Welcome to Your Period!

by Yumi Stynes, Melissa Kang, Jennifer Latham (Illustrator)

Overview

This frank, funny guide to getting your period gives preteens all they need to master—and even celebrate!—menstruation.

Getting your period for the first time can be mortifying, weird, and messy—and asking questions about it can feel even worse. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This taboo-free guide is packed with honest advice and big-sisterly wisdom on all the things girls need to know: from what cramps feel like to whether you can feel blood coming out, to what you should do if your pad leaks onto your clothes. Welcome to Your Period includes case studies, first-person accounts, questions from real teens, and answers from health journalist Yumi Stynes and adolescent health specialist Melissa Kang, MD. Cheerful illustrations keep the tone fun, and help with how-tos on different period supplies. There are even suggestions for throwing a first-period party. With its inclusive, body-positive message, pocket size, and reassuring vibe, this must-have menstruation manual will make girls feel not only normal but proud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536214772
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/12/2021
Series:	Welcome to Your Body , #1
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	614,094
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Yumi Stynes is an Australian writer, broadcaster, television presenter, food fanatic, fitness enthusiast, and mother of four—including two teenage girls. She is the presenter of the award-winning ABC Radio podcast Ladies, We Need to Talk, about female health and sexuality. Yumi Stynes lives in Sydney.

Melissa Kang, MD, answered teenagers’ questions about puberty, sex, and relationships for more than two decades as the “Dolly Doctor” for Australia’s Dolly magazine. She is a practicing medical doctor for marginalized young people and has academic roles at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney. Melissa Kang lives in Sydney.

Editorial Reviews

Latham’s illustrations are colorful and fun and reflect girls from all different cultural backgrounds, body shapes and sizes, skin colors, and ages. This idea that menstruation is both universal among women and uniquely individual is further supported by text sidebars that include experiences from women of all ages and backgrounds. This confident and upbeat narrative about girls and puberty is a refreshing addition to school and public library collections.
—VOYA

This is the book that I needed as a young girl! This title answers questions about the menstrual cycle that I did not even know to ask and presents answers in a fun, casual, and informative style...This is a must-have for any library serving young women on the verge of puberty.
—School Library Connection

Casual and engaging, this seeks to demystify, reassure, and arm readers with information about menstruation and other aspects of puberty...Energetic and accessible, this guide serves as a cheerleader in your corner.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

12/01/2020

Gr 5–8—This colorful, informative guide explains getting and managing one's period. The experience can be scary, exciting, or fun—it's never without some kind of emotional response. The assuring and candid text helps demystify this bodily rite of passage. From providing readers with the basics of anatomy and the reproductive systems to clearly explaining the differences between pads, tampons, and menstrual cups, this comprehensive title will assist readers through the whole process. The section "Be Prepared with a Period Pack" encourages readers to have a special bag with period supplies ready at all times. Overall, this title is very inclusive. The illustrations depict many different body sizes and skin tones, and the text mentions girls with disabilities and people who are transgender. VERDICT This guide, with its frank and upbeat style, will be a welcome companion for those on the cusp of puberty and help them realize that they are not alone.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia P.L. Svc., Atlanta

School Library Journal

2020-10-13
An Australian writer and doctor team up to empower “the next generation of bleeders” to become “period boss[es].”

Casual and engaging, this seeks to demystify, reassure, and arm readers with information about menstruation and other aspects of puberty. With the book’s focus on managing periods and how to prepare, topics range from menstrual products—both the use and the environmental impact of each kind—to how to advocate for your needs to parents, caregivers, coaches, teachers, and friends. Personal stories and quotes from both other teens and adults are peppered throughout, and cross-references with page numbers are often provided so readers can jump to other sections for further reading on specific topics. Effort has seemingly been taken to avoid using gendered language—people who “have a uterus”—but the occasional feminine term (girls, ladies, sisters) slips through. The fact that some people who are assigned female at birth do not identify as female is addressed, and an anecdote from a trans man recounts correcting a drugstore clerk with the inclusive term sanitary items. Cartoon illustrations provide anatomical information and instructions as well as showing a fairly diverse group of teens, but images are reused, and the preponderance of figures present female.

Energetic and accessible, this guide serves as a cheerleader in your corner. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

Kirkus Reviews