Book Review: "It’s Not the Stork"

Live Aired August 2, 2026

This week’s book review almost didn’t happen. I was supposed to go live on Friday, but I’m in the middle of a road trip, and I didn’t want to disappoint you and skip it (especially my paid subscribers- you are owed these!), so I went live from my camper. What we’re covering is the toddler years pick, and I wanted to make sure I got it to you even on the road.

The book is It’s Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends by Robie H. Harris. It’s labeled age four plus, and I know technically toddler years run two to four, but I think this book is appropriate even for age two plus, and honestly it can go up to about age eight. I see this more as a sort of encyclopedia, something you use for reference, especially in the early years.

A lot of people have expressed concern about the four plus label because there are pages in here that explain what the concept of sex is, and some parents feel that’s too young. I want to reiterate why I don’t see it that way. This isn’t a book you hand over to a kid to read on their own. It’s a reference, a lib, like an encyclopedia, something you pull out when your toddler asks you a question you’re not sure how to answer.

Body literacy is an important part of body safety and abuse prevention education, and this book is a New York Times bestseller for a reason. It gives parents both the language and the illustrations to actually share this information with their kids.

In the full notes below, I go page by page through the sections I think matter most, including the one chapter that gets closest to actual body safety content, plus the specific things I’d add myself that the book leaves out. I also give you my take on where this fits in your library.

Here’s why watching the full review matters more than just reading a summary of it. The exact wording I read straight from the pages, and the specific additions I make while reading it, like what I’d say differently during the doctor checkup page or the cuddles section, those are the parts that actually give you something to use the next time your kid asks a question. A summary tells you the book is good. The full review gives you the script.

This is also a good time to walk you through what paid membership gets you, because it’s more than just this one review.

Every month I do four full book readings and reviews, one each week.

• Week one is always toddler years, like this one.

• Week two is middle childhood.

• Week three is tween and teen books.

• Week four is for you, the parent, and covers abuse prevention and parenting books I recommend.

Free members get one full review a month. Paid members get all four, every week, plus my full back catalog whenever you need to go looking for something.

Paid membership also gets you access to all of my classes and workshops, currently seven of them with more added every month. If the free previews have been useful to you, this is where you get the rest of the toolkit. Body Safety Classes and Workshops.

[Paid subscribers, continue below for the full page-by-page walkthrough and my take]