cover image It's Ok to Be You: A Frank and Funny Guide to Growing Up

It's Ok to Be You: A Frank and Funny Guide to Growing Up

Claire Patterson. Tricycle Press, $8.95 (70pp) ISBN 978-1-883672-16-4

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. (Nov.)