's writing is fearless, digging into the messiness of the human experience with an eye toward justice. Here is that rare voice that can talk about the hardest things kids go through in ways that are thoughtful, lighthearted and always respectful of their intelligence. . . . You Know, Sex is an important book, and not only for the breadth of issues it covers. Silverberg portrays adolescence with tremendous honesty, and demonstrates a clear love for young readers."      —Rachel Brian, The New York Times Book Review

*   "Accessible, and palatable, . . . You Know, Sex soars with the diversity of its characters, its vibrant colors, and its sensitive yet funny examination of gender, puberty, and, commendably, issues of consent. . . . [A] welcome alternative to the dry sex-ed texts of yesteryear."     ―Mahnaz Dar, Kirkus Reviews
*   "You Know, Sex confronts those feelings of awkwardness and shame head-on and deals with them through care, playfulness, and approachable language. ... Instead of telling its readers how they should feel about something, it offers explanations on a given topic, then leaves it up to the reader to decide how to react. ... It can be deeply affirming, even as an adult, to read a book like You Know, Sex that talks about tender topics with you in mind."    ―CBC Arts (Canada)
*   "In what many readers will recognize as their signature approach, they tackle often confusing topics (you know, sex) against a delightfully diverse backdrop of skin tones, body sizes, and abilities in a fun, text-heavy style infused with warmth, humor, and emotional intelligence. . . . A necessary invitation for young people to explore."     ―Kirkus Reviews

*   "You Know, Sex is a beautifully inclusive, thoughtfully-crafted, engaging book that provides tweens and teens the holistic, timely sex ed they deserve. Parents and caring adults will also benefit from reading this book to support the talks and receive the sex ed they wish they'd had."   ―Melissa Pintor Carnagey, LBSW, Founder and Lead Educator at Sex Positive Families, parent of three, and author of Sex Positive Talks to Have With Kids