Puberty Boy

By Geoff Price

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Average Rating: (See all reviews) Format: Paperback, 128 pages Other Information: photos; cartoons Published In: Australia, 01 October 2005 Other Editions: Paperback, USA $29.66 View Quantity Available: 12 Ships within 7-9 days 'Clear, wise and kind - a major achievement. Treats puberty with a "whole person" viewpoint' Steve Biddulph, author of Raising BoysHave you ever noticed, now that you're growing up, that your parents want to sit you down and have these embarrassing kinds of conversations with you about sex? Or they leave those 'educational' books about growing up lying around the house? Or you've got some questions about what's happening to your body but you just can't hack the thought of talking about it with your mum?Well, Puberty Boysidesteps embarrassing conversations and gives the full low down on what it means to be growing up. And it's written just for you.In this book, real men and boys share their stories about puberty. This lighthearted, plain speaking and honest book tells you what puberty is, when it happens and how your bodies will change. It explores the thinking and emotional changes that are happening alongside the physical and even tackles how to talk to girls! There's a brain shift happening inside you at puberty and Geoff Price makes sure that you know about it and are equipped to handle it.Puberty Boyexplains the transitions that boys need to go through to become healthy young men in a unique, colourful and commonsense way. It is an essential guide for boys - and your parents, carers and teachers might even find it useful as well! (Hey, leave it lying around for them to find.) Table of Contents Chapter 1 Welcome to Puberty Boy!Chapter 2 Puberty what is it and when?Chapter 3 Changes on every frontChapter 4 Girls are changing tooChapter 5 Exploring your bodyChapter 6 You are in charge of your own body!Chapter 7 Becoming aware of sexualityChapter 8 Staying healthy it's about attitude!Chapter 9 Your body your shape or the media shape?Chapter 10 The brain shift boy thinking to Puberty Boy thinkingChapter 11 HELP is not a four letter word like WEAK Chapter 12 Developing your emotional intelligence what, do emotions have a brain!?! Chapter 13 Fight, run or a 3rd way?GlossaryReferences/ResourcesAcknowledgments From The Publisher: An invaluable source of information for growing boys, parents, and caregivers, this beautifully packaged guide offers pre-teen boys an appealing and fresh take on entering adolescence. Straightforward, conversational advice presents young boys with answers to the questions they may be too embarrassed to ask. This celebration of maturing bodies and spirits is invariably positive and provid factual information on acne, sexual development, body odor, and other physical changes. Also honestly detailed are the emotional changes that young boys encounter, as well as advice on interacting with girls. Complete with real-life stories from other boys and grown men, this book includes colorful photographs of real boys that create a sense of shared community, while instructional illustrations teach young boys about their changing bodies. Publisher: Allen & Unwin ISBN: 1741145635 EAN: 9781741145632 Dimensions: 19.0 x 229.0 x 1.0 centimeters

My 11 year old son thought it was very informative with down to earth language which got the information across in a sometimes humourise but real-world way. Understanding change is half the challenge already met. Knowing what's going on takes away some of the anxiety. Highly recommended. Good read for parents too.

It was well recieved by my son who says, "It's good. It explains things. .....it's good."

Colourful, fun and factual, young boys will want to read Puberty Boy. An invaluable source of real information for boys, their parents, carers and professionals.



'Clear, wise and kind - a major achievement. Treats puberty with a "whole person" viewpoint' Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys

Have you ever noticed, now that you're growing up, that your parents want to sit you down and have these embarrassing kinds of conversations with you about sex? Or they leave those 'educational' books about growing up lying around the house? Or you've got some questions about what's happening to your body but you just can't hack the thought of talking about it with your mum?



Well, Puberty Boy sidesteps embarrassing conversations and gives the full low down on what it means to be growing up. And it's written just for you.

In this book, real men and boys share their stories about puberty. This lighthearted, plain speaking and honest book tells you what puberty is, when it happens and how your bodies will change. It explores the thinking and emotional changes that are happening alongside the physical and even tackles how to talk to girls! There's a brain shift happening inside you at puberty and Geoff Price makes sure that you know about it and are equipped to handle it.

Puberty Boy explains the transitions that boys need to go through to become healthy young men in a unique, colourful and commonsense way. It is an essential guide for boys - and your parents, carers and teachers might even find it useful as well! (Hey, leave it lying around for them to find.)

“Puberty Boy” is a beautifully produced text. The colours are glowing, the paper feels good and the binding is strong. It is illustrated with a mixture of beautiful photographs and well defined cartoon like characters, and the printed text is laid out such that it can be taken in small 'bites'. The structure includes real stories of puberty experiences from men and boys, each one prefaced with a tiny symbolic head which indicates whether it is the story of a man or a boy.

The text is written by a professional counsellor who specialises in counselling men and boys, with the link to the author's website given as one of several internet links at the end of the book. Geoff Price's philosophy, explained on his website, underpins the tone and approach of the book. Price believes that the special relationship between men and boys is crucial to emotional wellbeing and development, and that boys can only truly become men if this relationship is fully worked through.

As a book on the physical, emotional, and social changes which occur at puberty, “Puberty Boy” is successful in providing information in an accessible format. Price provides a glossary and an index, with enough points for young boys to find quick answers to their important questions. The real stories provide an easy point of contact, allowing for dipping into or browsing through.

For those for whom sexuality and morality are intertwined, in a 'you must not' kind of way, Price may not be your cup of tea. He does not forbid or condemn sexual activity such as masturbation, rather he points out gently that some activities are best undertaken in private, that bullying and cruelty are not right in the quest towards true manhood, and that maturity is as much about growth in attitude and responsibility as it is about a maturing body. He does provide advice about 'right' ways of thinking and behaving on such topics as virginity and self-control. In focussing on the transition from boy to man, Price recommends a kind of transition ceremony such as a group father-son camping experience which focusses on emotions and connections and celebrates masculinity. He also talks about mentors.

I did not check out all of the websites listed at the end of the book, but the allenandunwin site given on page 118 was not yet activated at the time of reviewing. I did test the index with some of the more controversial topics; there were no references to paedophilia; homosexuality was given 3 pages with a light touch, providing advice about 'gayness' through a Q&A format and in a factual, not moralising, way; the clitoris was given an entry in the glossary, and one line and a point in an illustration in the chapter on girls, 'Girls are changing too'.

The book is more likely to be of interest to boys approaching puberty rather than those who have passed through it; or to parents, carers, teachers, and grandparents of boys. I asked an 11 year old boy what he thought, and his response was "Yeah, mmm it's O.K.", with that particular rising inflection which means, yes, really quite good. Its size means it's not a book to be carried around, and anyway when was it 'cool' to be seen reading about puberty? But it is probably a book that could be looked through more than once by the 10-13 year olds, and giggled over with a mate or two.