News and Media

Highlights: Since its release, Beyond Birds and Bees has seen press from national, regional, and international outlets including NPR’s Life Kit podcast, the New York Times, Salon, Huffington Post, Parents magazine, The Week, Chicago Tribune, New York Public Radio’s The Brian Lehrer Show, Wisconsin Public Radio’s The Morning Show, KERA’s Think, New England Public Radio’s Book Picks, Montreal’s Natasha Hall Show, KUOW Seattle’s The Record with Bill Radke, King 5 TV News, New Day Northwest, and Good Morning Washington. Bonnie has written recently for the New York Times on teaching young children about boundaries and consent as well as the value of childhood crushes, for The Atlantic on both the link between sex ed and gender equality and the case for comprehensive sex ed, for The Cut on raising kids without sexual shame, and for the Washington Post on why we shouldn’t separate boys and girls for sex ed and how straight parents can raise kids to be allies with the LGBTQ+ community.

News and links by date:

4.14.2022 Bonnie and the book are quoted as Olga Khazan in The Atlantic expertly dismantles the damaging GOP gambit that sex ed puts kids in harm’s way; the truth is quite the opposite.

6.23.2020 The Week puts Bonnie’s advice about consent among “the week’s best parenting advice.”

12.17.2019 Bonnie joins NPR Life Kit podcast hosts Anya Kamenetz and Cory Turner to share tips with NPR listeners on how to talk to children about sex.

8.30.2019 Bonnie talks with Parent Circle, India’s trusted resource for parents, about how to support young people through puberty—and how to address periods with kids of all genders.

7.10.2019 Bonnie’s work is twice featured today in Parents magazine: Handling the Birds and the Bees: How to Have the 'Sex Talk' With Your Kids and 15 Best Sex Education Books and Resources for Kids by Age

6.14.2019 Bonnie’s latest piece for The Washington Post is about how straight parents can raise kids to be allies, during Pride Month and beyond.

5.6.2019 Bonnie speaks with King County librarians about Beyond Birds and Bees as part of a Desk Set Podcast episode on books about difficult topics.

3.21.2019 This conversation with the At Home Dad Show was nothing short of a riot! A new fave podcast for Bonnie—and an awesome resource for stay-at-home dads everywhere: @homedadshow

3.14.2019 Bonnie talks birds, bees, consent, and equality with KATU TV’s Tra’Renee Chambers on Portland’s Afternoon Live.

3.14.2019 Dropping in on Portland’s XRAY FM ahead of a reading at Powell’s on Hawthorne.

2.13.2019 Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Bonnie writes for the New York Times on why childhood crushes matter—and how grownups can be validating and supportive.

1.21.2019 “Filled with humor, humility, and heart,” says Pam Hardy of her conversation with Bonnie on how we can teach sexuality without shame for the Biggest Job Podcast.

1.15.2019 Props for Bonnie’s first audiobook! “Parents and caregivers will find this relatable guide to a fraught topic a compelling and reassuring listen,” says Audiofile Magazine of Beyond Birds and Bees, narrated by the author.

1.10.2019 A thrilling review from Scarleteen calling Beyond Birds and Bees “an accessible, thoughtful examination of the ways in which the culture in the U.S could be radically more positive in its messaging about sex, love, and equality to young people.”

12.17.2018 A joy to see Beyond Birds and Bees in the finest of company in Chicago Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens’ 10 books I loved and learned from in 2018 — all written by women.

12.12.2018 Bonnie writes for The Atlantic on The Case for Comprehensive Sex Ed in schools—from K-12.

12.10.2018 Bonnie speaks with New York Times columnist and pediatrician Perri Klass, M.D. in Why is Children’s Masturbation Such a Secret?

12.5.2018 Great fun visiting with Cris Wilson of KPTZ’s Book Lover’s Cafe.

11.12.2018 Big thanks to Good Morning Washington host Veronica Johnson for a fantastic conversation with Bonnie about speaking with children about sex and love:

10.29. 2018 Bonnie joins Dr. Robyn Silverman on her podcast How to Talk to Kids About Anything … in this case: sex, love, and equality, of course! Thanks, Dr. Robyn!

10.19.2018 Bonnie writes for the Washington Post on why all genders should learn about sex together—informally at home and formally in school.

10.2.2018 As a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s The Morning Show following her New York Times article on teaching young children about boundaries and consent, Bonnie offers approaches for parents, teachers and caregivers to encourage children’s body positivity and healthy boundaries. (Begins at minute 9:05.)

10.1.2018 Bonnie speaks with Huffington Post about the whys and hows of talking with girls and boys about periods—and doing away with menstrual shame and stigma.

9.27.2018 On a historic day of Supreme Court nomination hearings placing sexual assault at the center of national consciousness, Bonnie writes for the New York Times on Teaching Kids About Boundaries and Consent: How talking openly about bodies helps keep shame at bay, and may help a child speak up if there is a problem.

9.20.2018 Bonnie’s piece for The Atlantic on the Dutch approach and the link between sex ed and gender equality supports Annabelle Timsit’s reporting for Quartz on what makes sex ed so controversial.

9.13.2018 Take the Shame Out of Sex Ed: Bonnie talks with Mary Beth Williams of Salon about rebalancing fear and pleasure

9.11.2018 For her public book launch, Bonnie spoke to a sold-out crowd for Town Hall Seattle, joined in conversation by Seattle talents Amy Lang and Nicole Brodeur.

9.11.2018 In a colorful chat on KUOW’s The Record with Bill Radke, Bonnie and Seattle sex educator Greg Smallidge cover what’s to love about including human sexuality in everyday conversations with our kids. (Begins at 22:33)

9.11.2018 Bonnie joins King 5 TV Take 5 co-hosts Angela Russell and Chris Cashman for a chat about those practical things families can do to keep sex ed from getting so dramatic.

9.6.2018 On New Day Northwest: Bonnie J. Rough never expected to write a book about sex, but she saw a connection in the ways bodies, sex, relationships, and equality are taught to children and decided to change the narrative:

9.4.2018 Bonnie explores What Dutch Parents Know with ParentMap, Seattle's magazine for families, in advance of her Sept. 11 Town Hall event.

8.30.2018 Most parents dread having to finally have The Talk with their children, primarily because there’s no definitive way to talk about love and sex. Bonnie J. Rough joins KERA's Think to offer some insights into how we might better communicate the facts of life to the youngsters in our lives.

8.28.2018 Beyond Birds and Bees on New England Public Radio's Book Picks selected by of Kira Wizner of Merritt Bookstore`

8.28.2018 Bonnie J. Rough speaks with Greg Berg about balancing safety and freedom on WGTD The Morning Show

8.27.2018 How the Dutch Do Sex Ed - Writing for The Atlantic, Bonnie shares how Amsterdam's science museum reveals the key to gender equality

8.27.2018 Going Dutch on Sex Ed - Bonnie on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show 

8.26.2018 A great segment with Lewis@Large on KLWN Public Radio in Lawrence, Kansas

8.24.2018  Body parts called their actual names, sex ed in kindergarten: How Dutch parents raise shame-free kids - Heidi Stevens on Beyond Birds and Bees for the Chicago Tribune

8.23.2018  What Can We Learn from Dutch Sex Education? Everything - An interview with Bonnie J. Rough by Nancy Alton in Your Teen for Parents

8.20.2018  The Dutch Don’t Sex-Shame Their Kids - Bonnie writes for New York Magazine's The CUT on what sex ed is like in the Netherlands

8.16.2018  The Moral Panic Behind Sex Ed - Fabulous journalism in The Establishment from Steph Auteri on what keeps sex ed down in the United States, with Bonnie on translating the world's best examples to American family life

8.6.2018  Amaze Live! Chatting on FB with Christine Koh of Amaze.org:

8.1.2018  Beyond Birds & Bees has been named an Amazon Best Book of August 2018! And a great mention on Bustle in an August books round-up: "After moving to the Netherlands, she saw how children could be taught about human sexuality in a way that promotes equality and consent rather than shame. Her book makes a strong case for the Dutch alternative."

7.2.2018 It’s all in the can! Studio recording is complete and you’ll be able to hear Bonnie narrating the audiobook for Beyond Birds and Bees.