The 8 Best Puberty Books For Girls
There’s no way around it. One way or the other, all girls will find themselves going through puberty – sometimes kicking and screaming. We at Moms of Tweens and Teens want to make the business of parenting a pubescent tween/teen daughter as survivable (maybe even successful) as possible. And we’ve got a slew of resources to help with that!
One common theme in all of these resources is this: let your daughter know that you are there for her as she navigates this turbulent time of body changes, hormone fluctuations, and image consternations. You may not have every single answer (And it’s ok that you don’t! That’s what books, podcasts, and articles are for!), but knowing you are a home base for the questions is comforting to your daughter. Good luck, and know that this particular season of parenting is not forever. Your daughter will emerge from it with flying colors, we feel sure!
Best 8 Puberty Book Resources
Karen Gravelle and her fifteen-year-old niece, Jennifer Gravelle, have written a down-to-earth and practical book that answers any questions you might have about your period, from what it is and what it feels like to how to choose pads and tampons to how to talk to your parents about it.
What’s Happening To My Body: Book for Girls, by Lynda Madaras
Everything preteen and teen girls need to know about their changing bodies and feelings is written by an experienced educator and her daughter in a reassuring and down-to-earth style. The “What’s Happening to My Body?” book for girls gives sensitive straight talk on: the body’s changing size and shape; the growth spurt; breast development; the reproductive organs; the menstrual cycle; body hair; diet and exercise; romantic and sexual feelings; and puberty in the opposite sex. It also includes information on anorexia and bulimia, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and birth control.
My Body My Self for Girls by Lynda Madaras and Area Madaras
This fact-filled journal and activity book makes it fun for girls to find answers to their many questions about the physical and emotional changes that accompany puberty. With quizzes, checklists, games, and illustrations throughout, My Body, My Self for Girls also includes journal pages and lots of personal stories addressing girls’ concerns, experiences, and feelings during this new stage of their lives.
The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless, Charlotte Markey
It is worrying to think that most girls feel dissatisfied with their bodies and that this can lead to serious problems, including depression and eating disorders. Can some of those body image worries be eased? Body image expert and psychology professor Dr. Charlotte Markey helps girls aged 9-15 to understand, accept, and appreciate their bodies.
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
This book is not about periods, but it may as well be. In this sane, highly engaging, and informed guide for parents of daughters, Dr. Damour draws on decades of experience and the latest research to reveal the seven distinct—and absolutely normal—developmental transitions that turn girls into grown-ups, including Parting with Childhood, Contending with Adult Authority, Entering the Romantic World, and Caring for Herself. Providing realistic scenarios and welcome advice on how to engage daughters in smart, constructive ways, Untangled gives parents a broad framework for understanding their daughters while addressing their most common questions.
It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris
Providing accurate, unbiased answers to nearly every imaginable question, from conception and puberty to birth control and AIDS, It’s Perfectly Normal, offers young people the information they need — now more than ever — to make responsible decisions and to stay healthy.
American Girl Series
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls by Valori Schaefer
This book features tips, how-tos, and facts from the experts. (Medical consultant: Cara Natterson, MD.) You’ll find answers to questions about your changing body, from hair care to healthy eating, bad breath to bras, periods to pimples, and everything in between.
The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls by Cara Natterson
This thoughtful advice book will guide you through the next steps of growing up. With illustrations and expert contributors, this book covers new questions about periods, your growing body, peer pressure, personal care, and more! Written by Dr. Cara Natterson for girls 10 and up, The Care & Keeping of You 2 follows up the original bestseller with even more in-depth details about the physical and emotional changes you’re going through.
The Body Book (The Lily Series) by Nancy Rue
The transition from girl to teenager makes the tween years a time of great change―especially in the body department! This unique and creative book for girls ages 7–11 answers the most common questions girls have during this often confusing and overwhelming stage in life. The Body Book gives girls the scoop on everything from body changes and cramps to diet and exercise in an inviting and conversational manner. The Body Book not only offers accurate, up-to-date information on personal issues tween girls experience but also shares it from a positive biblical perspective.
