Book Nook: You-ology - A Puberty Guide for Every Body

 I recently had a chance to review You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body. Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this book offers a one-stop-shop, explaining what every body goes through—with illustrations that are engaging and appropriate for kids of a variety of ages.

Gynecologist Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG and pediatricians Trish Hutchison, MD, FAAP (co-founders of the popular website, Girlology, and proud stars of a Tampax commercial in which they blitz through a lightening-round of tampon myth-busting, so you know you’re in good company) and Kathryn Lowe, MD, FAAP keep the tone upbeat and engaging, while short stories featuring a cast of diverse characters add relatability and humor in their colorfully-illustrated guide. 

This book is great for quite a few reasons. First of all, it has a diverse set of "characters" in the book. These characters represent people of different gender identities and personalities, so most kids will find someone that resonates with them. It's also written in a way that doesn't talk down to older adolescents, but doesn't talk over the heads of younger adolescents, so whenever parents choose to start having their kids learn about puberty, it's appropriate. Finally, it works to sufficiently explain a wide variety of issues that come up during puberty, so parents and caregivers don't have to have super awkward conversations if they aren't sure what to say, but it can also spark good, positive discussions between kids and adults. (The book is targeted to grades 4-8 and their parents, and I think it's best used with early middle school kids as a way to start discussions, but it can be used outside of that age range as well).

 

You can see more about the authors here:

 

Dr. Holmes on Access Hollywood

 

Dr. Hutchison and Dr. Holmes’ Tampax commercial

 

Dr. Lowe and Dr. Hutchison on-camera clip

 

 

Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG is co-founder of Girlology and a graduate of The Medical College of Georgia. As an Ob-Gyn, Melisa joined the faculty at the Medical University of S.C. (MUSC) where she held joint appointments in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics. She served as director of the MUSC Teen Clinic and created a clinic for sexual assault survivors. As a nationally recognized advocate for adolescent health, she has served on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Adolescent Health Care and worked with National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She is on the Board of Directors for the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and serves on the Advisory Board for Amaze.org, a global sexuality education project. In addition to co-authoring the Girlology series of books, she has written numerous scientific papers and textbook chapters as well as articles and guest blogs. As a passionate teacher for her patients, Dr. Holmes received a national award from the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists for patient education. As an excellent clinician respected by her peers, she was also named among the Best Doctors in America.

 

Trish Hutchison, MD is a board-certified pediatrician, nationally-recognized health educator, and author. Dr. Trish is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Girlology — a leading girls’ health app.Dr. Trish founded and directed a young women’s health center for the Department of Adolescent Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is an expert on adolescent development, teen sexuality, parenting, and has been listed among the Best Doctors in America. Dr. Trish has also co-founded the Period Education Project — a not-for-profit organization providing menstrual health education to underserved groups throughout the country.In addition to creating the Girlology content, she currently practices medicine at the College of Charleston’s Student Health Center. She earned her MD at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) then completed her Pediatrics residency at Vanderbilt University

Kathryn Lowe, MD, FAAP graduated from Concordia College and then served in Peace Corps in Bolivia for two years where she discovered her passion for pediatrics.  Following that, she attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Maine Medical Center.  Since then, she has worked as a pediatrician in both the clinic and hospital setting and currently is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Washington School of Medicine where she helps educate our future generation of physicians.  She currently serves on the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on LGBT Health and Wellness, and has also had leadership positions with the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is the co-founder of the non-profit Gender Equality Montana whose mission is to raise awareness about gender diversity at the community level.  She has also led many trainings on gender diversity at the community level, state level, and national level.