The title tells you all you need to know. Not “manage” your period, not “handle“ your period, but “OWN your period. That’s the best period-positive title I’ve seen in a book dealing with periods. The content of the book is in sync with the title. But sometimes, I felt that it went into an information overdrive, especially considering that it is aimed at preteens and above.

This feedback comes from me as an Indian parent. I am sure the response will differ from country to country and culture to culture. I have tried to provide all relevant information so you can decide if your child is ready for this book or not.

On the pro side, the book talks of everything to do with understanding and managing menstruation.
👉 A lot of the content is praiseworthy: understanding the appearance of period blood and discharges, how to handle emotional changes, charting the period cycle with appropriate apps, the various menstrual products available (with the stress being on sustainable products), dealing with menstrual stains without shame, tips for navigating periods in school, myths about periods and a lot more. All of these were practical topics and dealt with a great deal of maturity and a good deal of humour.
👉 I loved the stress on open communication and driving away menstrual shame.
👉 The author includes quite a few anecdotes about her own period problems. This makes the awkward topic more personal and will help children understand that every female goes through the same concerns during periods.
👉 The illustrations, though too much in detail at times, are informative and ease the understanding of the concept at hand.
👉 Inclusivity is taken care of wonderfully as the sketches includes children of various races and there is also mention of the different types of modern family combinations. I appreciate this open-mindedness, something so needed in today’s times.

However the author declares in the introduction that she “included everything”, and in this “everything”, I feel that some things were not appropriate for the younger section of the target age group, which is 9+. A few of these topics were too complicated and multifaceted to be introduced at this young age. Here’s what might help you decide if the book is right for your child:
👉 The book has mention of orgasms, ovulation (especially that you get aroused more easily during ovulation – not always true and not relevant for a youngster to know), fertility and some other such topics which are connected to menstruation but not necessarily age-appropriate for preteens.
👉 The first section on body basics (what’s a vulva, a look inside your body, understanding hormones and so on) is quite difficult for a younger preteen to comprehend in terms of the language used and the complexity of the content.
👉 A couple of sections mention that you can insert your finger inside the vagina to feel the cervix or that people enjoy touching different parts of the clitoris to have an orgasm. If a child does this improperly, there are chances of internal injuries. Such pointers, if they need to be included, should come with a cautionary note.
👉 Some sections don’t seem to fit in the book: why should a book about periods include “fertility support” or “surrogacy”? If this is aimed at adults, then it would be fine. But as an illustrated book aimed at preteens and teens, these topics were superfluous.
👉 There are mentions of an interest in being sexually active but this could have been accompanied with a small advisory note on safe sex and consent and not succumbing to peer pressure. If a book mentions arousal, ovulation, surrogacy, fertility, etc. but doesn't talk about more important and pertinent topics for teens such as safe sex and consent, it's not just incomplete, it’s irresponsible.
All these issues made me feel that the age of the target audience needs to be revised, at least for some countries, and that parents need to know what the book entails before handing it over to their children.

I expected this book to be a good introduction to periods for children, covering every relevant information about periods, hygiene and health. After all, the initial days of getting the first period are quite scary and it helps to have as much information about it as possible. The book does manage to do this very well. But it seems aimed more at teenaged children who are somewhat aware of periods and are mature enough to understand not just menstruation but also pregnancies and sex. It might also work for adults who aren’t yet completely aware of what exactly a period entails and are too embarrassed to ask a friend or search online. But is it suitable for a preteen? I don’t think so. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. The book is intended for Western countries so it might be that children and parents there find the above topics perfectly fine and acceptable for 9 year olds.

To sum up my opinion, the book seems to have its heart in the right place. But its suitability is dependent on the cultural mentality and teenage sexual activity in various countries. The book has a great approach towards owning your period and having a period-positive attitude. But it also has content that parents might want to look through before handing it over to their child so that they can have a guided discussion rather than giving the children something they aren’t ready for. On my part, I would recommend this to the 13+ age group, because of both the difficulty level and the suitability of the content. As a parent, you would know the right time to broach such topics with your children. Decide accordingly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Such an important educational read for every girl child as well as for everyone who has little to wrong ideas about periods or menstruation.

The book is illustrated and colourful inside out. It makes the reading far more fun and quite visual accurate.

Kudos to the artist!

The book explains in parts the anatomy, the physiology and the pathological conditions related to the female reproductive system.

The writing is concise yet the whole information is given alongwith stories of experience and memorable anecdotes.

A book to be kept in every school and home; a must have and a must read.

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

This book is an educational guide for anyone that menstruates. It’s filled with positivity around periods, and even busts myths associated with menstruation.

I wish I had this book when I first started menstruating. It’s filled with so much information, and it’s all presented in a positive way. I feel like if I had access to this book when I was younger, I wouldn’t have had as much shame with my period when I was a teen. I would definitely recommend buying this for younger menstruating people, even if you already plan on talking positively to them about their period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - QEB Publishing for the ARC!

This was a positive and informative book all about menstruation. Many young people with questions will definitely find this an easy to understand book full of the answers they are looking for. The writing is clear and to the point and the book is designed to be fun, super positive, and inclusive.

I really liked that the book included information about reusable products. I did not know about these as a teenager, but was happy to discover them in my 20s.

While pregnancy and safe sex were mentioned briefly, I do wish there could have been a bit more information on this topic. There's a whole page devoted to tips on washing stains, I think there can definitely be more information on sex, safe sex, consent, and pregnancy prevention. I know this was a book focusing on periods, but many young people who have questions about periods will also have questions about sex.

One other note I wished the author mentioned was that not all menstruating people have easy access to the products they need to have a safe and comfortable period. There may be people in your community who cannot afford menstruation products. There is so much positive energy and information in this book, including environmental awareness and craftism, I wish they could have touched upon this fact as well, as it may inspire young people to help those in their own community. There are many instances of food drives for communities, but collecting menstruation products for those in need is also extremely important. Chella Quint did such a great job on this book, I really hope if a second edition is ever released, it can include this topic.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is awesome and I want it for every budding badass young woman I know! This is a frank, positive guide full of modern, useful information and challenging a lot of the myths, stigmas, and misinformation that seem to perpetuate despite all logic and common-sense.

This is a fantastic practical resource and also a thought-provoking guide to owning one's body and considering how one's own choices and outside influences affect themselves and others.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thanks to Netgalley and QEB Publishing for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

As a mom of an eight year old, the topics in this book feel very relevant to where she will be soon. I love the idea of being open and period-positive when she has questions, I grew up in a household that was not that way, so books like this help me understand how that kind of dialogue can look. I really liked the illustrations and this felt informative without being too boring.

Lots of facts and science in an easy to understand way in this book. It's informative without being pedantic or boring,. I like the period positivity message too. The illustrations and charts make the book fun and easy to read. I would recommend this book to all girls and parents of teenagers. There really should be more books like this for teenagers.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc.