The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, Revised Edition

This book is an amazing tool for educating and opening dialogue with your young girls as they approach puberty. There is a ton of great education and the book approaches everything from the head down. The book approaches everything in a way that appeals to young readers, but remains real. We got this and the second volume (for older girls) for our eldest daughter. My wife and I have been going through it with her and it’s really helping my daughter understand the importance of proper hygiene. She’s a smart and inquisitive kid and asks a lot of great questions through the reading. She loves the book and reads it independently. Depending on your girls’ developmental levels, you may need to read it to them. For a precocious seven year old, most of it is well within grasp. Seriously, if you are raising girls, I cannot recommend this book enough. I have seen many books for girl’s health and this is, by far, the best I have seen. If I can find something this good for my son, I will get it without a doubt. Dialogue about physical and mental well-being is so important to begin as young as your child can understand. For physical health, these conversations should begin as young as age two or three, at developmentally appropriate levels. By being real and open about these topics, you remove awkwardness and stigma, making the real and more challenging conversations easier down the road. This book gives you an opening to begin the dialogue. If I could rate this higher, I would.

I give this 5 stars for helping me communicate with my boyfriend's 8 and 10 year old girls. They don't have a mother, and every girl needs a special someone to turn to in order to understand and not fear the changes they're going through and will go through (just around the corner). Little did I know that this book is by the American Girl Label, and both her and her younger sister love American Girl. It was immediately accepted as a "book of gold". I expressed to her that I am absolutely here for ANYTHING, ANYTIME she needs/wants to talk. She's got a wonderful father, but sometimes it takes an understanding woman available in order to keep the communication lines open and confusing changes in your body to be less feared and better understood. We've had the "period" talk, which went much smoother than I thought it would, thanks to this book. It appears that she is developing early, so it was a wise investment purchased not a moment too soon. She's now confident in talking to me about everything; and she's asking for the next books and journal for Christmas 2014. I'm happy to oblige. I'm very grateful for the bond that I have with both girls. Now, her younger sister is reading the book and is more open to asking questions also. This book opened the door to a stronger, more trusting relationship that would not have been as easy without this book. *Just a tip: read the book yourself. That way, any questions you are asked can be better planned for, and questions better understood. Plus, it's just best to understand what they are learning and the details. When I'm shown a page in the book and asked "What does this part mean?", I know exactly what they've read and how to comfortably answer it in a way that they can understand. The best thing about this book is that it teaches girls what they need to know and understand at the age they are at. At 10, I started my monthly cycle. I was early, but I had no one to talk to. I only had a library full of books that informed me, but they also terrified me. I wasn't old enough to learn about subjects attached to you're period, such as details about sex. That's one thing I hoped to eliminate with this book. Yes, it does explain what a period is and why, but it does NOT explain sex or pregnancy. At 10 (the younger is 8), I can trust that this book won't terrify them like I was. The "sex talk" will happen when she's old enough to know. Some people believe in terrifying their child because it scares them into abstinence, but I'm not that type of parent. I encourage good choices based on information given to them in a way that encourages those positive choices. This book is an excellent tool for that. I recommend this book to any mother, step mother or parental figure that wishes to have a stronger bond and open communication with every little girl/young lady in their lives. It's truly helpful, and we're all grateful for it!! Thank you, American Girl, for helping the girls in my home to better understand themselves, and feel comfortable communicating their questions and any fears they may have. Book #2, and the journal out of the line of books/journals available will be making their way under the tree this Christmas.

Daughter loves this. She reads and refers to it every so often. Easy to understand. Explains what to expect in every stage.

I wanted a book to help me explain to my 10 year old daughter the changes that are beginning to take place in her body without, at this age, going into anything sexual. This book filled the bill nicely. As with most American Girl books, the text speaks to the child respectfully. The graphics are appealing, not at all silly yet not overly-detailed. I appreciated that this book did not tread on unnecessary ground regarding conception, contraception, etc. As a Catholic, I have had a hard time finding books that were not too graphic, that did not go into subjects contrary to my faith or beyond the child's maturity level, and yet were not too vague or old-fashioned and which make the topic seem taboo. What worked for us and for my daughter's comfort level was for us to read the chapter on her period together, after which I allowed her to take the book and read the rest in privacy. She is an avid reader and likes reading about health, so that worked for us and none of the other chapters were so startling that she would not be okay with reading them on her own (e.g. hair growth, shaving, deodorant, breast development, bras, etc). The subject of menstruation was covered well. My only complaint would be that a couple of words, including vagina, were not defined in the chapter. That was okay for us because we were reading it together (which I think is the best way to use this chapter) so I was able to explain. Also, the picture of the uterus (just a little squiggle on a girl's abdomen) was a little bit abstract, so I was prepared in advance with a simple picture from an anatomy book. This book helped my daughter be comfortable with the changes in her body. Each parent should decide what to read together and what, if anything, you feel comfortable having your daughter read on her own, depending on her age, maturity, and what is happening in her body already. For example, my daughter and I had already purchased bras for her together so that chapter was nothing unexpected. There is a second volume for older girls which I also purchased to have on hand when needed. I am grateful for these American Girl resources which give a modern presentation yet retain a sense of innocence and dignity.

Really liked this book for my girl

This book holds a special place in our family- it's become a tradition to gift it to each of my daughters as they reach the age of maturity. This book gently opens the door to conversations that can feel awkward, but are so important. It's honest, clear, and beautifully supportive. Every page is filled with encouragement and reassurance, helping girls understand their changing bodies in a way that feels empowering- not scary. It's more than just a book- it's a rite of passage, a trusted guide, and a source of comfort during a time of big questions and big feelings. I'm so grateful it exisits.

I bought this because my oldest daughter is started to show some of the first signs of puberty (and early too! I wasn't expecting to have to deal with this for at least another year or two.) I remembered this book because I had it when I was going through puberty and I read it and reread it all the time. I remembered it being informative and explaining the changes that I was going through and covered many topics that a parent might not even think of when discussing this stage of life. I also remembered that it was very young child-friendly. This is a book about the changes your body goes through during puberty, not a sex-ed book. I bought this for my daughter and when it arrived I read it before giving it to her. I can't remember how much of the book is the same as when I was younger but there were a lot of sections that remembered reading in the past. It is still informative (It contained information that I didn't know (or didn't remember)) and it is still appropriate for younger girls. I gave it to my daughter and she read it cover to cover in a day and has reread some sections. It has helped her to talk to me about the changes she is and will be going through as well. I am very glad that this book still exists.

It helped my daughter prepare for puppetry. It talked all about sweets armpits to menstruation. It was such a good book for us to read together that when it was time for her first period she wasn’t afraid and she felt prepared.