A straightforward explanation of growth and changes in puberty aimed at girls approaching their teens.
A pediatrician who also serves as an online expert for several parenting sites offers sensible descriptions of and answers to common questions about body basics, physical, emotional and mental changes, and relationships with family and friends in this latest self-help title from the American Girl group. The target audience for this follow-up to The Care & Keeping of You (1998) is clearly the upper end of the company’s publishing focus (ages 8-12), but the information provided about puberty is generally similar to that in the previous title, which covered girls’ good health more broadly. There are clear instructions for breast self-examination and for inserting a tampon. (Shaving one’s legs and determining bra size return from the earlier book.) The text does not include sexual feelings among its set of physical and emotional changes. In the diagram of the vagina, the clitoris is shown but not labeled. Parents will be particularly pleased by the author’s repeated reminder that parental rules rule. Preteen readers will appreciate the positive, personal tone. Sure to be welcomed, and especially useful for families and collections where the more explicit It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley (1999) would be unacceptable. (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-60958-042-1
Page Count: 103
Publisher: American Girl
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat, serviceable introduction to the benefits of wearing clean clothes, changing bed sheets regularly, and caring for...
“How can you defeat the icky germs? Fight them off by washing and brushing your teeth.”
Interspersed with bright color photos of children wincing theatrically at the bad and smiling at the good, Kreisman’s chirpy guide offers easy-to-follow advice on hygienic practices. It also supplies general information on the causes of cavities, body odor and other consequences of neglecting them. Interjections (“Gross!”), lame side jokes and simplified language such as the substitution of “As you get older,” or “When you become a teenager…” for “puberty” keep the discourse from turning clinical. Despite this, the information is accurate (aside from one photo of a child apparently sticking a cotton swab into her ear that contradicts its caption’s warning not to) and not unduly alarmist about bacteria and dirt. A labeled graphic shows what lies beneath the “epidermis,” and readers will come away understanding that “private parts” means “genitals and anus.” A summary checklist at the end, along with a true/false quiz, provides a light dose of reinforcement.
An upbeat, serviceable introduction to the benefits of wearing clean clothes, changing bed sheets regularly, and caring for skin, nails and hair. (glossary, index, print and Web resources) (Nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-93752-967-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Red Chair Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
For a preteen who enjoys writing her thoughts and a mom whose relationship with her daughter is already good, this...
A “How-to-Say-It” package about preteen physical, emotional, and social concerns for mothers and their daughters.
The period between childhood and adulthood can be challenging to navigate. This boxed set includes two 48-page paperbacks, one for mom and one for her daughter, and a much longer blank journal with writing prompts for the two to share. They follow the pediatrician/author’s highly successful titles about girls’ changing bodies and feelings and a similar but preteen-directed journal some users have chosen to share with parents. Topics covered include personal concerns (hygiene, nutrition, exercise, sleep, safety, body changes, periods, beauty, clothing, eating disorders) and relations with the outside world of family, friends, the Internet, romance, and time management. Each double-page spread addresses a separate topic and includes “how to say it” prompts. There are conversation starters, talking tips, and sensible suggestions about negotiating the social-media world, including a sample family contract. Appealing cartoon illustrations show a range of girls and mother-daughter pairs who are clearly communicating. The “completely private” journal has color-coded pages to indicate mother, daughter, and joint entries, as well as similarly coded ribbons to mark pages. The pages labeled “TOP SECRET” seem to contradict the open approach.
For a preteen who enjoys writing her thoughts and a mom whose relationship with her daughter is already good, this well-meant offering might help ease the pair through a difficult time. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60958-978-3
Page Count: 92
Publisher: American Girl
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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