Cartoon Guide to Sex

Sure, the whole book is cartoons. And what an intelligent, humorous, wide-ranging book on sexuality, romance, sexual orientation, reproduction, hormones, sex toys ... we love this book! It presents information in a visual, non-threatening way, making it a great way to explain sexuality to younger people (12 yrs. and up, depending on maturity) or to those with mild cognitive disabilities, when the need is for in-depth discussions without a lot of text.

Here’s what one of our reviewers had to say about the book:

Mother Nature and her sidekick, the Etiquette Elf, take us on a fun, educational romp through the world of human sexuality. They begin by explaining the role of sex in the animal kingdom and how humans fit into that (I think this is the only book we have that discusses evolution, DNA, and the ways slugs and dung beetles mate). They cover some pretty challenging topics with ease, including the institution of marriage and how it relates to reproduction, gender dysphoria, the debate about the relationship of pornography to rape, and the psychological basis of love. Because these and many other topics in human sexuality are highly contentious, debatable, and often subjective, and because this a cartoon book and not a dissertation, it sometimes comes across as simplistic. However, because of the nature of the material and the medium, it’s pretty surprising that it only seems simplistic sometimes, and only a little bit. They do a remarkable job of acknowledging complexities; for example, they introduce the concept of “patriarchy,” warning readers: “a loaded word! Don’t shoot it off carelessly!” When discussing sexual orientation, they make some generalizations, but note that they are, indeed, generalizations that aren’t always true. There are a lot of topics covered, including reproduction, arousal, anatomy, the sexual development of children and teens, gender roles, sexual orientation, relationships, contraceptives, STIs, and various sex acts. All of it is presented in a senstive and entertaining way by dozens of interesting characters. A good learning tool for anyone who wants basic information presented with humor and lots of illustrations.

248 pages. Larry Gonick and Christine DeVault. 1998.