What's Going on Down There?: A Boy's Guide to Growing Up

By Karen Gravelle

Book Overview

"A useful and readable guide to puberty for boys." -School Library Journal

Part manual, part older brother, this accessible guidebook from Karen Gravelle, the author of the perennial bestseller The Period Book, will empower adolescent boys with honest answers to all of their questions about what's really going on down there.

With 150,000 copies sold, this definitive illustrated guidebook to puberty--now updated with brand new content relevant to today's kids--is the perfect companion for boys and parents seeking information about growing up and their changing bodies. The book addresses physical and emotional changes boys might expect, discusses what puberty is like for girls, and prepares readers to make smart choices about sex. Written in consultation with preteen boys, this guide offers a supportive, practical approach, providing clear and sensitive explanations of common experiences.

This revised edition features new sections on:
- body image and confidence
- sexual harassment and consent
- using social media safely

Complete with funny and informative interior illustrations from Robert Leighton, the updated edition of What's Going on Down There? will give boys the facts they need to feel confident about this new phase of their lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1681193612
• ISBN13: 9781681193618
• Release Date: June 2017
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Muy buen libro

Lo compre para mi sobrino de once anhos, porque es un poco timido y le costaba trabajo preguntar las dudas que seguramente tenia. Pero con este libro creo que aclaro algunas de ellas y sin pasar la pena de preguntarle a su mama. Esta muy bien escrito, me gusto que el lenguaje es sencillo, de acuerdo a su edad. Definitivamente lo recomiendo para aquellas mamas que no tienen una figura masculina que les ayude a explicar los cambios que trae la adolescencia en los hijos varones.

Age Appropriate Language w/ Explicit Detail. Thorough, but morally neutral

This book is geared for younger adolescent boys, and it is extremely thorough at educating them about the process of puberty for boys and, to a lesser extent, girls. It frankly discusses every issue of sexuality that I can think of off the top of my head--how it happens, with whom it happens (straight & gay), what it feels like, what can result from it (pregnancy and STDs in detail) and how to have it as safely as possible. It may be more realistic than some books in assuming that the majority of teenagers will be sexually active, and some readers might even feel as though it pushes that perspective. I was particularly struck by the phrasing in one section discussing the way peer pressure can push people into having sex too early. Paraphrasing, it said something to the effect that "Young teenagers may not feel ready." There seems to me a little subtle pressure there for older teenagers, as though they ought to be over that. I bought the book to read to my 8-year-old, who like many boys these days is maturing more rapidly than his ancestors. He is a little younger than the target audience, but we've always been frank with him about his body and felt that the majority of this book would be well within his grasp. I must give the book great praise for the way it describes maturation. It covers topics that I doubt my husband and I would ever have thought about in terms of the growth and changes in the body and the mind. (Puberty is a fading memory for us at this point.) Any boy who has been exposed to this material should be well-prepared to deal with the surprises that nature throws at him. Further, it arms him with the information he needs about how to ask if he isn't--how to talk to parents, how to talk to doctors. I must warn parents, though, that this is probably not a manual you should just hand to your son unless you feel you're already very open in discussing the trickier aspects of sex--not the how, but the why and when. There's a wealth of information here that could easily overwhelm a boy, and while the authors do try to include the emotional context I think the inevitable reduction of the act to its mechanics may not adequately prepare our sons for the less tangible results of entering into sexual relationships. Even if you do believe your boy is able to process this independently, however, you should probably read through it first. This book will probably not be pleasing to very conservative families, and some of the material may be challenging even for less conservative households.

Good Book for Preteen Boys

I bought this book 2 years ago for now almost 11 and 12 year old boys. I reviewed the book first and I found it to be age appropriate for my boys. At first they were not too interested in it or maybe were too embarrassed to say they were interested. So I just left it with the rest of their books. Over the past 2 years, I have seen this book move around throughout the house indicating they have been reading it. I think it is a good book for preteen boys. Since all kids are different, it should be up to each parent to first review and decide if the information containted in this book is the information you want your child to read. Some boys may not be ready for this subject yet. I would highly recommend this book to any parent with a boy at least 9 years of age who is asking questions. Although some subjects may be something the parents are not yet ready to discuss (sex, homosexuality) it is something our boys are aleady being exposed to socially at school, so why make it taboo at home. Both of my boys schools started sex-ed in 5th grade (end of the year before entering middle school) and I thought it would be better for me to expose it to them first.

Just In Time

We are at a time in society where 10 year old kids are making babies. My son was 10 when he read this book and I must say I couldn't have bought it at a more perfect time. This book explains the changes his body is going through and will go through in a few years. When I asked him if he understood what he was reading, he told me that he already knew or was feeling some of what the book outlined - He just didn't understand "WHY." He even translated to me in his own words what each chapter was about. I remember thinking to myself, not only is this book educational, it's also an easy and interesting read. I am a single mother and there is no way I could have ever answered his questions without this book. This book has made me and my son's life a little less complicated. Thank you Karen Gravelle, et al - Me and me son really needed this book.

just what my son wanted...before he knew he did

My son really liked this book...he found it easy to understand and comprehensive, and it indeed answered the questions he was pondering but didn't know how to ask. It espouses no values...but acknowledges the different values and points of view. I liked this because it allowed my son to reevaluate the values he has learned and to discuss them with his dad and I. I found it frank and funny and with a good tone for my 11-yr-old.