Book Review: God Made Your Body by Jim Burns

Format:  Hardcover
Page Count:  32
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date:  October 1, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764202111
List Price:  $12.99
Rating:  4 Stars!

I wanted to express my sincerest thanks to Noelle Buss at Bethany House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to review God Made Your Body by Jim Burns.

As I talk to other parents about some of the difficulties they’ve encountered in raising their children, I’m continually amazed at the types of child-parent discussions that horrify them.  The discussion about where babies come from is always near the top of the list.  Thinking back on my own childhood, I never actually had a discussion with my parents about these issues.  Everything I learned was either from health films or from my peers.  Truth be told I don’t think this gave me the most God-honoring picture of sexuality and reproduction.  I’m not sure if it was a lack of resources or just plain old nervous fear, but I would have liked my parents to share God’s standard and plan for this part of my life as they did for many others.  It’s too late to change this part of my childhood, but this is something that I can strive to do better with my own children.  This new book by Jim Burns will be a big help.

God Made Your Body is geared towards children ages 3-5.  The book begins by explaining that God made boys and girls in many different shapes and sizes.  All the boys and girls have hair, eyes, and skin, although it isn’t all the same color.  Different girls and boys may be good at different things.  While there are many things that are alike, there are also some things that are different.  For instance, boys have a penis and testicles, while girls have a womb and a vagina.  The former allows the boys to become daddies when they grow up and the latter allows girls to become mommies.  Next the book briefly explains that in order to make a baby, a mommy and daddy come together in a special way that God intends for a husband and wife to enjoy together.  The mommy and daddy each give a part of themselves to make a baby which begins as an embryo.  Next the book explains that the baby will grow in the mommy’s tummy and gives examples of how big the baby will be at one month, three months, six months, and nine months.  After all that waiting, the baby is finally born.  Just like other children who might be listening to the book, this baby is born into a family just as God intended.

Children will be engaged by the many colorful pictures throughout this book.  The pictures and writing are age appropriate, offering a solid Biblical view of sexuality, reproduction, and family that can easily be understood by a 3-5 year old.  I’ll be sharing this book with my children for many years to come. Many heartfelt thanks to Jim Burns for developing this and other excellent resources in the Pure Foundations series.  Parents of older children may want to consider other titles by Jim Burns in the Pure Foundations series:

•    How God Makes Babies (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2009)
•    The Purity Code (Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House Publishers, 2008)
•   Accept Nothing Less (Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House Publishers, 2008)
•    Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality (Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House Publishers, 2008)

Jim Burns, PhD founded the ministry of HomeWord in 1985 to bring help and hope to struggling families.  Jim hosts the radio broadcast HomeWord With Jim Burns, which is heard daily in over eight hundred communities nationwide, and speaks to thousands around the world each year.  He is an award-winning author, whose books include Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality.  Jim and his wife, Cathy, have three grown daughters and live in California.