Becoming You for Boys/Girls by Darby A. Strickland

These non-fiction books cover the topics of puberty from a Christian worldview. Topics covered include:

• God’s amazing design of the human body
• What is puberty and what is its purpose?
• Physical changes
• Personal Hygiene
• The importance of sleep
• Hair growth
• Understanding your period (girls edition)
• Erections and nocturnal emissions (boys edition)
• Privacy
• Emotions
• Friendships
• Online Safety and Technology

There are more things covered, like honoring your parents, growing in wisdom, and more. Each edition very briefly (in a paragraph or so) covers what physical changes happen in the opposite gender.

Reading Level: Ages 8-13

This resource/chapter book is a wonderful title for parents and preteens who want some extra guidance in navigating conversations about puberty. The books are thin, lightheartedly illustrated, and have short sections for children to take in one topic at a time. While the books have many sections that are identical in text, there are also many section that are written differently, so giving a girl the boys book (and vice versa) isn’t advised.

I appreciate all the information about puberty included in these pages as preteens will have many questions. The author does a wonderful job of covering all the basics straightforwardly but with care. This is likely a book that children will hang onto for a while to reference when they have questions.

Something that is addressed here that might not be included in older books of the same nature is texting, social media, and screen time. While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive resource for children on the topic, it’s important that preteens know the realities of these things before they ever have a phone in their hand.

The major thing of which to be aware throughout the book is that the author addresses your child as if he/she is saved. While I understand the heart behind phrasing things this way, it’s something I wish had be given more thought. For example, when discussing social media, it reads, “You don’t need the internet to tell you who you are. You already have approval from the God who created you.” If your child isn’t in Christ, this simply isn’t true.

There are two Gospel presentation in each book, but they aren’t terribly strong. One talks about seeing both good and bad things in your heart (again, I understand the author’s intent), but if our children aren’t in Christ, their hearts are deceitful and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). There is also a common misuse (twice) of Jeremiah 29:11. This was surprising, as New Growth Press is such a solid publisher, but thankfully it’s not expounded on much. The heart behind this book is to Biblically walk a preteen through puberty, and it does that very well.

It does briefly address pornography in both books, however, it doesn’t actually use the word itself. There is also a brief paragraph on gender, affirming that your gender is purposeful.

Other Things to Note:
When speaking of menstrual cramps, over the counter medication is given as an option for treatment.
Sexual intercourse and masturbation are not discussed.

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