Book Review

The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for You

This book published by American Girl is a fabulous book for any and all pre-teen girls (I have to admit that my daughter is in that stage). It discusses all aspects of growing up including hygiene (including bad breath and shaving), acne, menstration (including PMS and tampon use), breast development, bras, braces, exercise and eating habits, eating disorders, emotions, and general safety. The tone is just right for the age group...9-12yos. It also includes Dear Abby-type letters to address some issues. I am a pretty straight-forward and open person and have talked to my daughter about these issues but this books does it in a way I would have never thought of and talked about things I didn't think about. My daughter loved and read it almost in one sitting. She also wanted to talk about things in the book and wanted to get on track with some things (e.g. tongue brushing, sports bras, eating habits).

The only thing left out is a discussion about sex. It talks about respecting your body and not allowing anyone else to touch it but it does not talk about sex otherwise (e.g. where babies come from, sexual feelings, masterbation, homosexuality, etc.).

Overall, I would recommend this book for girls and their parents. It is a great book for them to read alone and with you to discuss together.