CHE FOLD OUT FLYER - Softcover

Cole, Babette

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099266261 ISBN 13: 9780099266266

Publisher: Ocean Press, 2001

Synopsis

Girls and boys are always curious and sometimes even alarmed by the behaviour of their bodies as they grow up. Puberty being a particularly unsettling time, Babette Cole has made this the subject of the fifth title in her bestselling series of 'family dilemmas'. Who else but Babette would have the temerity to tackle this subject in a picture book and the genius to carry it off! In "Hair in Funny Places" her artwork is without exaggeration some of the best she has ever done: it is brilliant. The text takes the form of a conversation between a small girl and her teddy bear, and is ingenious and funny. It is the behaviour of Mr and Mrs Hormone (wonderfully depicted) which is responsible for and plays havoc with the physical and emotional states of girls and boys throughout puberty. This book is bound to be controversial but Babette has never taken the conventional path and her readers love her for her outrageous approach to little mentioned topics.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-While there is a plethora of sex-education books for young readers, this picture book concentrates on how hormones affect young people during puberty. Ted, an animated stuffed bear, explains to his young owner about her parents' entry into adolescence. "Mr. and Mrs. Hormone-are in charge of growing up-[they] mix the potions that turn children into adults." The physical and emotional effects of their concoctions are discussed, including hair growth, pimples, menstruation ("Then she found a tiny drop of blood in her underpants!"), and wet dreams ("Then some sticky stuff actually came out"). No biological terms are used-only surface descriptions. As in so many of her books, Cole tackles this subject with lighthearted humor. The illustrations are a partner in the storytelling. Mr. and Mrs. Hormone are depicted as grotesque, pimple-covered, horned, hairy, and rotund mad scientists. The sweet-faced pubescent teens react honestly to their body changes with exuberance, worry, and anger. The naked cartoon characters have no modesty. While this title does not explain reproduction, it does serve as a loose introduction to hormonal change. Unfortunately, the breezy, irreverent style that's evident in both the text and illustrations limits the book's appeal to its target audience. Thus, its value is supplemental, not essential.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 3^-5, younger with an adult. Cole, who looked at reproduction in her humorous picture book Mommy Laid an Egg (1992), uses a similar approach to explain puberty. When a little girl asks her teddy bear about growing up, she learns all about Mr. and Mrs. Hormone, the nasty stuff they pump through adolescents' bodies, and the disturbing effect the stuff can have--even on people like her own parents. The picture-book format, with large print and bright, lively, cartoon watercolor illustrations (several of which show anatomically correct nudes), vies somewhat with the subject matter. Also, the text mentions menstruation and ejaculation. Some young children may even find the monstrous Hormone family more frightening and confusing than amusing, and the book is sure to spark some laughs from the older kids. Even so, parents comfortable with candor may want to use this as an introduction to a "birds and bees" talk, a chat about what's happening to an older sibling, or as a comical springboard to books for older children, such as Robie Harris' well-detailed It's Perfectly Normal (1997). Certainly the ultimate message here is positive: without hormones and adult sexuality, the little girl in the story would never have been born. Catherine Andronik
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Ocean Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0099266261
• ISBN 13: 9780099266266
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32