My Body, My Self for Girls: Revised Edition

by Area Madaras and Lynda Madaras

Book Overview

THE BESTSELLING GROWING-UP GUIDE FOR PRETEENS AND TEENS What's happening to my body? Is this normal? This fact-filled journal and activity book makes it fun for girls to find answers to their many questions about the physical and emotional changes that accompany puberty. With quizzes, checklists, games, and illustrations throughout, My Body, My Self for Girls also includes journal pages and lots of personal stories addressing girls' concerns, experiences,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557047669
• ISBN13: 9781557047663
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 6

Customer Reviews

Fun, informative, age-appropriate activity book

I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an interactive and informative book about puberty for a reader age 9-12. I read this entire book before giving it to a dear 11 year old girl. I think she will find it fun to do the activities, and I think it will answer many of her questions. It is not loaded with details, because it is meant to complement the book "What's Happening to My Body" by the same author. But I think it can stand alone, especially if you are looking for an introductory book without a lot of "scary" info. It has many great illustrations (breast development, changes in hips/waist, pubic hair growth patterns) to help the reader understand that the changes in her body are a normal part of growing up. A few things you may want to know before buying this book/giving it to your child: It has a chapter on learning about your body and gently suggests using a mirror to identify the various parts, accompanied by a cartoon that the reader is encouraged to color in (I liked that this kept the chapter light-hearted). The same chapter also has a small paragraph on masturbation, saying that it is "normal to do it and normal not to do it." This paragraph (p. 79) can easily be cut out if you feel that your child is not ready for it, without disturbing the rest of the text too much. Overall, the writing was age-appropriate, and new terms were well defined, with a few exceptions. For instance, on p. 92 the author says that an unfertilized ovum (which she defines as an egg) will "disintegrate" - this may sound like a scary word to a younger reader. Otherwise, I did not see any other potentially inappropriate content for this age group (9-12 yrs old). The book does not cover sex. It does say that the female reproductive organs are designed for pregnancy and breastfeeding, and that an ovum combines with a male sperm to become fertilized and grow into a baby, but it does not say *how* one becomes pregnant or comes in contact with sperm. It emphasizes that pregnancy is something that "mature" women experience, without implying that a younger person can't become pregnant - I think the authors walked this line very carefully. I looked all over for a book that would cover puberty without going into a lot of detail about sex, getting pregnant, etc. I think that I made a good choice with this book!

Books for 10year old daughter

My daughter was thrilled at the new level of confidence she gained from reading these books. I recommended them to other mothers of her friends and they too purchased. These books gave my daughter a way to supplement our talks with answers maybe she was too embarrassed to ask me. Parents should talk to their children about such matters but giving them additional "fun" material such as these books offers additional benefits.

Great Book For Girls!

I bought this to review before I let my daughter go through it next year (she's only 10 now). Some of it is more advanced than a 10 year old should read - but it is sound in it's advice. She hasn't started on the road to development yet - but I expect the next year will be an emotional one and I believe this book will make it clear for her and get her to talk. My biggest fear is that she will be afraid to ask questions and I don't think that this will happen if we go through parts of the book together. Definitely worth it for young girls and parents alike who may not know how to talk about development.

Good for 10 year old girls

I bought this for my daughter who is 10. She is not showing any stages of puberty but I thought it would be a great way to follow up on our discussions about her upcoming changes. This book has a number of worksheets which encourage the reader's thoughts and feelings on all sorts of subjects. It also is very good at explaining that all girls are different and all develop at different ages. I think it gives the right amount of information for my duaghter; not too much, not too little.

Great Information and workbook to start a discussion

My 9-year-old daughter recently read this book. She has been filling in all of the workbook pages and she has used some of the topics to start conversations with me. There is enough information to make her well-informed and comfortable with the changes that will be coming soon, but not so much that it has overwhelmed or scared her. She has even laughed out loud in a couple of places. I see her using this as a reference book for many years to come. I have also purchased a copy for my younger daugher and I plan to give it to her in a couple of years.