Parents of children and teens often struggle with finding the best books about adolescence. Of course, there isn’t any one perfect book, but there are a few that kids can keep in their library to refer to as needed. Culturally, we talk around topics like sex and puberty because it makes us uncomfortable as adults. This can only lead to children seeking information elsewhere, which can be incorrect. So how can parents find the best books on adolescence? New York Magazine recently quoted Tribeca Therapy in a resource guide for parents on the books that can be useful for children and adolescents as they mature.
The article lists ten books, organized by categories like “Best Book About Puberty For Girls” and “Best Book About Sex and Sexuality,” that have been recommended by a team of child and teen-focused therapists, psychologists and sex educators, including our director Matt. As Matt says in the article, “The most important thing for children and adolescents is that literature on anything to do with sexual and reproductive health is presented in a clear and honest way.”
Matt suggests books such as Robie H. Harris’s It’s Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends for younger kids, which addresses sexual and reproductive health in children. The book, as Matt notes, “does an excellent job presenting physiology and reproduction in a clear and creative way,” though it is “limited to heterosexual intercourse.”
For teens and up, Matt recommends S.E.X: The All-You-Need-to-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties by Heather Corinna, which explores sexuality in terms of sexual preferences, as well as, like Matt observes, “different ways of being physically intimate from kissing to anal and vaginal intercourse.” It also is a great resource for social and emotional health, addressing relationship dynamics and topics around sexual abuse.
Read more of “The 10 Best Books About Adolescence” on New York Magazine here.
