It's Ok to be You

Explains puberty and discusses how to feel good emotionally and physically through difficult and changing times

Gr 6-9--``We're all different, we're all alike, we're all okay'' is the basic theme of this self-acceptance book. Straightforward text describes bodies, feelings, and the changes that come with growing up. Juxtaposed with this information are black-and-white line diagrams and cartoons, peopled by a cast of characters who add light commentary to the goings on, including three boys (a know-it-all, a nice guy, and one who wears an ice-cream cone over his nose to hide his insecurity about his oversized ears); two girls (one wise and confident, and one who would rather be a horse than a girl); and finally, an old cat named Munchkin ``who has seen it all before!'' The text is hokey and contrived in places (Munchkin: ``I did, I did! I swallowed a tampon!''), but filled with useful facts that most kids will appreciate. Buy this title to supplement Dr. Ruth Talks to Kids (Macmillan, 1993) and Kathy McCoy's The New Teenage Body Book (Putnam, 1992).

Denise L. Moll, Lone Pine Elementary School, West Bloomfield, MI

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Revised from a 1988 edition, this sound, sensible guide catalogues some of the physical and psychological changes kids can expect during puberty. Patterson begins by acknowledging that parents-and kids themselves-often remain silent about what happens during adolescence; she then notes, ``One thing's for sure: knowing what's going on and what to expect makes things a whole lot easier." In a similarly breezy, personal style, she proceeds to discuss kids' concerns about their looks and their bodies, how bodies change during puberty and what occurs during sexual intercourse. Readers should follow their own feelings, Patterson concludes, rather than allow their actions to be dictated by others' expectations. Quilter's black-and-white cartoons help maintain the book's buoyant tone through a cast of five chatty preteens, one grandmother and one cat; their observations, presented as thought balloons, range from silly to perceptive. However, this book is less comprehensive than others on the subject, among them Candlewick's It's Perfectly Normal (Children's Forecasts, July 18). Ages 8-12.

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.