Girl Talk: The Ultimate Body & Puberty Book for Preteen & Teen Girls - Essential Guide for Growing Up, Self-Care & Confidence Building | Perfect for Parents, Educators & Young Women

This is a great book, but it’s a little too wordy for my 8 year old and I'm looking for something simpler and more detailed for her that is at her reading level that explains puberty basics. I would recommend this book for a 10-13 year old instead and the info in the book will continue to be relevant for older teens as well. The book is excellent, and a bit more detailed than the Care and Keeping of You by American Girl. I would say it is more on the level of the second Care and Keeping of You book which is for older girls. The book doesn't talk about sex. The focus is more on puberty and the emotional and biological changes that girls go through. The illustrations are age appropriate, and the girls are from diverse backgrounds. The book is body positive and focuses on healthy eating as opposed to weight. The chapters and sections are as follows (I provide some details over what you will find in sections parents tend to worry about):Introduction: Big Changes AheadChapter 1: The Beginners Guide to Puberty (chapter includes illustrations on stages of breast growth, illustration of a teen examining her breasts - says don't really need to do this until you are older, illustration of a uterus, vagina, vulva etc. All the illustrations are appropriate, nothing is cringe or feels overtly sexualized.)- Body Changes: Just the Facts, Ma'am- The Puberty Timeline- Emotional Changes- Is That a Breast on My Chest- Supporting Your Breasts: Bras and Beyond- Important Facts About Breasts-Progressing to Your Period (very simple explanation on what a period is and why its necessary. Overview of ovulation and uterine lining. While the explanation is simple, I found it to be more scientific than the explanation in the American Girl book).- Your First Period: How Will You Know?- Pads vs. Tampons (no illustrations on this section unlike American Girl which contains step by step illustrations on how to wear a pad/insert a tampon)- Hey, This Period Is a Pain: PMS and Cramps (I found this section to be quite positive and not scary)- Your First Visit to Your Gynecologist (I found this to be quite unnecessary given the target age but nothing about it is inappropriate)Chapter 2: Taking Care of Business: Your Growing Body and All Its Bits- Starting at the Top: The Hair on Your Head- Ears so Dear- Oh, Eye See- Facing Your Face- Keeping Your Teeth from Giving You Grief- Do I Have to Go?: Girls and the Dentist- Brace Yourself: The Drama of Braces-Underarm Thoughts (talks about being a "little stinkier." Says that its part of the puberty process. Recommends frequent bathing, deodorants etc. Says "sweating is a natural process.")- OMG Hair (I found this section “interesting.” Says that for many years and in most cultures women didn't remove any of their hair but maybe 100 years ago companies started making razors and convinced women that they need to shave every day. Said that companies made ads made leg and armpit hair seem like something dirty and ugly so women started shaving everything. Says that even though many women shave their legs and underarms there is no medical and hygienic reasons to do so. I don't think that's accurate - women have been waxing for centuries especially in warmer countries but that's how the book approaches it.)- A Beginner's Guide to Shaving (no illustrations here. Overall very positive. Says having hair is completely natural but some girls like to remove it and here are some tips.)- Keeping Your Feet Neat- Loving Your Body Even When It's Hard (very positive. Talks about how we are bombarded with images from ads and commercials but most of the women in the pictures spent hours getting ready for the picture. Says bodies are diverse and wonderful and come in different shapes and sizes. Comparing your body to someone else's will never make you happy or healthy. Instead should take care of your body and love it for what it is - that's what will make you healthier).- Girls and Food (says some girls talk about being fat and going on a diet. Says while it is important to make good food and movement choices so that our bodies can do things that give us joy, going on a diet is a bad idea for young girls. Lists a bunch of reasons why.. says girls need nutrition and calories, dieting makes food the enemy, dieting is often done to become a specific size or look the right way but variations are natural and normal, diets usually have a list of good or bad foods but instead should listen to what body needs, etc. Important to learn what to eat and how to eat: listen to your body, try different foods, made food choices based on how you feel after you eat certain foods. Overall this section is quite positive and focuses on how to make good food choices without demonizing certain foods)- Healthy Eating for Girls on the Go (again focuses on making healthier choices instead of good or bad foods. Gives tips on food that keeps you healthy while satisfying your taste buds. Emphasis on variety).- Better Choices in Fast Food (doesn't demonize fast food but instead focuses on making a fast food choice that fuels your body well).- Worried About Weight (Says some girls are worried about being fat and criticizes TV and Movies for not showing the range of healthy body types out there. Girls come in different shapes and sizes. Focus on finding and accepting the healthiest size and weight for your body type).- About Eating Disorders (overview on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. Says to talk to an adult you can trust and to get help.. explains what type of professionals help girls with this condition)- Girls and Sports (focus on team sports and making you feel good. Says it isn't about winning but finding what you love)- Sports Safety- Get Moving- Yawn: Girls and SleepChapter 3: Feelings and Friends- Being the Boss of You- Making Friends- Friendship Skills- Is a Crush a Must? (Says that during puberty, there may be pressure to look at boys differently and also that at this point in life you may develop a crush. Recommends not putting pressure on yourself, but if you are interesting in going on with someone try being friends first and doing fun activities to get to know the person. Note that there is no mention of girls liking girls here.)- A Few More Tips About Body Language and Listening-Personal Empowerment-Consent and Boundaries (nothing about sex here. More about how your body belongs to you and people shouldn't touch it without your ok. Explains the concept of consent, respecting physical boundaries, personal space and privacy).Chapter 4: What Do These People Want From Me? Life At Home (intro contains a section about how adults in your life are not necessarily parents because not all girls are raised by their parents. Also says that some girls are raised by a single parent, grandparents, two moms, two dads, foster families, blended families, aunts and uncles and a combination of the above. Every family is unique and different etc.)- Changing You, Changing Home (says natural for friends to become more important but as the same time getting along with your family is a very important skill)- My Mom IS Driving Me Crazy (overall quite positive. Says job of parents is to give loving guidance, set limits and make sure that kids are ready to live in their own when the time changes. Says that while kids and parents have the same goal they don't always agree. Says that even if parents/guardians seem unreasonable can't control your parents but can control how you respond. Goes through tips on maintaining a good relationship with adults in your life - talking, listening, picking your battles etc)- Negotiation: Please Is Not Enough- Chores- Oh Brother (or Sister): The Art of Being Friends With SiblingsChapter 5: Your Changing Body: in the Outside World and at School- Studying: It's a Skill- Getting the Help You Need: Learning Disabilities- Getting Along with Teachers- It's Not Just About the Books: Extracurricular Activities and You- Non-Sports ActivitiesChapter 6: Staying Safe IRL and Beyond-Interactions with Adults (talks about adults other than your primary caretakers. Explains how to build relationships with adults while being thoughtful about your personal safety. Says its not the position of the adult or their relationship to you that makes them safe. What makes an adult safe is they will respect your boundaries. Adults should never ask you to keep secrets about your friendship with them. No one, expect for sometimes at a doctor's office should touch you anywhere in your private areas even if that person is someone your family knows. If someone tries to touch you in a way that doesn't feel right it is never your fault. If this happens to you need to tell your parents or another adult you trust asap).- Cliques and Mean Girls- Peer Pressure (how to say no, etc.)- Bullying and Teasing: How to Protect Yourself- Personal Safety: Maintaining Those Boundaries- Building a Great Reputation and Staying Safe- Staying Safe in Electronic and Virtual Worlds- Cyberbullying- Give Yourself a BreakChapter 7: Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backwards- All Different Bodies, All Different Brains (talks a little about ADHD, Autism, having physical disabilities (body that works a little different or a brain that works a little different)-Moving- Divorce- Drugs, Alcohol and Other Unhealthy Stuff (how to say no and best place to get information on smoking, drugs and alcohol is from an adult you trust)- Super Stressed Families (some families are in situations that are more stressful than others - poverty, homelessness, someone in family using drugs, living in high crime neighborhoods. Doesn't offer many solutions but says if you are afraid that someone in family isn't getting your basic needs met important to talk to a trusted adult like a nurse or a guidance counselor)Conclusion: Your Future and Beyond