When I was ten, a boy called Robert made what I thought was a bizarre suggestion involving his willy and my fanny. I told my mother and she decided the time had come to sit me down for 'the talk'. But she forgot to include my little sister, and even as a teenager, she was convinced the man's penis somehow wriggled its way into the woman's vagina whilst they were both asleep. ('What a relief that would be!' some of you might say.)

If only we'd had the excellent 'Let's Talk About Sex' Aimed at 10 to 14 year-olds, it's just so wholesome, non-judgmental and unthreatening. Where else could you see a line drawing of a young woman peering at her genitalia using a mirror and think, 'Ah, how nice'?

Throughout the book, two little characters discuss the facts of life. One is Bee (actually he looks more like a deranged mosquito): desperately embarrassed, he represents all the shy readers. The other is Bird. When the book talks about wet dreams and sticky sheets, Bee says, "Ohhh... very messy," to which Bird replies, "Not a problem. It just means that washing machines are very busy during puberty." It doesn't mention who does all the laundry but we can guess.

A key chapter is entitled 'What a trip! - Birth'. I suppose that the title 'What fucking agony: Birth,' was rejected as too alarming. The tone is so upbeat and uninhibited you may find your children will want to share their new vocabulary with everyone. As our friend's grandson was slowly easing herself into the swimming pool he yelled,

"Granny, have you got your vagina wet yet?"