What's Happening to My Body? Book for Girls: Revised Edition Paperback – June 6, 2007

I bought this book for my daughter as a supplement to other information. It doesn't go into intimate/extreme detail... it's enough to get the point across. If you're a parent feeling squeamish about the sex discussion with your daughter (or daughter feels squeamish), this book is a must read. I found this at the library & read it before buying it for my daughter.

I just got this book in the mail, which I ordered for my 11 year old daughter. It covers everything girls should know by the time they are twelve or thirteen. The book describes "what's happening to my body" clearly, and without talking down to the reader. The pictures are accurate pencil drawings, not ridiculous cartoons like I have seen in some other books. I appreciate it, as it explains "sex" in a detailed way, which will spare me the having to watch my daughter's face contort while I try to explain how the P. gets into the V. She'll be able to read it in the privacy of her own home, and be able to use it as a reference on an ongoing basis. The book also covers many other useful topics, like appreciating your body the way it is (by eating well and NOT dieting), what boys go through in puberty, and "body hair, perspiration and pimples." I would have loved a book like this at that age. In sixth grade, I remember spending a lot of time talking about and giggling about "sex," all the while having virtually no idea what I was talking about. My main sexual education came from school (watered down and P.C.) and the book "Scruples," which I got a hold of from a neighbor at around 14. I want my kids to have better information than I did! Regarding age: each kid will be ready for this book at a different age. My nine year old daughter is still very much a `kid,' and this book would be way over her head at this time. But there are some girls I have seen who are quite mature by the time they are 10. So you have to judge for your child. But I think certainly, this type of information should be made available by the time a girl is 14, at the latest.

Okay, I looked at a lot of books for this topic before deciding on this one. I have to say, personally - I would not have read it in the order it's presented. I wish I had taken more time when it came to look through the book before starting it with my daughter. My daughter is 10 and I would have started with the breast development, puberty growth spurt, and a few others - not here are all your parts, the boy parts, and this is sex! However, if you're getting this for an older girl that's already gone through the puberty phase and is wondering about sex that might be what you're looking for (and then I imagine she may not be as interested in the other chapters I mentioned). All in all, this gives a lot of very good information, explained well, and has simple diagrams. So far, my daughter loves it when we read it. It's something I keep in my room and when it's time I read it with her (to be able to talk or answer questions more). I don't recommend reading this in the order it's presented, but I think I already said that. : )

I bought this book for my daughter when she was eight but didn't give it to her outta the box or even that year! Heck no I read the book and was a responsible enough parent to tab the book as to where to start and stop reading to her. We read the book in sections that I thought were appropriate for her at the time. She had enough information to know what to expect as she started her journey through puberty. She didn't get upset or overreact when her period started, she had supplies and knew what to do. We finally finished the book a few years later. My kids never asked questions about sex so I took the step to get it going and slowly. If a kid finishes this book and still has questions then they weren't listening. It covers many subjects that a tween might want to know about or better, heard about at school. At first when I looked through the book I thought, "holy crap, this book goes deep!" You don't have to give the book over and have them learn what they aren't ready for. Sure there are slang words in it, they are all over in school too, references to sex or sex acts as well. Why not teach them so they are informed better than feeling stupid and not knowing. Just be a parent and control the book! Some kids may not have thought about breast, nipples and penis size but at least this book lets them know everyone is different and it's ok! The drawings are labeled and appropriate, why not teach them correct terminology, it is what it is!

When I was about 10-11, my mom got me this book. I found it super helpful to have a book like this to answer some of my more embarrassing questions on my own. I really liked the fact that there were questions from real teenagers. I could relate to many of their concerns. If you haven't seen the pictures in the book, there are some black and white drawings of different body parts. They are not lewd in any way. At the same time, if this book is being given to a younger child, you might want to talk about what information is going to be provided in the book. This same advice goes toward the section talking about sex. In the grand scheme of the world, the sex section isn't that graphic, but for some kids (and parents) it can be a bit to handle.In short, if you are giving this book to a child, look it over first. See if it is appropriate for your child's maturity level. With that said, I really liked this book. I felt it went over several of my concerns when I went through puberty. I also liked the fact that the book was useful for a long period of time. I found myself referring to different sections of the book for a year or two. I'll admit that some sections were over my head when I first started reading the book, but as those sections became relevant they became more understandable to me.

I gave this as a gift and sat and read it with them. Until they told me no more. I told them they could finish and if they had any questions I would help. Packed full of great info!!