SECTION 1:  Talking to Adults 

Who is a trusted adult – Choosing trusted adults – Feelings about puberty 

SECTION 2: Puberty Basics

What is puberty? – When will it start? – What should I expect? – Stages of Puberty

SECTION 3: Hello Private Parts! 

The inside bits – The outside bits – More about Penis, Testicles and Sperm

SECTION 4: Body Changes  

What changes will happen – Growth spurts – Pubic hair – Even more hair – Erections –  Ejaculating – Body shape – New Feelings – Voice deepens 

SECTION 6: About Girls’ Bodies 

Basic changes girls go through including periods – How to be a good friend to girls 

SECTION 7: Looking After You

How to care for your changing body – Facts about pimples – About sleep, exercise and play  -Protecting your body – Tricky questions 

SECTION 8: Inside Your Brain 

Brain changes – What this means for you – How parents can help – New friends and ideas – Liking someone – Bad hair days 

SECTION 9: The Future 

More conversations – Becoming an adult you – Puberty to-do list

Your Puberty Vocabulary Guide

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE PAGES 

To help you get a feel for the tone of the book I have chosen the first few lines of some of my favourite pages.

Page 7. Meet the Characters

I’d like to introduce you to the characters that Steph, the AMAZING illustrator of this book, and created for you. Keep reading to meet the one and only Adam (who is a super-friendly, super talkative kid your age), his dog called Rocket (who can beat Adam in a running race), Mr Puberty Watch (an imaginary but helpful invention) and a bunch more. I hope they all bring a smile to your face, help you learn, and (most importantly) make talking to trusted adults a lot easier.

Page 16. Talking to the Right People About Puberty 

Talking to the right people about puberty and your body is really, really important. You don’t want to talk to just ANYONE about personal stuff. Imagine going up to a random person and saying, ‘Hey dude, what is puberty all about?’ That’s not a conversation for strangers or people who aren’t SUPER trustworthy.

Page 68. Scrotum and Testicles 

Your Scrotum has two Testicles inside of it. You might refer to your Testicles as your ‘balls’ or ‘nuts’ because, well … they do look and feel like balls or nuts! Most men’s Testicles are about the same size, though it’s common for one to be slightly bigger than the other. It’s also common for one Testicle to hang lower than the other. Testicles should feel smooth, without any lumps or bumps, and firm but not hard.

Page 104. Grooming Products

Men’s grooming products (that’s the stuff men use to take care of their facial hair) are actually available in a lot of places — both at the supermarket and specialty stores. As you get more hair, you will have lots of options to choose from — scented shaving creams and gels and soaps, brushes to apply them, disposable razor blades, electric razors. It’s pretty cool stuff! And if you have a beard, you can take care of it by using oils, balms, beard brushes, combs and trimmers.

Page 202. Brain Changes

They call this process brain pruning. Imagine it being like pruning a bush, but it’s your brain! The big question: How does your brain know what to prune and what not to? Pruning withers away the neurons which you don’t use. It doesn’t get rid of anything important — just unnecessary stuff which is cluttering or slowing things down in there. It wants to work as effectively as possible. It also strengthens the neurons which you do use. Your brain will keep pruning until you are about twenty- four years old. After it has finished, your brain will be built around the things you like to do and are good at.