by Cara Natterson ; illustrated by Josée Masse ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 27, 2015
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
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by Cara Natterson ; illustrated by Josée Masse
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2013
Readers of this moving refugee story will celebrate as well.
New in Canada and unable even to understand the language, Tuyet faces a painful operation to straighten an ankle bent by polio years earlier in Vietnam.
Skrypuch continues the story she began in Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War (2012), but it’s not necessary to have read the first to appreciate this true story of healing. Drawing on her subject’s reminiscences, the author describes Tuyet’s operation and subsequent recovery with sympathy and respect. Although this takes place in 1975, it seems immediate. Seven-year-old Tuyet secretly dreams of being able to kick a ball and play with other children. As long as she can remember, she has only been able to watch. Shortly after her adoption by the Morris family, a Vietnamese-speaking woman comes to explain that she will be having an operation. After, another Vietnamese speaker visits her in the hospital and gives her a piece of paper with Vietnamese and English words she can point to when she needs something. Otherwise, this brave child endures this frightening experience without the ability to communicate. Her eventual joy at having red shoes that match and, even better, a brace and ugly brown built-up shoe that allow her to stand on her own two feet, is infectious.
Readers of this moving refugee story will celebrate as well. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-927485-01-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Pajama Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
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by Cara Natterson ; illustrated by Josée Masse ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2013
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
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by Cara Natterson ; illustrated by Josée Masse
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