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
Riveting as well as enlightening, this is built on a largely sturdy historical base.
Huey, an archaeologist, explains just why time travel is not for the weak of stomach.
Ah, the pleasures of a quick trip back to the 18th century—when people emptied chamber pots out of windows, free-roaming animals dumped poop on city streets, clothes were seemingly designed to be uncomfortable, and baths were rare (but infestations of lice, bedbugs, flies and intestinal parasites were not). Images of bugs scuttling over period illustrations and photos of pests and artifacts add vividly evocative notes to this rousingly unappetizing survey of the time’s fashions, living conditions and (lack of) sanitary practices. The author limits her purview to North American residents of European and African descent in, by and large, urban locales and doesn’t always get her facts straight (yes, there are mosquito species native to Europe). She strews her already sensational narrative with superfluous, boldface insertions of “Eew!” and “Gross!” Still, aside from one photo of a smallpox sufferer that may cross over, she ably walks the line that separates deliciously disgusting from genuinely disturbing.
Riveting as well as enlightening, this is built on a largely sturdy historical base. (endnotes, annotated reading and website lists, places to visit, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7613-9091-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
A serious look at a dangerous pursuit.
Recognizing the appeal but emphasizing the difficulties, a veteran science writer offers a window into the world of scientists and lay enthusiasts who follow violent storms, particularly tornadoes.
Introducing his subject with a look at a day in the life of a storm chaser, Miller goes on to explore it in greater depth in an accessible, informative narrative. He explains how tornadoes are formed, discusses climate change and its probable connection to the increase in extreme weather events, describes the work of meteorologists and others who watch the weather (either officially or as part of the National Weather Service’s volunteer corps of recorders and spotters), and concludes by suggesting ways readers can prepare to become storm chasers themselves. He includes instructions for assembling a weather emergency kit and constructing homemade weather-watching instruments; the excellent suggestions for further reading and Internet research will be particularly useful for students. All this is packaged in a slim, attractively designed package in which the text is broken up by sidebars providing definitions, explanations and short bios as well as photographs and colorful diagrams. Pair with Joseph B. Treaster’s Hurricane Force (2007) or other titles about hurricane hunters for a broader vision of storm study in this country.
A serious look at a dangerous pursuit. (Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4677-1284-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
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