ALL ABOUT PENISES

Candid insights about bodies.

“Lots of people have penises!” Solot and Miller cheerfully explain. “Maybe you’re curious to learn more about penises.” What follows is a fairly straightforward text about anatomy, with a sprinkling of social and emotional learning. A helpful diagram differentiates between the base, the shaft, the head, and the urethra, while illustrations depict both circumcised and uncircumcised penises (an entire paragraph in the robust “Additional Information for Parents and Caregivers” section at the end is dedicated to “taking care of penises that have foreskins”). Readers will learn about how the scrotum pulls closer to the body when it’s colder and hangs lower during hotter temperatures; the authors also offer a bit of information about the penis’s role in reproduction. Language is gender-neutral throughout, though the text doesn’t discuss gender identity. Two brief pages address unwanted touch, and the appended note includes more information about intersex bodies, masturbation, and “how to be an askable parent.” Backmatter also explores consent in more depth. Characters in Feder’s thickly outlined artwork are racially diverse.

A simple beginning guide that will probably lead to lots of giggles and a little learning.