Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Reflections of Me – Girls and Body Image

Kris Hirschmann

In today’s society, body image has become a billion-dollar business. The media along with celebrity influence has produced an unrealistic expectation not just for women, but also for preteen and teen girls. The five chapters of “Reflections of Me – Girls and Body Image”, speaks frankly to young girls encouraging them to recognize the uniqueness of each one of them through personality, talents, strengths, and gifts. Girls are encouraged to develop hobbies and interests. Then to recognize the changes of their bodies through the normal developmental changes their bodies go through. Additionally, the young teen girls are advised to avoid dieting, but rather to eat healthy meals, get plenty of exercise, sleep well, improve their posture and practice good hygiene. The girls can also learn to dress appropriately while still reflecting their own style. To build a sense of self-esteem, the author recommends volunteering and becoming involved in sports. The author secured the advice of Dr. Woods of the Dept. of Psychology of Saddleback College, CA. Included in the book is a quiz to reinforce the knowledge learned, a glossary of the terms used, and additional pages where the reader can access resources regarding the information presented in the book.
This is a very well presented book of issues young teen and teenage girls will have to deal with. The language is up-to-date and celebrity personalities used as examples are current and positive.

BIBLIO: 2009, Compass Point Books, Ages 11-16, $27.99
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Non-Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-7565-4132-3
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 9/3/09

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