The Boys Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up YOU

My son just turned 11. He's a kid-kid, a boy who is still fairly oblivious about any kind of teen issues, but as he's moving on to Middle School and will increasingly be out of mom and dad's parental sphere, it is definitely time to begin talking about the changes he and his body will be going through.

So we purchased this book, and I have to tell you that I DON'T LIKE IT.

The first thing I didn't like was that negativity in the Introduction. It was all about 'being afraid to ask questions', 'not being able to talk to your parents', 'being ignorant', 'being laughed at', and 'feeling awkward'. Now some kids might feel that way and the book may serve them well by taking such an approach. But my kids (13 & 11) still talk to me (and talk and talk and talk) and I don't really appreciate introducing negative notions that they may not have thought of otherwise.

Another thing I disliked was how jumpy the dialog seemed to be. I read the [[ASIN:1609580834 The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls]] with my daughter and it didn't have the same frenetic approach. In Chapter One, for example, the book discusses, Smell, Baths, Getting Dressed, Lotion, How Deodorant works, washing your hands, what a germ is, Shampooing hair, what conditioner is for, ear care, how loud noise can hurt your hearing, zits, washing your face, shaving, brushing your teeth, going to the dentist, braces, smelly feet, what Athlete's Feet is, Drinking, Smoking, and Drugs, Steroids, sleep, and wetting the bed. A lot for one chapter, and though related in topic, you have to know that each of these subjects were presented in the order I listed them, .AND. they were in different text 'bubbles'. I felt like I had whiplash at the end of the first chapter.

AND then there's the lack of diagrams. Girls books are chocked full of images of girl bodies. Girls and how they look at different stages of development. How their chest grows, their body hair. This book, one tiny not-too-realistic drawing.

Which ties into the fact that words were used that some boys aren't going to know the definitions of. (I'd list them here, but then the review probably wouldn't post.) But generally speaking, I was hoping for a book that would parallel the girl-books we've purchased, that would talk about hair growth, hormones, and girl-boy relationships in less frivolous manner.

So...

This book might be great for your son. It covers a lot of material, and so it might get a conversation going. But I really thought it was off base for what I was looking for. Something with more emphasis on biology, and less emphasis on finding friends after you move, and money, and what he might be when he grows up.

Pam T~
mom/fur-mom

My husband and I were very impressed at how well this book dealt with 'touchy' or sensitive topics without being offensive. This book is not graphic. It is straight to the point without sharing any information about sex. The book covers everything from body odor and puberty to nocturnal emission and saying no to drugs. great book for parents to read and discuss with 8-13 year old boy.

I bought this book for my son, and it has been perfect for him. He's learned so much valuable information from this book, information that, as a single mom, I was worried I would not be able to pass on to him. Some topics can be awkward, especially with young boys, but this book does a wonderful job of addressing absolutely every topic about growing up with great illustrations and accessible text.

I disagree with those who claim that there is "too much text" or the reading level is "too high." My son had no trouble with it, and, as far as I'm concerned, the more information the better! I'd hate to hand him an informational guide that was lacking in information... thank goodness this great book is brimming with essential knowledge, presented in a highly effective manner.

It's perfect! I recommend it to all!

I bought this book for my 8 yr. old after much research. I wanted something that would touch on all the necessary points without going too in-depth into sex. A book that would capture his interest and provide both a short answer and an in-depth explanation when needed.

This book filled my needs and more. It is written in a relaxed tone but still provides explanations using correct terminology. The explanantions on hygiene and friendship are great starting points for these discussions. Most importantly, it stopped at the right point between boys health and sex ed. It was important to me that my son understood what was changing in his body without the added sex info.

Now 11 yrs old, my son still refers to this book for answers about changes in his body and we use it as a catalyst for discussion about sex and all the emotional/physical implications.

I highly recommend this book for boys ages 7-10.

My three sons have all embraced this book and loved it. Initially, I believe they were drawn to it by the colorful illustrations, as well as the wonderful side bars that provide useful sound-bite style information. The book has a a very inviting design, using icons and colorful headers that let the reader know what the sections and paragraphs relate to, so they can determine if they need to read it or not. In fact, some of the icons used help the user quickly identify the source or topic in a side bar, i.e. is this an expert's opinion, a helpful tip, etc.

The text is bright and lively and the book flows in a way that let's a boy pick it up and find the information they need in order to address what they may be dealing with in their travels through puberty and daily life. It's cleverly packaged using the same trim size as a comic book -- which young boys relate to! This is the best book I've read that offers growing boys insights on dealing with bullies, family matters, sports, homework, and their ever changing bodies. It's a really terrific book!

This book is very good to discuss everything about puberty and adolescence - except sex! Considering that sex is such a central part of a young man's world, I was extremely annoyed that this subject was glossed over as if it didn't exist. My son liked it because sex is the one thing he did not want to talk about, but, if you're looking to have "the talk" with your pre-teen, get "What's going on down there?" which covers the same topics as this book, but does a better job and also discusses the important topic of sex and sexual maturation.

A guy reading this book will either not get the information he needs, be misled, or be aware of the numerous points at which the book fails in its job. As a librarian, I don't recommend this book.

My son is 11 and the biggest sign that puberty is imminent are the occasional zits that have popped up recently. But, we know it is around the corner and we don't want him to be surprised, confused or uneasy about the things that will start happening to his body soon. He is on the innocent side for his age group, so I didn't want to give him a book that would shock him or be overly candid either. I think easing him into the reality of becoming a man is better given in progressive doses. This book is a great first dose of reality. He is not a big reader, but he actually carries this book around with him when he's home! I think he feels like he's getting insider secrets or something. Yes, it leaves out a lot of the more intimate details about sex, which some reviews focused on as a negative, but I actually prefer that, as I know he's not ready for those details just yet. Almost ready, but when that time comes, I'll choose a more sex informative book that I can use as a companion to the "sex talk" he'll have with his father and me. This book does cover things like "wet dreams" though, so I don't think it is an unreasonably innocent portrayal of puberty either. I definitely reccomend it.

Our son is reading it. That's a big deal because this is the third book on the subject that we have purchased. The first two were good, informative, tasteful, age specific and age correct ... what could go wrong? Our 10 year old son would not read the first book, or the second book, or listen to either being read to him. But he has/had questions.
This book then became try #3. He liked the cover. It reads, "for boys only" and accepted it by saying, "I'll take a look later." Later was a couple of hours. And he was reading it. The next day he commented on it. By day three we were discussing with him what he had learned. What more could we ask? Parents and child on the same page. Hope you and yours also have success.

Most kids in this age range are not going to read pages and pages of heavy text -- not going to happen.

The overall tone is ok --- but its just not for kids this age. And there is the rub -- its not for older kids either.

I'd skip this one