One of the most unusual and welcome aspects of this graphic novel on human growth and development is its treatment of gender as non-binary. Another is its emphasis on four core concepts across the chapters: trust, respect, joy, and justice. Chapter topics include What Is Sex? Learning About Bodies; Boys, Girls, All of Us; Touch; Talking about Sex; Crushes, Love and Relationships; What’s Next? The information is presented in a dynamic context as four friends, age eight to 10, are learning about sex (which has several definitions ranging from gender to the sexual act to reproduction). The kids are shown in discussions with one another, family members, and others on some pages, while other pages focus on presenting factual information. One of the kids, Zai, clearly understands s/he falls outside the gender binary, not identifying as either boy or girl. The book’s unusual palette features characters with skin that is blue, green, purple, violet, and other colors, while faces show cultural specificity and distinction. There is also a range of body types and abilities affirmed across the illustrations. (Ages 8–13)

2016 Winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction 

2016 ALA Stonewall Book Award, Honor Book

2016 ALA Notable Children's Book

A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers. Much more than the "facts of life" or “the birds and the bees," Sex Is a Funny Word opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy.

The eagerly anticipated follow up to Lambda-nominated What Makes a Baby, from sex educator Cory Silverberg and artist Fiona Smyth, Sex Is a Funny Word reimagines "sex talk" for the twenty-first century.