Offers a funny but factual guide to getting your period, providing preteens with all they need to master, and even celebrate menstruation. - (Baker & Taylor)
This frank, funny guide to getting your period gives preteens all they need to master—and even celebrate!—menstruation.
Getting your period for the first time can be mortifying, weird, and messy—and asking questions about it can feel even worse. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This taboo-free guide is packed with honest advice and big-sisterly wisdom on all the things girls need to know: from what cramps feel like to whether you can feel blood coming out,\ to what you should do if your pad leaks onto your clothes. Welcome to Your Period includes case studies, first-person accounts, questions from real teens, and answers from health journalist Yumi Stynes and adolescent health specialist Melissa Kang, MD. Cheerful illustrations keep the tone fun, and help with how-tos on different period supplies. There are even suggestions for throwing a first-period party. With its inclusive, body-positive message, pocket size, and reassuring vibe, this must-have menstruation manual will make girls feel not only normal but proud. - (Random House, Inc.)
Yumi Stynes is an Australian writer, broadcaster, television presenter, food fanatic, fitness enthusiast, and mother of four—including two teenage girls. She is the presenter of the award-winning ABC Radio podcast Ladies, We Need to Talk, about female health and sexuality. Yumi Stynes lives in Sydney.
Melissa Kang, MD, answered teenagers’ questions about puberty, sex, and relationships for more than two decades as the “Dolly Doctor” for Australia’s Dolly magazine. She is a practicing medical doctor for marginalized young people and has academic roles at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney. Melissa Kang lives in Sydney. - (Random House, Inc.)
Booklist Reviews
Female health podcaster Stynes and adolescent health specialist Kang team up in this comprehensive guide to menstruation. For girls still waiting to get their period, they begin with basics, from what it will feel like to sanitary products to preparing period packs. Once readers have some experience with menstruation, they'll be more interested in such topics as regularity, endometriosis, and whether women can get pregnant while on their period. No matter the subject, the authors' conversational tone offers reassurance to fearful, shy, or questioning readers. Upbeat images of females with varying skin colors and shapes, in hijabs, and in wheelchairs reaffirm the commonality of menstruation, while images of pads, tampons, and menstrual cups offer disarming representations of what to expect. A chapter entitled "Period Challenges," such as how to handle swimming or living with a dad, offers even more tips. Although the book is targeted for cis-gender girls, the authors also address menstruation in transgender boys. A helpful list of period resources rounds out the text. Empowering young women with knowledge, this guide is welcome indeed. Grades 6-10. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.