Book Review
Short Summary
What’s Happening to Me? is a book written by Peter Mayle and illustrated by Arthur Robins for kids aged 9 to 12. With the huge success of his bestseller Where Did I Come From?, Mayle gives an honest take on what puberty is about. He injects it with humour and empathy, making it more relatable to its target audience.
It was released in 1975, but it remains a bestseller and is still a good resource for parents who want to give their kids an overview of what happens during puberty.
What This Book Is About
I was 10 when this book was first published and I still hear parents talking about it. This book aims to make that conversation easier and lighter, helping kids understand the changes with less cringe.
The illustrations used in the book are funny and entertaining, adding to the overall appeal of the book.
The book answers some of the most embarrassing questions pre-teens normally have in mind, like:
- Why do I get pimples?
- Why is my voice sounding funny?
- What’s an erection?
- What’s masturbation?
- What are wet dreams?
- Why isn’t my penis like his penis?
- Why do I have hair growing all over?
- Why am I having monthly periods?
Reflection and Comments
It’s great that the book emphasises how all these changes do not necessarily happen in one go and that everyone goes through the changes at their own pace.
It also acknowledges that yes, this definitely is an embarrassing phase for everyone. This gives the assurance that it’s okay to feel awkward about all of it. In fact, it happens to kids all over the world!
The book doesn’t cover emotional and social changes that happen during puberty though, but this is still a great introductory book to puberty just the same.
Buy a Copy of This Book
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You can buy a copy of this book online. If you are in Australia, we recommend you purchase via Booktopia or Amazon Australia. If you are in India, you can purchase your copy from Amazon India. For all other countries, you can click the Amazon US button below and you will automatically be redirected to your local Amazon page.
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