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 including sexuality and disability, sexual pleasure, and
sexual communication. He is the coauthor of The Ultimate Guide to
Sex and Disability, and since 2005 he has worked as the Sexuality
Guide for About.com. 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. Silverberg lives in New York
City.
FIONA SMYTHis a Toronto-based painter, illustrator, and cartoonist.
Her first graphic novel,The Never Weres, was published by Annick
Press in 2011. Fiona's comicCheezwas published inExclaim!magazine
for almost ten years, and her comicFazoozwas inVicefor eight years.
Fiona teaches illustration and comics at OCAD U in Toronto.
"an invaluable toolbox for meeting my children’s questions about
bodies, language, and sensation. . . . I can’t imagine parenting
without this duo’s pathbreaking work. I feel so fortunate that I
don’t have to." —Sara B. Franklin, LitHub
"Sex Is a Funny Word is nothing short of revolutionary. Cory
Silverberg and Fiona Smyth’s newest book is brilliant in its
approach to giving caregivers and educators the tools they need to
talk to kids about their bodies.... Though representation of many
bodies shouldn’t be revolutionary, most of our media –
children’s books included – showcases white, thin bodies in ways
that are often ableist, sexist, homophobic, and trans-exclusive. In
this way (and many others), Silverberg and Smyth’s contribution to
the dialogue is revolutionary: finally young people have a way to
see all bodies (including their own body) represented. Yes."
—Kristin Russo, Buzzfeed
"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
"Done with great sensitivity, precision and poise ... having access
to a book like this could change the life of a lot of kids."
—Feministing
"Silverberg is posing big questions at a crucial time ...[Books
like his] represent shifting ideas and the inevitable parent-kid
conversations around them." —Maclean's
“Emphasizing the importance of trust, respect, justice, and joy
– as well as open communication – it’s a thoughtful and
affirming exploration of relationships, gender identity, and
growing sexual awareness.” —Publishers Weekly, 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
"I read Sex Is a Funny Word with my 10 year old daughter who
immediately got it! She saw herself, family, and friends in the
characters. It's an amazing resource and makes what could be a
difficult conversation, quite easy. I wish I had this book as a
child." —Aiesha Turman, Founder and Executive Director, The Black
Girl Project
"The book is for the same 7- to 10-year-old demographic as the
'younger girls' targeted by Care & Keeping, but is leaps and bounds
ahead in terms of how progressive it is. As I recently thumbed
through Sex Is a Funny Word’s brightly colored drawings, I couldn’t
help thinking about how much I needed a book like this growing up.
. . . In age-appropriate language, it humorously tackles
topics from gender to masturbation to crushes, even including
sections on how the concepts of justice and trust intersect with
sex and bodies. It’s also forthcoming about the fact that preteens
are understandably curious about bodies that look different from
their own." —Rachelle Hampton, Slate
"Yes, it’s written for 7-to-10-year-olds. But I’d like to see it on
the required reading list for high school freshmen, college
resident advisors, military personnel, early-childhood educators,
coaches, clergy, police officers, pediatricians and parents. Did I
miss anyone? ... the story begins not with body parts but with
values: Respect. Trust. Joy. Justice. 'Justice is like fairness,
only bigger,' Silverberg explains. 'Justice means that every person
and every body matters.' Could we have that etched over every
middle-school entry door, please? And while the chisel’s still
warm, put it on the nation’s courtrooms, too." —Anndee Hochman,
Broad Street Review
"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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