Life lessons told gently

This is a book about growing up, narrated with humour.

How I Got My Belly Button written by Anju Kish is a wonderful children’s book on puberty, sex and growing up. The book is a must have for school and home libraries. Perhaps parents, like the parents in the book, should gently start this tutorial/conversation, one chapter at a time, so as not to overwhelm their children with a barrage of alarming information.

The foreword from the author’s son talking about his own experience learning about the birds and the bees and how he has seen his friends struggling for answers, ushers the readers into the book.

The story starts with the twins Neal and Kiara excited on the eve of their 9th birthday. Post dinner, they snuggle up with their parents for their usual bedtime storytelling session. Neal blurts out that his friend Alex is going to get a little brother and clamours for a cute and cuddle baby to play with. He isn’t satisfied with his mother’s reply that he already has his sister Kiara to play with. The sulky Neal then turns to his father; his dad replies that making a baby is serious business and that having a child is a huge responsibility.

Not half-baked information

Kiara now has her own set of questions to ask, starting with how does the stomach know when to have a baby, startling both her parents. Not to be left out, Neal is ready with his next question; how do babies get inside the stomach in the first place. Kiara wants to know, why do babies get inside a mother’s stomach and not the father’s stomach.

With such questions from two curious children, the stage is set for the parents. They think it’s time they had a talk with their twins. And the talk starts. It’s always better for the parents to explain, then let classmates and friends give wrong or half-baked information or the internet give an avalanche of information, which may not be age-appropriate or time appropriate. The talk now takes the form of a story, the story of your belly-button. The education starts with knowing the gender of a person, the twins come up with all sorts of answers about what differentiates girls and boys and most children will also come up with the same answers.

In the next chapter, their father shows them on his laptop the differences in a girl’s and boy’s body, explaining that the difference lies in their genitals. Each body part and its function is explained in a gentle way, without making the readers squeamish. Neal is in the habit of taking notes and these jottings make for an interesting read. And of course, there is their pet cat Pepper, who comes up with her own wisdom. The character of the cat adds a light touch to the narrative.

The story now moves on to puberty and all the hormonal changes it triggers in both boys and girls, physically as well as emotionally. The twins learn about menstruation, development of breasts, voice changes, body hair, sperm and ovulation. In between, the twins attend their birthday party and also go on a picnic where the next part of their education unfolds. The parents explain how babies are made in a clear way, using simple terms. The illustrations in black and white suit the book. Kudos to the author for pulling off such a delicate topic in an interesting and sensitive way. This is a must-read for children nine and above and for parents who want to have the talk.