Friday, March 5, 2010
Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole
This book is a great way to introduce the changes your body goes through when it enters puberty. The book touches on every single thing that could happen to a child experiencing puberty. This teaches the child that they are not the only one going through these changes and that some of these things they are experiencing can be blamed on their hormones and are not just their own fault. I do not like that Mr. and Mrs. Hormone are made to look really gross and mean. This may teach children that hormones are scary and not a good thing to go through. Puberty should not be made into a negative experience that all kids should fear. I actually was surprised that the graphics were so modest because I had just gotten done reading another book by Babette Cole, in which the graphics are appalling. I like that this book does not just focus on girls going through puberty, but it also brings in the boys and in the end teaches children that puberty is something that you have to go through if you ever want to grow up to be a parent someday. This book is great for a parent to read to their child who is about to experience puberty in order to prepare them. I like that the book touches on every aspect but does not go into detail. For instance, the book talks about the girl bleeding but does not go any further than that. This leaves the topic open for the parent to explain to their child however they may want.
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What are your thoughts about having this book in your classroom? I am curious to read/look at it myself to see how graphic and detailed it is. I think that it may be a good book to keep in your classroom for reference, but not as a "free read" book. Because it references both males and females, I think that it is less of a controversy (unless parents do not want their child to know about the opposite sex).
ReplyDeleteI read this book as well and felt similarly to you. I liked how simple yet whimsical the pictures were and how puberty changes in both boys and girls were addressed. I also did not like how Mr. and Mrs. Hormone looked - that shouldn't be the case because it is sending the wrong message! I think I may have forgotten to mention that in my blog. But I do think I said I would read this book to my own children, but not in my classroom. I think the issue I find most controversial to address in schools is sex. Maybe if I read this book to middle school kids, but by then this book may be too childish for them. I just wouldn't feel comfortable talking about sex in my classroom unless there was a health unit or sexual education unit. This book touches more on hormones, so it would be slightly more appropriate but I would still rather use it as a conversation starter with my own kids rather than my students. How do you feel about using it in the classroom?
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