Book Review
An overview of the book
Hair in Funny Places, by Babette Cole,is an explanation of puberty written with humour!
I love it as it introduces the concept of the physical and emotional changes of puberty in such a way, that your child will be wishing that puberty would arrive sooner! It takes the ‘scariness’ out of puberty!
I think that this is a great first book to use that talks about puberty.
This book only shows an intact penis ie with a foreskin. It does not show circumcised penises.
Hair in Funny Places covers the basics of what your child needs to know about puberty. It tells the story of a girl who asks her teddy ‘when will I grow up to be a ‘grown-up’?
Here is how her teddy explains puberty:
- growing up is dependent on the hormones – Mr and Mrs Hormone (ironically they are hairy, pimply and grumpy)
- hormones live inside us all but are sleeping in children and eventually they wake up
- when they wake up, they start to mix the potions (hormones) that turn kids into grownups
- In girls, they do this
- grow breasts
- grow hair in funny places
- voice deepens
- blood in your knickers (this means that one day you could be a mum)
- bleeding starts to happen each month and can make you feel awful
- grow tall
- make you like boys (you could add in that sometimes we fall in love with the same sex – ie not always the opposite sex)
- get pimples
- grow at different rates to your friends
- make you feel up and down, happy and angry
- In boys, they do this
- boys have a different chemical mix
- shoulders broaden and penis thickened
- grow hair in funny places
- voice changes – deep one minute and squeaky the next
- become interested in girls (or you can add in ‘boys too’)
- penis grows bigger and smaller and sticky stuff comes out – which means you could become a dad
- become spotty and smelly
- talks about how hormones are responsible for attraction – and make us feel attracted to someone, fall in love and one day have kids
As you can see, it pretty much covers everything that a kid can expect, but simplifies it very nicely! It covers the physical changes very matter of factly as well as the emotional changes.
Hair in Funny Places is ideal for younger children, anywhere between the ages of 5 – 8. I think it works really well with children who are not at the cusp of puberty. Plus, being a picture book format, means that it is really more suited for younger children who want to have a book read to them or with a parent.
And why would you want to talk to younger kids about puberty so early? Firstly, it normalises puberty ie it makes it seem that it is an everyday thing that all of us go through (which it is). And it won’t harm or scare kids to know about this stage of their life. Wrapping it up into a storybook makes it sound more fun and interesting! My daughter used to love this book. It was a favourite for a while and she would say that she was looking forward to puberty and could wait for it to happen.
Secondly, it prewarns kids that one day their body will start changing. This helps with removing some of the fear that many children fear about this stage of change. Fear of the unknown is what can make puberty a tougher time for kids. Think back to your own memories of puberty, were you prewarned or did you just discover hair in funny places one day?
Thirdly, it helps you to plant the seed that puberty isn’t all doom and gloom. Puberty is portrayed very negatively in our media and in our everyday conversation. I recently did a search on images to depict puberty and they were all sad, depressed, pimply, unhappy teenagers! Let’snot set our kids up for a negative experience!
Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole is a great first book for kids on puberty. I love it as it introduces the concept of the physical and emotional changes of puberty in such a way, that your child will be wishing that puberty would arrive sooner!
It actually takes the ‘scariness’ out of puberty! (Which is a good thing!)
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 5 to 8 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! Let me tell you about this amazing book called Hair In Funny Places by Babette Cole. It’s seriously one of my all-time favorites when it comes to talking about puberty. The best part? It’s not your typical educational book, it’s actually a fun storybook filled with humor!
Babette Cole, the English author, has a knack for writing about topics that others might shy away from. She’s written books about where babies come from and even one about two mommies. But today, let’s focus on Hair In Funny Places.
What I love about this book is how it seamlessly blends educational information into a captivating story. It was written back in 1999, but trust me, it hasn’t aged a bit. I believe it will continue to be a timeless resource for years to come.
The story starts with a little girl named Ted, who wonders what she’ll be when she grows up. Ted explains that it all depends on Mr. and Mrs. Hormone. These tiny little things inside our bodies that we can’t see. When your mom was little, she looked just like you, but around the age of eleven, Mr. and Mrs. Hormone woke up and started making potions. These potions are actually hormones, which are chemicals that run around in our bodies.
The book goes on to talk about what happens to girls during puberty. Suddenly, they get breasts and hair in funny places, their voices deepen, and they may find a bit of blood on their underwear. It’s all part of growing up and becoming fertile. The book even touches on PMT (premenstrual tension) and how it can sometimes make girls feel awful. But hey, there’s a silver lining – they also get to grow tall and experience new feelings about boys.
Of course, everyone is different, and the book emphasizes that. It shows that even friends of the same age can look completely different during puberty. Mood swings and anger are normal too, but it’s all part of having a grown-up body that boys may find attractive.
Now, let’s not forget about what happens to boys during puberty. The Hormones start working on them around the age of eight. They may start looking like girls, except for their small penis, which always gets a chuckle from my kids. But then, their bodies change too. Shoulders get broader, voices deepen (sometimes even going squeaky), and they become interested in girls. The book even talks about the changes happening inside the penis, like it getting bigger and smaller and sticky stuff coming out.
By the time they’re 18, they’ve gone through all these changes and become rather handsome. The book also touches on love and how mom and dad met, in a very heterosexual, stereotypical way. They made a baby, and that’s how you came to be.
So, as you can see, this book is a beautiful way to introduce the concept of puberty. It’s a storybook that kids love to read over and over again because it’s fun and engaging. And the best part? It’s completely safe and age-appropriate. It doesn’t explicitly mention sex, so you don’t have to worry about any uncomfortable conversations just yet.
I’m a huge fan of Babette Cole, so I might be a bit biased, but I truly believe Hair In Funny Places is a must-have book for every child. It’s a fantastic resource that will help them navigate the changes of puberty with a smile on their face.
