A fun and friendly walk through potentially confusing aspects of growing up.
An illustrated guide for preteen boys that seeks to answer questions about puberty.
In her nonfiction book, marriage and family therapist Pierre-Louis (Co-Parenting Guidelines, 2004) addresses queries that many young people (and some parents) have about male puberty with help from debut author Caffey, a retired basketball player for two World Championship–winning Chicago Bulls teams. She answers them using a fictional framing device: a lecture by a character named Dr. David Richard who talks about two young boys, 9-year-old Preeb and 12-year-old Pube. With the aid of debut artist Burke’s terrific color illustrations (which cartoonishly portrays the main characters as anthropomorphic, hat-wearing male genitalia), Pierre-Louis uses clear, concise and anatomically precise language to set the stage: “So, what really triggers the puberty show?” Richard rhetorically asks his audience. “In us guys, the special sauce is a chemical, a hormone called Testosterone.” He then delves into specifics on a wide array of topics, including the changing nature of adolescent skin, the causes and nature of random erections, the perennial mystery of pimples, the pros and cons of circumcision, the unsettling question of changing vocal registers, and other matters. In all cases, Pierre-Louis opts for a straightforward, heavily factual approach that offers instruction and dispels persistent misinformation; the section on masturbation, for instance, runs through a list of purported evils that are definitely not a result of that activity. The book, which includes a foreword by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, carefully and discreetly addresses difficult subjects in a realistic manner. When discussing the mood swings that accompany puberty, for instance, the text offers practical advice: “If you take three really deep breaths before doing or saying anything, it will calm you down…If you can’t remember to breathe, walk away.”
A fun and friendly walk through potentially confusing aspects of growing up.Pub Date: June 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73302-721-2
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Dock N Jock LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
