What's Going on down There? by Karen Gravelle: Book Cover

    What's Going on down There?: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Ask by Karen Gravelle, Robert Leighton (Illustrator), Nick Castro (With)

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    Reader Rating: (12 ratings)

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    • Publisher: Walker & Company
    • Pub. Date: October 1998
    • ISBN-13: 9780802775405
    • Sales Rank: 8,947
    • Age Range: Young Adult
    • 160pp
     
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    Synopsis

    Why is my voice making such weird sounds? When will I be able to start shaving? Why do I keep getting pimples? What is a wet dream?

    Your body has been behaving very strangely lately. You hardly know what to expect from one day to the next. Karen Gravelle, with some help from her two young advisors, Nick and Chava Castro, has written a down-to-earth and practical book that will help guide you through this confusing time in your life. What's Going On Down There? answers any questions you might have about puberty, from what it is and what it feels like, to what puberty is like for girls, to how to handle the sexual feelings you may be starting to experience. Robert Leighton's funny and informative cartoons ease the confusion and exasperation you might feel.

    Part manual, part older brother, What's Going On Down There? will give you the facts you need to feel comfortable and confident about this new phase of your life.

    Annotation

    Describes the physical and emotional changes that occur in boys (and, to a lesser extent, in girls) during puberty and discusses sexual activity, homosexuality, AIDS, and other related topics.

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    Biography

    Karen Gravelle is the author of Walker and Company's The Period Book and is the author of several other books about difficult issues facing today's adolescents. She lives in New York City.

    Nick and Chava Castro are brothers who live and attend middle school in Los Angeles, California.

    Robert Leighton is an illustrator and professional game designer who lives in New York City. This is his first book.

    Customer Reviews

    What's Going on down There?: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Askby Anonymous

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    July 07, 2008: I was impressed by this book and have recommneded it to the single mom of a boy I am mentoring. I think some of the negative reviews involve a confusion over terminology. No book should ever be the sole basis of a child's sex education. Every child needs a parent or other responsible adult or adults 'approved by parents' to dialog with through the turmoil of emerging sexuality. Parent/responsible adult dialog and example are the ONLY effective ways to communicate values. No book 'or school sex education program' can do that effectively. Parents who are offended by statements about boys being together learning masturbation have every right to tell their sons that is not acceptable behavior if they so choose, but they will do damage -- regardless of religious values -- if they leave their kids who might have done that to believe that the behavior was sick or pathological. You and I might prefer that God had designed our bodies so that sexual desire and reproductive funtion did not develop until kids are old enough to marry and support children. I'm not sure that you and I are competent to criticize God's design of the human body, but as it has been designed, boys need access to all of the information in this book not later than when they begin to experience puberty. Conservative Christian parents 'just like all parents' need to sxplain with graphic detail how to maintain the self discipline to keep sexual behavior within proper boundaries in a manner the accords with their values. Unfortunately resistance to communicating to children what they need to know to manage their sexuality in an appropriate and God-centered manner arises too frequently not from scriptural guidance but from parental discomfort with their own sexuality. This book is one valuable tool for parents with a wide spectrum of values. It does not stand alone as a substitute for human dialog, precept, and visible example as we guide children through emerging sexuality. Parents looking for a book that will do that are evading their personal responsibility. I liked the book because it presents accurate information in a way that kids will read it, laying the groundwork for parental dialog. I was also thought it was relevant to address why some of the negative reviews were based upon expectation that the book would do a job that is not appropriate for any book to do.

    What's Going on down There?: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Askby Anonymous

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    February 28, 2008: I just purchased this book to use in couples counseling with a couple who both have intellictual disabilities. While an abundance of literature and training programs exist about relationships and sexuality for people with Developmental Disabilites, not much is available to teach them about the workings of the body. I had contacted the local Planned Parenthood for information that I may be able to adapt to meet my patients' needs, and they had suggested this book. Although it is a little childish to be using with adults, it gives the information in a way that is easy for them to understand. I would recommend this book!


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