The book coveres a lot of self care like teeth brushing, showering, and the basics. The last part of this book is about menstruation and body hair. There is no sex talk like some other puberty books.


Terrific book for Pre-Teens   November 27, 2002
 237 out of 241 found this review helpful

I bought this book for my 9 (soon to be 10) year old and was impressed by the head-to-toe body care topics it covered. It touches on everything from hair care, to face cleansing, to washing your hands, to exercising and nutrition. I was wondering how I was going to broach the topic of starting her period with my daughter and this sure helped relieve my anxiety. It covered it honestly, straightforward and not intimidating at all. I think it helped because it was only a minor focus of the entire body-care book. (A brief introduction to what a period is and how to handle it and the fact that it is completely NORMAL and all girls go through it). I told my daughter that she was now in the "girls club" and could talk to me anytime about any of these topics she had questions about...she carried the book around for hours and immediately started cleaning her face, brushing her hair and being more conscious of her overall body care.
I highly recommend this book for preteens and am happy I bought it.


Sensible, honest, open communication approach.   February 25, 2002
 70 out of 82 found this review helpful

I am so glad I found this book!

My oldest daughter is approaching the pre-teen years, and I knew I'd have to get her a book that explains all the stuff I learned in 'sex ed', but I didn't want to give her all the psycho-babble that came with my class.

I like this book because it is simply a how-to of body care. The approach is, "you've got a body, and you're growing up, and you're going to have to take more responsibility for taking care of your body. Now, since you're growing up, there are some things that will change about caring for your body..."

The book covers such innocuous topics as brushing your teeth and taking care of your hair. But it explains also about braces, and how to prevent head lice, and how often to shower. How to handle body odor and what to do when hair starts growing in new and unusual places. Nutrition, exercise and athletes feet are addressed.

Of course, there is plenty of data on how to find a bra that fits. What happens when a girl menstruates, and how to practice good hygiene. There is a brief discussion about body image, and it's all very positively handled in the book.

The only part that I thought wasn't totally correct was the bit on nutrition. It assumes that the "food pyramid" is a correct diet for everyone and it says that a person should eat all these grains every day. (When in reality, a huge number of people are allergic to grains, and most people can survive better on just vegetables, fruit and protein. Of course, the cereal companies gave the government educational system lots of money to promote the massive grain consumption, so there you go. It's now part of our "education". I do feel this was a little slip in this book. They bought into the government-pushed propaganda, and I didn't like that. Other than this, though, the book is just excellent.

I highly recommend this book for anyone with a pre-teen daughter. Very useful, and positive.


Great way to introduce young girls to body changes.   March 11, 2002
 45 out of 46 found this review helpful

Finally! I was looking for a book my 10 year old could read without the sexual details. This book is great for girls who are just starting to think about shaving, the shape of their bodies, wether or not to wear a bra, or what a period is. It is a basic guide to taking care of their bodies. I ordered other books I had to return because there were chapters on sexual intercourse, masturbation and birth control. This book has none of that. I can now give my daughter this book to read without having to cut out any pages!


Awesome! Perfect for parents, like me, too shy to discuss it   August 5, 2001
 41 out of 41 found this review helpful

I am one of those....hhmmm...scardy cats! Talk about personal stuff with my kids?!? MY mom didn't do that! :) This book was the answer to my prayers! I worked up the courage to give it to my daughter (9 yo) and briefly flip thru the pages with her. I tried to act cool...ya right! It goes from head to toe on a girl and discusses the importance of keeping every part clean and well groomed. Then I told her if she had questions to ask. I checked with her periodically over the next couple of weeks...concerns? uncomfortable? NONE of either. She is so comfortable with the subjects I'M no longer afraid to talk to her about it. She LOVES the book and reads it on a regular basis. Checks it if she has questions and we go over questions together...with or without the book. My younger daughter (7) will inherit it next. Now, if American Girls would just come out with (if there IS one please let me know!) a book on sex ed! :) I highly recommend this book for any girl about to hit puberty. Or any parent that just can't quite work up the nerve to discuss 'those things'.