I received a complimentary copy of God Made Boys and Girls from the publisher - New Growth Press, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own - and well, my five year old daughters'.

God Made Boys and Girls - as the title suggests - is a lovely story teaching us how unique God has made each one of us - boy or girl. The pages is filled with colour and pictures which makes it a fun and easy to read story to young children. Educational as well.

I would highly recommend this book for children.

God Made Boys and Girls: Helping Children Understand the Gift of Gender is a great reminder for us all.
Five stars.

Though it's sad that there is a need for a book like this to be written, this is a very well written and Biblical perspective on gender. Though many people are probably offended by it, I appreciate that it contains a very clear Biblical explanation of gender and how God created man and woman uniquely-and created them the way He wanted them to be, not leaving the decision up to us.
It contains a clear Gospel presentation (though it doesn't contain any reference to the resurrection) and connects it well to the fact that sin has caused people to depart from God's design for genders.
There's so much potential for discussion with this book and I think it is appropriate for a wide range of ages of children.

*I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

“God Made Boys and Girls: Helping Children Understand the Gift of Gender”, Marty Machowski, New Growth Press, 2019, pp. 32

“God Made Boys and Girls” is a timely, well published, and attractively age-appropriately designed little book aimed at an age level of 3 – 5, which deals with the contemporary gender revolution / crisis (or whatever the appropriate designation of this period is to be defined as) which our children are ever increasingly being brought into and especially at an alarmingly younger age.

As society changes at a quickening pace, how will Christian parents respond and especially how do we respond in an engaging way especially with our little ones in a way that is both appropriate and Biblical.

Machowski, in my opinion, authors excellent Children’s resources which also have the skill in educating adults – truly the skill of a good teacher and communicator. In “God Made Boys and Girls”, Machowski uses the simple method of telling a short story and the conversation between a teacher and his students about what it all means when we say that God made boys and girls and what gender is and that gender is God’s good gift to us.

Through story-telling, Machowski roots readers in the creation account – that God created us male and female; he reminds us of the fall of Adam and the Gospel promise of a Saviour; and even throws a little simple bit of science in there about genes and DNA that even I could understand…

For Adults there is a little help at the end of the book, ‘Truths about Gender to Share with Children’ which Machowski is able to help us bring around to a Gospel conversation.

This is without doubt going to be a really helpful little book. It’s age appropriate and may be a good way of even stimulating conversation and thoughtfulness about the subject with children of a more mature nature.

A sample of the book can be read here at the Publishers Web-Page.

I received a review copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I was not obliged to post a positive review.

Having enjoyed other titles in this series, this again was an excellent book covering what can be tricky issues to approach with children. Based on scripture with beautiful pictures this is a book that could be enjoyed over and over again with children of all ages.

Thank you NetGalley and New Growth Press for an Advance Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Kids will learn that God loves us and He wants us to show His love to others by being kind and compassionate to them, specifically in the area of gender identity. Kids will understand that God made us in His image; He created each of us uniquely with a variety of interests and abilities. However, those interests and abilities do not define our gender; neither do our preferences or personality. God determined our gender when He created us. He made each person either male or female. Our gender, defined by the chromosomes we receive from our parents, is part of every cell of our body. Kids will be affirmed that being a boy or being a girl is God's good gift to them.

I liked this book but not as much as the others in the series. I love the rhyming of the others in the series and missed that element here. However, the concept of the book is one I loved - I appreciated the way that the author approached gender and didn't place kids' likes, dislikes or activities into a gender role or box. I also appreciated the way gender was routed in a clear scriptural understanding. However, I did feel it was a little more complex than the others in the series!

While not expressing my opinion on what I believe, one way or another, this book did a good job at telling children that they don't have to conform to gender roles. If you are a girl, you can like cars and if you are a boy, you can like dolls, etc. No one can tell you what to like based on your gender. Go out and be who you want to be, I always say. We are supposed to love everybody and embrace people no matter what decisions they make in life, great or small. We all are unique and thats how it should be.
#godmadeboysandgirls #Netgalley

As a book for children, I liked the message that we can all like different things. However, I felt it was a bit too invested in biology and politics for the young audience its target reader.

Interesting... It just seemed a little too technical for younger kids, and once they get older they might not appreciate the pictures and style.

With all the gender issues facing our culture, there can be confusion of our own identity. How do I fit in this world. In this timely book geared toward children celebrating the gender that they were born with the gifts that they were given, the roles can be confusing. If I am boy, then I do "boy" things and vice versa with if I am a girl, I can do only girl things. We have made gender issues in regards to our personality and preferences instead of scientific truth which is explained in child friendly detail.

The first part of the book speaks to our children in a colorful illustrations in how we love others that are different and like to do different things. How God made the world and what determines male and female. How our blood determines if we are male or female. (This is very important in giving blood as they ask how you identify as male or female vs. what gender they were born in.) The implications are great in giving blood and those that receive blood. There is always a shortage because of the strict guidelines.

I appreciate the teaching for children to accept other children and also how they explained the importance of Gender. It is somewhat contradicting that we celebrate gender reveal when the culture celebrates that we can choose what gender we want to be. The book is sensitive to those needs but holds to the truth as well. Highly Recommend.

A Special Thank You to New Growth Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book for my honest review. This book talks about God's design and intention for gender. The story is set up in a classroom where the teacher gently and lovingly shares how each person has a certain code (DNA) that specifies whether a person is a boy or a girl and tells the class that the gender is a gift from God to each person. The book also shares the story of salvation and goes into what happened to us in the fall of man. The book also covers the different syndromes that are in small percentages but is quick to point out that we are to be kind to all people as we are all made unique. This book is good for early elementary aged kids. It seems a bit advanced for my younger preschooler though. I don't know that she'd quite understand it all and it gets a bit into the weeds, in my honest opinion.

This book is so needed right now with all of the gender confusion going on. This book deals with the topic so well for younger children and from a Biblical perspective. There were plenty of Bible verses to support the concepts presented. It still encourages either gender to do things that tend to be gender stereotyped (such as playing football at recess, cooking, singing) I highly recommend this for any family who wants to teach their children how to navigate gender according to God's Word.

The title offers a simple, biblical approach to gender, scripturally and scientifically supporting its argument that everyone is assigned their God-given gender, either male or female, before birth, and that gender cannot change. The picture-book format gives a gentle approach to this issue, encouraging kids not to fall for or promote gender stereotypes and to be kind to those with gender dysphoria. This book is intended as a parent's aid to counter mainstream cultural gender theory and includes a more detailed appendix for parents. Critics may argue that the book conflates sex and gender, but given that the book is written for an audience of Christians who already believe the two to be one and the same, this should not be an issue for the book's prime readership.

Marty Machowski presents a clear articulation of a conservative Christian stance on the issue of gender identity. He properly places all identity in the creative actions of God. He presents his viewpoint in a clear, concise manner with a touch of humor and approachable illustrations. Machowski also extends his discussion into a presentation of the Gospel with words of encouragement on how to love our neighbor.

To quibble for a moment - Machowski includes what has become a fairly common phrase "God never makes mistakes" which rings similar to the phrase "God doesn't make any junk." While it would be a bit foolhardy to defend the position that God does make mistakes, it remains true (as Machowski admits later in the book) that children are born with gender defects. If God doesn't make mistakes and God's ways are perfect, then what does one say to these children? Perhaps it is more helpful to state that God's initial creative activity was without defect, but the fall has since introduced consequences that are not within God's design or will. Therefore, all children find their final and permanent identity in God's redemptive activity even though everyone will experience the consequences of the fall in their bodies in some way whether disorder, disease, or death.

Overall a helpful addition to the available materials supporting a clearly defined innate gender identity.

#GodMadeBoysAndGirls
#NetGalley

An excellent book for Christian parents trying to navigate the current societal pressures with their children. This book teaches Biblical truth in a winsome, compassionate way, using a school teacher and his students. I highly recommend this to Christian families.

Another great book in this series. It can be a very helpful look at gender issues being faced in our churches today.
It easily can be used in churches, sunday school classes, schools and at home.
It takes a look not just at how God created us but also the science behind XX and XY chromosomes.
Thanks for a great tool to be able to use with my kids.