God Made Boys and Girls helps children understand that their gender is a gift from the God who made them and loves them. The story begins as the girls and boys at Grace Christian School are discussing if boys will always be boys and girls will always be girls.
Their teacher explains that God gives each of us the gift of being male or female before we are born, and that you continue to be a boy or a girl whether you like to climb trees or play house, play tag or color pictures, cause a ruckus or sit quietly.
In a world where there is so much confusion about gender and identity, pastor and best-selling author Marty Machowski shares the simple, clear truth that all of us are made in God's image as either male or female—and what God made is very good!
Included in the back of the book is a special section just for parents and caregivers that gives biblical guidance and help as they have this important conversation with their children.
"Are you watching the culture's rapid departure from biblical principles and wondering how to address these sensitive issues with your precious children? Marty Machowski has provided a timely resource to help you in that crucial task, his new book takes a gentle and scriptural look at what God's Word tells us about his design for the two genders. This volume offers parents a terrific way to initiate important discussions with their kids."
Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family
"This helpful book hits all the crucial talking points in an engaging and humorous story that connects with kids (including my own). Since even young children are bombarded with confusing messages, Marty gives needed clarity on the blessing and permanence of gender. He includes vital discussion on rejecting gender stereotypes and loving those with differing world views. In fact, the parents' 'cheat sheet' alone is an invaluable resource for your home."
David White, Director of Discipleship at Harvest USA; pastor; author of Sexual Sanity for Men and God, You, & Sex
"The message that God made boys and girls is much needed in our day. Marty Machowski does an excellent job of communicating that maleness and femaleness isn't about stereotypes but about embracing the design that our Creator has encoded into every cell of our bodies. What a tremendous resource for children!"
Mary A. Kassian, Author of Girls Gone Wise
"In our current day, children can easily become confused about all kinds of issues that are clearly presented in the Scriptures, particularly if their home, church, and school do not provide a consistent biblical foundation. Gender issues rank high on the list of areas that children can become untethered from the Bible's teaching. This beautiful book gently teaches children to cherish their God-given gender and to love their neighbor as themselves, a timely word on a sensitive issue."
Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan
"In a culture that is increasingly accepting of gender-fluid identities, it's so important to teach our kids that gender is part of their personhood. God Made Boys and Girls is a wonderful tool for that task. It reminds children (and parents!) that being a man or woman is a gift we receive from God."
Jared Kennedy, Pastor of Operations and Families at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, KY, Author of The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible
"The sin of Babel was that human beings sought to fashion society and identity on their own terms, in denial of the loving purposes and rule of our Creator God. The current cultural challenges around sex and gender are similar attempts to deny what God has given and his purposes for human flourishing. God Made Boys and Girls: Helping Children Understand the Gift of Gender is a timely resource to equip parents to explain God's good gift of gender to their children, and to prepare children to meet a world that is bent on denying how wonderful it is to be made in the image of God, male and female, boys and girls."
Claire Smith, Author, God's Good Design: What the Bible Really Says about Men and Women
"Clear, careful, and unashamed, God Made Boys and Girls is a great tool to help children learn from their early years the truth of God's design for them, and to help both parents and children celebrate the wonder of that design. Let this book help ground your family in the deep goodness of God's gifts."
Mike Bullmore, Senior Pastor, CrossWay Community Church, Bristol, Wisconsin
The biblical truths in this volume set the foundation for seeing individuals as "Boys" and "Girls" based on God's good gift of gender. Emphasis to accept individuals who don't like to conform to cultural norms of activities identified as "boy things to do" and "girl things to do" - in a straightforward way. I'm aiming this towards the 4s & 5s age group Resource room ... and putting one on my office shelf too as a future reference. This is currently my "Go To" resource to help parents talk through Gender issues from a biblical viewpoint - and have scriptures passages right at hand for further discussion.
Helpful introduction to the fact that XX or XY is in every cell of your body, and your gender is a gift from God to be received with joy.
Helpful introduction to the fact that XX or XY is in every cell of your body, and your gender is a gift from God to be received with joy.
This is the best children's book on this issue of Gender from a biblical perspective. Marty Machowski uses a story to relate how God made girls and boys distinctly different, not just in surface issues but in fact via gender code in the body, beginning with Creation. Well crafted and finishes by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I especially appreciated "Truths About Gender" on the last pages of the book when he answers the hard questions about gender that are being asked today. Thank Marty for a great book we can share with our children and grandchildren without reservation!
This book was recommended to me.
This is an excellent story that addresses the gender with truth in a kid-friendly way. Full review coming soon. UPDATE: When I first heard of God Made Boys and Girls, I was a bit concerned about the fact that it’s about gender. You see, we live in a society that is trying to change what we believe about gender, so it makes my heart sad to realize that we need more books like these for our children. In fact, I highly recommend using this with your children whether your a parent, teacher, counselor or someone who works with kids in any way. The author uses real-life examples to begin the conversation about gender. She explains to her readers that God created boys and girls. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. -Genesis 1:27” Marty Machowski explains to children that gender is a special gift from God. She also uses the XX and XY chromosome to explain that no matter how you change your gender, you can’t change your blood. This was a kid-friendly and simple way to explain. The author takes it even further by using Adam and Eve to explain sin and how God’s way is better. This book is very gospel-centered as the author explains how Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again for our sins. Children will learn about forgiveness. Children will also learn that it is okay for boys to like baking and playing with dolls and for girls to like football and other boyish stuff. The main point with this is that it isn’t about what we think makes us a boy or a girl. God never makes mistakes when it comes to gender. Something else that I thought was intriguing was that the author also teaches children the importance of loving others. Since we live in a society full of sin, they will come across other kids who want to change their gender and may possibly even will. However, it is still important that they show Jesus’ love. This isn’t part of the Good News For Little Hearts series, but like those books, you can find talking points to take the discussion further. One of the neat discussions is how a child might have medical reasons, for example having been born with both genitals. Basically, the book covers all its bases.
This is an excellent story that addresses the gender with truth in a kid-friendly way. Full review coming soon. UPDATE: When I first heard of God Made Boys and Girls, I was a bit concerned about the fact that it’s about gender. You see, we live in a society that is trying to change what we believe about gender, so it makes my heart sad to realize that we need more books like these for our children. In fact, I highly recommend using this with your children whether your a parent, teacher, counselor or someone who works with kids in any way. The author uses real-life examples to begin the conversation about gender. She explains to her readers that God created boys and girls. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. -Genesis 1:27” Marty Machowski explains to children that gender is a special gift from God. She also uses the XX and XY chromosome to explain that no matter how you change your gender, you can’t change your blood. This was a kid-friendly and simple way to explain. The author takes it even further by using Adam and Eve to explain sin and how God’s way is better. This book is very gospel-centered as the author explains how Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again for our sins. Children will learn about forgiveness. Children will also learn that it is okay for boys to like baking and playing with dolls and for girls to like football and other boyish stuff. The main point with this is that it isn’t about what we think makes us a boy or a girl. God never makes mistakes when it comes to gender. Something else that I thought was intriguing was that the author also teaches children the importance of loving others. Since we live in a society full of sin, they will come across other kids who want to change their gender and may possibly even will. However, it is still important that they show Jesus’ love. This isn’t part of the Good News For Little Hearts series, but like those books, you can find talking points to take the discussion further. One of the neat discussions is how a child might have medical reasons, for example having been born with both genitals. Basically, the book covers all its bases.
God Made Boys and Girls is the latest book by pastor and author Marty Machowski. Machowski's books are always encouraging and truth-filled and God Made Boys and Girls is no exception. This book begins with Maya, a young girl who enjoys things like football and climbing trees. Some boys at school make fun of her for this so their teacher, Mr. Ramirez, gives them a biblical lesson on gender. He tells his students, ". . . gender is the word we use to describe God's good gift of creating each of us either male or female." The book goes on to explain that God gifted each individual with the genetic makeup that they have. I like that the characters in the book don't fit traditional gender stereotypes. Machowski wrote, ". . . it is not what we do or like or think that makes us a boy or a girl. God gave us our gender as a special gift, and God never makes mistakes. His ways are perfect." Machowski presents the idea of gender as a gift from God. I had thought of gender as good since it was God's idea but I had never considered it a gift. Although God Made Boys and Girls is a book meant for children, I found myself learning new things about God as I read it with my oldest daughter. Machowski included a gospel presentation in the book that is simple to understand yet theologically rich. Reading it greatly encouraged my heart. He wrote, "Jesus lived a perfect life and never sinned so that he could take our sin upon himself. The world hated Jesus and nailed him to a cross to die. While he hung nailed to the cross, God the Father punished Jesus for our sin. Today anyone who turns from their sins and trusts in Jesus can be saved and forgiven. God puts his Holy Spirit into the heart of everyone who believes in Jesus to remind them of God's ways and God's plan and to help them live for God and be the person God made them to be." Machowski uses the gospel as the catalyst for why Christians ought to love others - even if they prefer activities that might not be traditionally enjoyed by their gender (for example, the book illustrates a female scientist and a male dancer). As a side note, I have to add that I LOVE that the gospel presentation includes all persons of the Trinity. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that Machowski isn't blind to the growing cultural confusion about gender. The book ends with one character stating, "Jesus said that we should love our neighbors and even those who disagree with us. So we should show love to people who might be confused about their gender and about how God made them." Overall, Machowski did a first-rate job of tackling a tough subject in a way that is God-honoring and understandable for individuals of all ages. My daughter and I really enjoyed God Made Boys and Girls and I am pleased to recommend it. I received God Made Boys and Girls compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
What a great resource for parents who are trying to teach Scriptural truths while navigating social mores. There's nothing inflammatory and the tone is not only educational, but kind.
What a great resource for parents who are trying to teach Scriptural truths while navigating social mores. There's nothing inflammatory and the tone is not only educational, but kind.
