What Makes a Baby [Hardcover]

Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult

“What Makes a Babyis extraordinary! Cory is a Dr. Spock for the 21st century.”—Susie Bright

“A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question 'Where Do Babies Come From?': The new bookWhat Makes a Babyoffers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like. —The Atlantic

This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic. —School Library Journal


Geared to readers from preschool to age eight, What Makes a Baby is a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid. It is a twenty-first century children’s picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of kids, adults, and families, regardless of how many people were involved, their orientation, gender and other identity, or family composition. Just as important, the story doesn’t gender people or body parts, so most parents and families will find that it leaves room for them to educate their child without having to erase their own experience. 

Written by sexuality educator Cory Silverberg, and illustrated by award-winning Canadian artist Fiona Smyth, What Makes a Baby is as fun to look at as it is useful to read. The playful illustrations and simple but intelligent text illuminate the basic biology of reproduction while honoring today’s diversity of families, of genders and gender identities, and of how kids can come into a family. —Maria Popova, Brainpickings.org

This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic. —School Library Journal

“It’s an informative and entertaining read for kids of all parents, straight or queer. And, hey, even if your kids were conceived the olló.