THE PERIOD BOOK

Give this straightforward treatment of menstruation a warm welcome. Written by the co-author of Where Are My Birth Parents?, (1993) and her 15-year-old niece, it has a reassuring, matter-of- fact tone lightened throughout by Palen's humorous but appropriate line drawings. Following a brief description of puberty, menstruation is frankly discussed; most helpful is a whole chapter on ``What to Wear?''; another chapter negotiates genuinely embarrassing situations that every female has envisioned, if not experienced. Readers will also find information on uneven breast development, gynecologists, pimples, and more. The book is aimed at readers who are premenstrual or newly menstrual; teenagers seeking detailed information on sexual activity, birth control, or sexually transmitted diseases will have to look elsewhere. However, there is an excellent final chapter that emphasizes continuing communication with parents and suggests readers save sex for ``someone special.'' Four blank pages ``just for you'' should not preclude library purchase. A worthy companion to the more overtly feminist Period (1991) and a fine complement to the inclusive It's Perfectly Normal (1994). (index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 9-14)