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God's Design for Sex #1
The Story of Me
Designed for ages 3-5, and using age-appropriate language and illustrations, this book explains to young children the marvelous body God gave them.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Stanton L. Jones
27 books24 followersSTAN JONES, PHD, who recently retired from his posts as provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College, is a nationally recognized Christian expert on sexuality. He has written books on psychology and Christianity and on homosexuality and has contributed numerous articles to such professional journals as American Psychologist.
Stan and his wife, Brenna, are active in teaching about parenting and marriage in their church. They wrote the original versions of the God's Design for Sex series while their three children were young; now, they enjoy their three kids as adults as well as the early stages of grandparenting.
Stan and his wife, Brenna, are active in teaching about parenting and marriage in their church. They wrote the original versions of the God's Design for Sex series while their three children were young; now, they enjoy their three kids as adults as well as the early stages of grandparenting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 28, 2019
Took me three years to sit down with our daughter and read the first two books in the series. On a roll now. My advice is don’t wait. Read them often when your child is at the right age. Beautiful illustrations.
March 15, 2021
This is part of a 4 set series of books that are Christian based and talk about sex. I've used all 4 of these with my kids, finally finishing the last one with my oldest so I thought it was time for a review. Loved these. Had no idea how to approach sex and health in today's ever increasing confusing world about what's right and wrong in this area. Each book is for a different age group and while I loosely adhered to these, I chose a time for each child based on their maturity. I'm a homeschooling mom so we set up a health class each week to discuss topics with each child individually and gave them a notebook to write down any questions during the week they might discuss.
In this first book, it's a very simple introduction as to body parts, the correct names for them, and where babies come from. I felt it was very tastefully done and easy for the kids to understand. Highly recommended.
In this first book, it's a very simple introduction as to body parts, the correct names for them, and where babies come from. I felt it was very tastefully done and easy for the kids to understand. Highly recommended.
September 16, 2019
Pastel illustrations give accurate but discrete information to young readers ages 3 to 5 about where they came from--God "took a tiny piece of Daddy and a tiny piece of Mommy." Body parts are identified. The way God made us was "very good." There's an emphasis on love expressed as obeying rules, which I don't disagree with, but I think it could have been presented in a less legalistic way.
April 16, 2019
Overall, a good book.
a little too rules-oriented and not the kind of language that emphasizes the relationship or God's intended design as the framework for the rules
a little too rules-oriented and not the kind of language that emphasizes the relationship or God's intended design as the framework for the rules
July 31, 2023
An excellent starter book in a larger series that introduces children to God’s design for sex.
February 12, 2025
I feel like this has so many good ratings only because it is one of very few Christian books on the subject. I don’t think it’s a good book.
I really hate that it’s in third person, or told as a story about some random family. For a toddler, I feel like direct speech is more helpful.
This book is trying to cover way too many topics. It hits on purpose, adoption (it addresses this topic particularly poorly, yikes), umbilical cords and wombs, vaginal birth and C sections, breastfeeding, then we finally hit penises and vaginas which I thought was the whole point of the book (??) before also visiting a discussion on appropriate touch. It’s just honestly so much content for a toddler and doesn’t really hit on sex at all which also feel confusing given the title of the series??
If you are looking for a simple resource to talk to kids about their body or about sex, this ain’t it. I’m returning it.
I really hate that it’s in third person, or told as a story about some random family. For a toddler, I feel like direct speech is more helpful.
This book is trying to cover way too many topics. It hits on purpose, adoption (it addresses this topic particularly poorly, yikes), umbilical cords and wombs, vaginal birth and C sections, breastfeeding, then we finally hit penises and vaginas which I thought was the whole point of the book (??) before also visiting a discussion on appropriate touch. It’s just honestly so much content for a toddler and doesn’t really hit on sex at all which also feel confusing given the title of the series??
If you are looking for a simple resource to talk to kids about their body or about sex, this ain’t it. I’m returning it.
November 10, 2023
This book was given to me as a teaching tool, but I would never read it out loud to a child.
There are some good lessons sprinkled throughout the book, but they are embedded in text that made me cringe, with illustrations that didn't engage, and an overall design that awakened my inner typography critic. The writing is so corny and contrived that I was cringing just reading it silently to myself.
There are plenty of good ways to introduce conversations about gender, reproduction, and the human body with children at an appropriate age, but this book is not one of them.
There are some good lessons sprinkled throughout the book, but they are embedded in text that made me cringe, with illustrations that didn't engage, and an overall design that awakened my inner typography critic. The writing is so corny and contrived that I was cringing just reading it silently to myself.
There are plenty of good ways to introduce conversations about gender, reproduction, and the human body with children at an appropriate age, but this book is not one of them.
July 23, 2023
A beautiful book for young children. I disagree with the birth practices and reasoning, however those are things that can be discussed further between a mother and child. Some have said the adoption process is not sensitive enough, but I don't know how it could be improved without taking the focus off of procreation and moving it to an adoption book. Is there a good book about adoption that can be paired with this?
June 9, 2017
Beautiful pictures. I wasn't as impressed with the text as I have been with the others in this series. I don't know if it was the text itself, or the fact that 3-5 year olds think at a different level than I do.
February 21, 2024
It was a bit shocked how graphic this was for 3-5 year olds... yet, I guess if you start that young, it doesn't have to be shocking. Coming from a place of not knowing some of this until much later in life could skew my perception of what's healthy :-/
March 22, 2024
Part 1 of a 4-part series, this one is aimed at kids ages 3–5, and meant to be read with and discussed with their parents. Introduces proper names for body parts, and speaks generally about marriage, gender, and families.
August 16, 2018
Great for young kids. Used it with all 4 of mine.
November 6, 2019
Was not prepared to read this while babysitting tonight. Is it too early to discuss sex with a 4 year old?
November 24, 2020
Read this with all 3 girls at ages 9, 6 and 4. Detailed enough for even the youngest and yet discreet. The illustrations are tasteful and colorful enough to keep everyone interested.
August 15, 2023
A simple way to begin healthy body conversations with preschool/kindergarten kids. Uses accurate anatomical terms and points clearly back to God's plan for men, women, and families.
May 28, 2024
A nice intro to the age old question where babies come from
August 16, 2024
While I don't particularly love all of this book, I do think it's an important starting point for good conversations - necessary conversations - with my children.
September 28, 2024
A great introduction to your body and where you came from with a biblical view!
June 25, 2025
Read with Lewis and Millie around ages 5 & 3, then again at 6 & 4.5. Really helpful and age-appropriate!
July 13, 2025
Starting this series a little late with my kiddos, so this book is a little “young” for my kids’ ages. Overall, there is some great information for all ages in this one. My one qualm is the way it lacks of directional dialogue. The dialogue has different sized and color text for the little boy, the daddy, and the mommy. It would be better if it was written as a play with clear statements from [Paul (little boy): ], [Daddy: ], [Mommy: ]. Other than that, this definitely sparked questions and conversations with my 11y, 9y, and 7y old boys.
April 3, 2020
Really surprised so many people recommend this book. The pastel drawings didn’t really hold the kids attention or mine. It didn’t go far into topics I think important. I much prefer “God Made All of Me” to this book. It was also very small, I don’t know if I just got a weird copy but it was maybe four inches tall. Doesn’t really talk about secrets, or go into detail about good touches/bad touches. The way they talk about correct body part names was more funny than explaining why we use correct names. It’s not a bad book, but after reading the other one I can’t recommend this one.
February 20, 2015
When our 9 year old reached a level of questioning beyond what we felt ready to handle, I turned to Focus on the Family. We bought this series of books, and started him with this one. He was already familiar with the terms and concepts from our previous talks, but knowing we'd read this with his other siblings, we decided a slow introduction from the beginning would be the best way to "start."
I loved this. It was incredible at helping a child understand just how very valuable and special they are. It was a very comfortable way to present information and encouraged many questions. Filtered through the beauty and purity of marriage and the miracle of God's purposeful design, this gave him an understanding of why it is important to be modest. It also very gently laid groundwork for why God's rules are guard rails not fences to keep us from fun.
I feel much more ready to move onto the second book with him (again he's 9) and to sit down as a family and read it with his siblings.
My husband, who was dreading this entire experience, soared like an Eagle with this material. He was engaged, confidant, and really able to connect with our son (man to man).
I loved this. It was incredible at helping a child understand just how very valuable and special they are. It was a very comfortable way to present information and encouraged many questions. Filtered through the beauty and purity of marriage and the miracle of God's purposeful design, this gave him an understanding of why it is important to be modest. It also very gently laid groundwork for why God's rules are guard rails not fences to keep us from fun.
I feel much more ready to move onto the second book with him (again he's 9) and to sit down as a family and read it with his siblings.
My husband, who was dreading this entire experience, soared like an Eagle with this material. He was engaged, confidant, and really able to connect with our son (man to man).
June 22, 2008
Excellent first book in a series of four for teaching children about sex. Biblically based.
I've heard to teach kids as they begin to ask questions. We've been able to do that with these books. It's also important to realize that not all kids ask those questions, but still need to be informed before they hear it at school and we all know that what kids talk about at school is far more precocious then when we were at school! I felt that these books dealt with the subject very appropriately. Recommended to me by a friend!
I've heard to teach kids as they begin to ask questions. We've been able to do that with these books. It's also important to realize that not all kids ask those questions, but still need to be informed before they hear it at school and we all know that what kids talk about at school is far more precocious then when we were at school! I felt that these books dealt with the subject very appropriately. Recommended to me by a friend!
January 15, 2016
what a wonderful way to talk about sexuality and our bodies with my kids! it's one of those topics that leaves you a little nervous. what do I say? I hope I don't say too much or too little. This was just the right amount. And even with my 6 year old, as she's only heard the first two books, it was great that she had questions and I was comfortable in answering them after reading the story. It's an age appropriate series so you only have to read the book that corresponds to your child's age at the right time!
July 15, 2008
This book is recommended for ages 3 to 5. It covers basic human sexuality from a Christian perspective. It uses the appropriate words for male and female body parts and generally says that babies happen after women and men get married.
The only reason I give it four stars is because of the age range. For children with exposure to pop culture, the ages maybe appropriate. However, for my somewhat sheltered homeschooled children, I think the age range of 4 to 7 or even 8 is better.
The only reason I give it four stars is because of the age range. For children with exposure to pop culture, the ages maybe appropriate. However, for my somewhat sheltered homeschooled children, I think the age range of 4 to 7 or even 8 is better.
December 27, 2022
(4☆ Would recommend)
This book is probably not appropriate for my 4 year old son just yet, but that is because of his maturity level. I'll probably wait 6 months to a year before reading it to him. I can definitely see how people might have some strong opinions about certain aspects of this book. But the great thing about being parents is you can adapt it to your parenting style & what works best for your kids.
This book is probably not appropriate for my 4 year old son just yet, but that is because of his maturity level. I'll probably wait 6 months to a year before reading it to him. I can definitely see how people might have some strong opinions about certain aspects of this book. But the great thing about being parents is you can adapt it to your parenting style & what works best for your kids.
January 22, 2016
A fantastic series approach to talking to your children in a godly way about their bodies and eventually sex. Each book in the series is stair stepped by age so that they can learn all that they need to know age appropriately without us as parents being uncertain of what to say or how much. Plus it takes away the possible feelings of embarrassment for parents as it is written as a story.
April 17, 2008
This is a very good, biblical book about sex for toddlers. I loved it; it is honest without being graphic or giving too much information. It is the beginning of a grounded foundation for a biblical sex education. If we don't teach them about sex, the world will.
June 30, 2015
I really like this series because of it's gradual introduction of the concepts of reproduction, and that it empathizes that sex and gender are part of God's plan and good things. This one is geared forthe 3-5 age group.
I recommend you read this before sharing with your child.
I recommend you read this before sharing with your child.
September 16, 2009
My little brothers-in-law loved these books and wanted me to read to them all the time. Excellent coverage and age appropriate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews