An informative, accessible guide that hits most of its marks
This guide for young women about puberty is written by the founder of HelloFlo.com, a subscription service that delivers customized selections of menstrual products by mail and offers women’s health information on its website.
Nine straightforward, concise chapters are embellished with appealing, colorful line drawings of ethnically diverse young women engaging in such activities as playing soccer and talking with friends, which lends a balancing, casual feel to the more pointed, drawn diagrams, such as one that labels the different parts of a vulva and vagina. Various issues are frankly addressed, including breast development, growing body and pubic hair, and menstruation, as well as some common physiological and emotional experiences, such as increased body odor and PMS. Helpful, clear advice about the mechanics of managing menstrual blood and the removal (or not) of body hair are framed in a nonjudgmental way, encouraging readers to make whatever decision feels right, and added historical context about trends and the shifts in society’s attitudes toward women’s bodies strike just the right tone. However, a confusing admonishment to “Don’t. Ever. Shave” unwanted facial hair remains unexplained beyond mentioning the sensitivity of the face, and some teen readers may find the didactic assurances about life getting not just better, but “to be the best” with age frustrating.
An informative, accessible guide that hits most of its marks . (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18731-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
Energetic and accessible, this guide serves as a cheerleader in your corner.
An Australian writer and doctor team up to empower “the next generation of bleeders” to become “period boss[es].”
Casual and engaging, this seeks to demystify, reassure, and arm readers with information about menstruation and other aspects of puberty. With the book’s focus on managing periods and how to prepare, topics range from menstrual products—both the use and the environmental impact of each kind—to how to advocate for your needs to parents, caregivers, coaches, teachers, and friends. Personal stories and quotes from both other teens and adults are peppered throughout, and cross-references with page numbers are often provided so readers can jump to other sections for further reading on specific topics. Effort has seemingly been taken to avoid using gendered language—people who “have a uterus”—but the occasional feminine term (girls, ladies, sisters) slips through. The fact that some people who are assigned female at birth do not identify as female is addressed, and an anecdote from a trans man recounts correcting a drugstore clerk with the inclusive term sanitary items. Cartoon illustrations provide anatomical information and instructions as well as showing a fairly diverse group of teens, but images are reused, and the preponderance of figures present female.
Energetic and accessible, this guide serves as a cheerleader in your corner. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction. 10-15)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1476-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Occasionally clever—fifth-grade boys will love it.
“There is a lot of nonsense written about the human body,” writes the author, “and this book is no exception.”
Though not quite making good on his promise of “100 percent fact-free chapters,” (he does accurately describe “chondrolaryngoplasty”) Griffiths’ anatomical tour in general steers clear of anything that would be marked as correct on a test. From “Ears can be big or small, depending on their size” to “Capillaries are the larval form of butterflies,” he offers pithy inanities about 68 mostly real body features. Though he closes every entry with “That is all you need to know about…,” he then goes on to regale readers with the news that the epiglottis was named after a Greek philosopher and other “Fun Body Facts.” Similarly, noting that his illustrations “may not be scientifically accurate” (the understatement of the decade), Denton nonetheless provides on nearly every spread profusely labeled, free-association cartoon views of each body part. These are filled out with tiny figures, mechanical apparatus and miscellaneous junk. Though serious young researchers may be disappointed to find the “Private Parts” pages blacked out, a full index follows to provide ready access to any references to poo, pus, farts, drool, “sneeze-powered missiles” and like essentials.
Occasionally clever—fifth-grade boys will love it. (Humor. 10-12)Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-36790-9
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
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