Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!): The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls (Celebrate You, 1), for Girls Ages 8-12

I picked this up for my daughter as she’s starting to ask questions about changes in her body, and it’s been such a helpful resource. The language is friendly and easy to understand, making her feel more confident instead of overwhelmed. It covers everything from emotions to practical tips, and she actually enjoys reading it on her own. The cost is reasonable compared to similar guides, and the positive, body‑affirming tone makes it stand out.

This book explains puberty in such a positive and age-appropriate way. The information is clear, supportive, and empowering—perfect for helping girls feel confident and prepared during this stage of life. Highly recommend!

The book breaks down changes like growth, body care, and emotions using easy language that feels friendly rather than awkward or scary. What makes this book stand out is how reassuring it is. It reminds readers that everyone develops differently and that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to grow. The illustrations and examples are inclusive and help girls see that all bodies are normal and worthy of respect. Quit

So I read both the American Girls book and this one. In my opinion, neither were "perfect," but they both had a lot of good information in them. I decided to get this one for my daughter, versus the other one, for a few reasons. One, this one is longer and covers more topics (like taking good care of one's body by getting enough sleep, exercising, eating healthy foods, etc., as well as the importance of finding an adult you trust in case you need help and have questions.) This one also has more "positive body vibes," as other reviewers have mentioned. The American Girl book places more emphasis on a girl having doubts about her body image. While intending to reassure girls, I can see how the comments could actually undermine a girl's positive body image. Now, in regards to qualms I have with this book... there are really not a whole lot. I do think the part in the prelude (addressing girls who are questioning their sexuality) wasn't necessary. (We all have our own viewpoints about gender identity, and I tend to be more conservative about this subject.) And I don't agree with some of the advice given regarding hygiene (for example, I don't agree that you have to floss after every meal, and I do not believe that all girls should moisturize their face). So, what I did was I just put sticky notes with my comments on them in the book, and I'm giving it to my daughter to read, and she can put sticky notes in it (with questions/comments) and we can discuss it at a mother/daughter lunch date after she reads it. Overall, I think it is a very good book that covers a lot of ground that can be awkward to discuss. (And honestly, as a full grown woman, I forget to even discuss some of these things with my daughter. It's easy to forget all the things you didn't know when you were younger.) I do think it's a good discussion starter and reference book for girls (with diagrams with names of "private parts" and directions about how to put a tampon in). I don't think there is a single "self-help" book out there that I would agree with 100%, and this is essentially a guide book (with advice and self help) for adolescent girls. Overall, the advice and information is solid. I recommend it, but I would preview (read it) first and follow up with a discussion with your daughter afterwards.

My daughter turned ten a few weeks ago and I wanted to start preparing her for the eventuality of her period and other bodily changes. She is gifted and a straight A+ student but she's also a very young ten maturity-wise (thank God). She does not know how babies are made really. She still plays with horse toys and dragons and Harry Potter dolls etc. We have raised her to be accepting of people no matter their sexuality. We are liberal leaning even though we're also Catholic. She is obsessed with reading and because she's so smart, it's hard to find books as she gets older that are not about catty girls or romantic relationships in any kind of physical detail (Harry Potter has been the hardest one for us so far). So many of the books about a girl's body include discussions about boys and sex -- and eating disorders, fashion etc. I don't think girls need to be thinking about that sort of stuff at this age. I'm happy to find so many of my daughter's friends' parents agree -- even some with boys who say their sons still don't really know how babies are made (they shouldn't at this age!!!). Let them be kids a while longer!! This world rips away their childhoods long before that should happen as it is! Before giving this book to my daughter, I read it cover-to-cover on my own and I LOVED it. There was nothing in this book that would spoil your unspoiled daughter. The closest the author comes is talking about how your daughter might find herself having different kinds of feelings for kids she used to think of only as friends or classmates, and that's okay. The writer doesn't say having feelings for "boys" -- she keeps it sexually neutral -- which is refreshing. It doesn't get into sex education. There is a very troubled boy in my daughter's school who routinely says inappropriate sexually charged things to her & her friends. My daughter thankfully doesn't understand most of the slang words he uses (so she comes home to ask me -- to my horror that this boy is saying such things). Well this charming young man asked my daughter the other day if she is gay. My daughter knows this term because she has an uncle who is gay and she loves him dearly. She was raised with no concept that being gay is in any way different from being straight. She was raised to know that being gay is not a choice people make -- they are born that way -- and that God doesn't make mistakes. Her answer to this boy who asked if she is gay was, "I don't know -- I haven't fallen in love with anyone yet". OMG!! I about died of pride!!! This book helped prepare her for a question of that nature. I wanted a book that explained the process of a period and the general purpose of it without prehistoric ideas of sexuality. I wanted a book that would tell her what is happening to her body without the extra street knowledge of sex. This book is very "clean" in that regard but it's also not religious or conservative -- which we didn't want either. It's as informative as it needs to be for total understanding of what's happening in puberty, written in an open-minded and progressive way, without being too advanced. It is well written. This is such a good book that I'm recommending it to everyone I know with girls this age who are like my own daughter. Bravo to the writer.

Perfect for young girls

Very nice to have for a growing girls, who can read and understand everything about her body. I highly recommend every girl mom needs to have it.

I like the way they explained growth of a young girl. My granddaughter is excited waiting and not apprehensive. Thank you

Pretty good. A great begining place. Could have a few more labeled diagrams but it is great and easy reading

Love this book. It’s been great for my daughter. Pitched correctly and even I learnt a thing or two.

My daughter is enjoying the book very much. I find that it gives a lot of detailed information which is necessary for their development. Great read

My daughter 9 and I liked that this was factual yet easy to read. There were no comical talking uterus pictures like other books -just straight forward information presented in a positive way.

I purchased this for my daughter before she started puberty so we could be prepared for what was to come and maybe spot some less clear signs before the more obvious/talked about ones (pubic hair and menstruation etc.). She had now been reading and re-reading this book for at least three years. She turns 13 next month. Every so often she comes up and thanks me for buying it for her as it is so useful and she loves having all this information. We bought the book originally as it was recommended by the New York Times and it was most definitely a good purchase. It is so nice to see a girl go into puberty and beyond with so much knowledge. Very different from the millennial experience.