The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls

I bought this book for my shy 10 year old after a rather confusing PHSE lesson at school. Although the drawings are somewhat explicit in certain areas, they are actually totally appropriate in this context. The language and friendly approach to the topics and questions is great - matter of fact, friendly and appropriate for pre-teen girls. The book covers things like hair washing and manicures, bullying, feeling an outsider as well as when and how to choose a bra and what happens when your periods start. It does NOT cover sex which is not of primary concern right now. I found it practical without being patronising or politically correct, and it suggests that the reader should ask mum or an older girl they trust if they are worried or need help. My daughter particularly appreciated the letters pages where common concerns or worries are answered like an agony column. My daughter says she isn't worried about things now because she knows that other people feel the same as her and she can talk to me about anything. A great book for pre-teens.

This is a lovely book! I bought it for my 12 year old daughter and it's been both a source of reassurance for her and prompted many lovely chats between us. It is presented in an easy to read format: factual, interesting, gently amusing and unpatronising. The illustrations are delightful and help to keep the tone of the book light and friendly. It not only deals with physical changes but also feelings and emotions and friendships all of which can be confusing and a bit scary at times when you are young. I'd definately recommend it to anyone with a young daughter aged 9-13ish. A reassuring book and a helpful back-up for parents guiding young girls into young women.

I have a 9 year old daughter whose body is changing very quickly. I wanted a book that didn't go into the nitty gritty of sex and intercourse. Neither of us are quite ready for that yet! This book explains all about how her body will change and how to look after herself. It includes looking after her teeth and hair as well as talking about periods and what to do when you have one. It describes the uterus as building a nest for a baby - which I thought was a nice way of putting it. I read the book before I gave it to my daughter and decided that we would have some time together eating haribos and reading some of the pages together. This book was just what I wanted. I wanted a book to be about my daughter and how her body is changing not anything else. And it was perfect for that.

I was looking for a book to read with my nearly eight year old which was more than just about puberty and didn't have anything related to sex. This book does cover this as it has sections on looking after your body, face care, exercise, eating etc. There was only one section I was a little uncomfortable about and that was cartoons and sections on how to insert a tampon. Not really appropriate at eight but probably perfect a little later on. However, it was well written, straight forward although obviously, as already pointed out, it is american. May not be suitable for very child but I hope it will be a good book to read with my daughter. I'll update once I've done that.

I bought this for my nearly 9 year old daughter and since it arrived on Tuesday she's hardly put it down and has just about finished it. She says she's going to read it again straight away! She says she has no questions (so far) and it's allayed her fears of growing up too. I had a quick flick through it myself and it's a friendly, approachable book covering all aspects of a girl's changing body, what will happen and why. Unlike other books on the same subject there is no mention of becoming sexy or of sex itself for which I am glad, my daughter may be growing up but she doesn't need to know about that yet. Yes, as some of the comments state, it is a bit American at times but we live in an Americanised world and my daughter hasn't been phased by the Americanisms. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with a daughter of 8-10years who is approaching the next phase of growing up and for who you want to make those changes a little less daunting.

I am very happy with this book. I needed a non-threatening, easy to read and understand book for my 8 year old who was developing early. I didn't want to deal with the topic of sexual reproduction or having sexual relations just yet as she was too young in my opinion, so this book was perfect. It deals with the subject of growing up, how to take care of your body and dealing with her future female physical changes and what to expect. Straight forward, to the point and nothing too heavy. The pretty, girlie illustrations were perfect for a child her age. Helps you kick things off without going too far into discussions they (or you!) may not be ready for yet.

I brought this book for my 9 year old twin girls,as one of them is beginning to show signs of 'changing'.I flicked through it before giving it to them just to check if the content was age appropriate for them,and in my opinion it is perfect.It has no mention of sex,which is great as in my opinion I feel they are too young to be learning about it yet. So I gave them this book to read and told them to ask me any questions if they needed to(they didn't ask much,but we did talk about it after). Now I am happy that if either of them start their periods(which hopefully won't be too young,but you never know!),they will be aware of what is happening.

The book arrived promptly. It is perfect for my daughter (age 9). It's full of information on all aspects of body care and is written in an approachable non-preachy way. There are a few 'Americanism's' fair enough it was written for American girls, but this so far has not caused any confusion for my daughter. If you have a daughter, niece or grand-daughter aged 8-12 get them a copy.

Everything from dealing with body hair, to periods. It is not intimidating, and has a very confidential tone. It encourages girls to talk to their mother, or other female adult about any questions they might have, and is very very reassuring. Absolutely fabulous.

I bought this for my newly 11 year old a few years ago. I wanted her to have it on her bookshelf as a resource to use on her own, but also so I could read to her on relevant topics as they came up. Well she started her period yesterday which came as a surprise to both of us, and I am glad we have this book to read through together. It is at the PERFECT level for her. She is still a child in so many ways, but at that funny tween stage where she she needs antiperspirant, gets a pimple now and then, and has mixed feelings about her developing breasts. So much of this puberty stuff brings embarrassment for girls, and that is why it is nice to have a book like this. Sometimes they want to read about these things in private, in addition to our mom & daughter talks. I love that this book talks about your whole body, not just breasts and periods. It talks about taking care of your teeth, hair, skin, ears, nails, etc. The happy illustrations bring the book to life and give it a warm, friendly feel that appeals to the child in her. Some parents may dislike that it has "graphic" illustrations on how to insert a tampon, but you know, that is exactly where we are right now, and I am grateful that a book is addressing that. Yes, girls have vaginas and there is nothing wrong with showing them illustrations of them or how a tampon goes in. Her vagina is just as much a part of her body as her eyes or feet! It is not dirty or "inappropriate." I recommend getting this book and having it on hand as early as age 8. Girls can start their periods (and other pubescent things like needing deodorant or a bra) as early as age 9. It's best to start having chats early enough to prepare them.

Although this book did arrive within the delivery window stated, it was a pretty large delivery window - 2 weeks! When it did finally arrived, I was not happy with the star of the book. OK its second hand but not a particular good condition second hand. At least wipe the marks that can be wiped off before sending! Then there's the bends, rips and writing on front inside cover.... Content is great though, exactly what I wanted.

My 10-year-old daughter read this book in about a day! It is very well written with lots of clear, helpful information about everything a girl needs to know as she is growing up. We have read some chapters together and will no doubt pull the book out many times in the next few years! Great book for parents and daughters alike! Highly recommended.

Gut