What an excellent book! I work in primary education and I'm also a doula, so this is something I know has been missing. It's medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and gender inclusive. Highly, highly recommended.

This is a great informational book for kids to understand what will happen when they get their periods, what options they have, how to use menstrual products, and much more. I really appreciated the diversity in the characters, not just in racial diversity but gender identity. They deal with issues like PMS, spotting, problems that might arise, etc. It is all presented in graphic novel format with text bubbles and black and white facts.

If anything I would worry that my youngest daughter who will be needing this sort of book soon might get the impression that things are going to be a lot worse than they are. There’s a lot of talk about things like what to do if you can’t get a tampon out, stain someone else’s sheets on a sleepover, bleed profusely and so on. While it’s good to cover all these things I wish it had been more reassuring and also a bit more positive about the whole thing. That said, it’s a great resource.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book via NetGalley.

As a cis woman this book would have been handy when I was a pre-menstrual teen to prepare me for everything my teachers and family didn't cover. This book could prevent anyone who has periods from feeling alienated by their own bodies. This book would stop misconceptions before they could occur and prepare many people with wombs and ovaries for a potential future that would occur for them. Though the book is aimed for pre-menstrual people it is accessible for people of all age ranges including terms like endometriosis which could have anyone understand possible issues they may have with their menstruation.
The illustrations are brilliant and truly encapsulate the inclusivity of this book. By using terminology such as people with ovaries allows inclusivity for trans, non-binary, gender fluid and intersex people, as well as those who prefer scientific terminology using menstruation instead of periods or my favourite 'shark week'. Even some of these euphemisms are addressed in this book. The mayo clinic thought this book out thoroughly and I would like to read any other books that concern pre-teen and teenage medical issues, of which I may recommend to fellow teachers.

I am so glad there is a book like this out in the world. Everyone needs to read this to help anyone who has or will have a period.
I think it has good information and has inclusivity.
Will be adding this to our library collection as soon as it comes out.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

I grew up with the quintessential “The Care and Keeping of You” as my main resource for all things puberty and periods. I’m so excited to have an updated, contemporary, and digestible alternative with PERIOD.

This graphic book is accessible for children and the adults in their lives. This is an excellent resource for everyone - regardless of whether they expect to have a period some day or not. It’s important for young boys and young trans girls to learn about periods so that they know how to be good friends to those in their lives with periods.

Some things I feel this book does really well:
• easily digestible glossary alongside the traditional glossary
• mindful of children who live in multiple homes or travel frequently
• advice regarding digital safety and privacy with period tracking apps
• inclusion of menstrual cups and period underwear!
• a discussion on adjusting your period supplies to be more environmentally friendly
• discussions regarding medical issues and reasons for delayed puberty

things I wish this book did better:
• explicitly said that trans men might have periods too
• more explicit options for stopping your period - parents might not know that there are options for younger period havers

Overall I think this would be a great addition to any child’s library, for classrooms, and for anyone wanting a tool to discuss periods with the people in their lives.

4.0 stars. Great little quick guide with loads of information. I appreciate the racial and gender diversity. As a school nurse, I am so glad that this book recommends speaking with the school nurse. This is a great starting guide. It did lose a star for comparing a tampon to a gun, complete with "pew pew" noises. This is absolutely unnecessary and should be removed from the final print. There is no need to encourage gun culture. Especially in a book for children.

If you know you aren’t ready with all the answers regarding periods or if you are young and shy/confused when it comes to periods, no worries!
Just get this book when it comes out. And I am so glad this comic book on periods has provided most of the answers that youngsters ask and doubts about when it comes to this topic.

We know that even adults are just as reluctant to ask or answer questions related to periods. I feel even us adults are going to learn a lot from this read.

Well crafted with lively young characters, interacting among themselves, seeking answers, feeling less weird (cos we can’t say we can’t even when we know all the answers but it’s start!). Love the art style and the well written dialogues.

Short but just the perfect gift for the ones who really need this book.

Thank you, Mayo Clinic Press Kids, for the advance reading copy.

This was such a very helpful graphic novel. This goes into great detail at what its like to be a young girl getting their period. This book lets us know what happens with the body and how the female reproductive system works.

It lets us know the multiple products we can use to manage our periods. These products are disposable pads, tampons, menstrual cups, period underwear, and reusable pads. How to be more environmentally friendly while on your period.

Also helps with those who struggle with their Gender Identity. Those with heavy periods and those with conditions such as PCOS and Endometriosis.

This was very informative and it's something I wish I had when I was going through that when I was going through puberty and dealing with extreme heavy periods.

I'm constantly amazed at how much more frank and detailed books like this are then the ones I was told to read as a young person.

I wish this book had existed when I was a kid. What a comfortable and informative way to learn about periods and menstruation. I love that this book is inclusive and speaks about all genders getting periods, not just girls. It also has a wonderful section on how adults can talk to kids about periods and how to deal with any emotional discomfort they might feel.

This was a comprehensive, yet easy to digest graphic novel all about menstruation. It is similar in style to books like “Any Body” and the body books by American Girl. I appreciated that it tackled misconceptions surrounding aspects of having a period and was inclusive to non-binary and trans people. It offered a lot of options for people, emphasizing that everyone will have a different experience, but that periods are a natural part of life. I think this book would be good to put in the hands of a middle grader.
(Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

How far we've come. I think of my day, where you just figured it out. Or didn't. I think of my daughters, who got the basic information, but not details like these. This book has the right tone for girls who might be nearing their first period. The illustrations are cute, and also similar to a graphic novel, which will draw girls in. Best, though, this book answers the questions girls might have. What do I do if the tampon gets stuck? What happens to my body when I'm having my period. What kinds of items are out there that they might want to use (cups, pads, tampons.) You get the idea. Do yourself a favor and and get this book. If your child isn't nearing her period, get it and put it aside until it might be needed.
Thank you to Mayo Clinic Press Kids and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley!!
this is a super informative book all about periods for young folks. while it was pretty thorough and I definitely would have found a lot of it helpful as a young person, I do have a few qualms.
mostly, I think the organization is pretty confusing. it's styled like a graphic novel, with lots of different characters and TONS of speech bubbles. toooo many speech bubbles. many times the speech bubbles don't even connect to the person who is supposed to be speaking, or multiple speech bubbles will be connected as if coming from one person when in fact it's meant to be a conversation between two people. the characters also make a lot of jokes or little interjections while information is being delivered that I found confusing. I think it definitely can work! but the delivery here didn't land. overall, the delivery felt a bit clunky.
I also thought that there could have been more time and care spent on who has a period, it's mentioned briefly and it is inclusive, but it's kind of brushed over.

As a doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology this was a must for me as I am a big advocate for normalising period talk.

On the whole I like the design; it's fun, colourful and definitely appealing. The drawings have a wide variety of representation: girls of different skin tones, more traditionally "boyish" in appearance, some in wheelchairs... I love it!

However, some of the pages were a bit cluttered with lots of speech bubbles in a small space, making the order you are meant to read them in confusing. Minimising the amount of speech and including things such as list or bullet points could be more accessible.

Gender-inclusive terms are used such as "if you have a uterus" rather than "girls", but interestingly it isn't explicit what a uterus is. As a 12 year old (or younger) looking for information, would they necessarily know?

Towards the end there is a line about numbers to call for help but these aren't included. This itself isn't a problem as website themselves are more helpful across different countries (and obviously wouldn't show up on phone bills if they are worried!).

I really like the inclusion of causes of irregular periods like PCOS and endometriosis - the book acknowledges these are uncommon causes of problems in teens, but naturally they will come up in a Google search!

I would love to see a more explicit mention of pregnancy. Having sex and not having periods = risk of pregnancy, even if you used protection. A couple of sentences about contraception (not just in the glossary at the back) and pregnancy tests would be great. Also it might be worth including causes of more frequent/irregular bleeding (not just less!) such as bleeding after sex may be caused by an STI so see a doctor.

On the whole a great little book, very inclusive and informative without being overwhelming.

This graphic novel is a great tool to educate people with uterus about getting periods. It is a great resource to introduce periods with out any weird graphics. There is multiple characters that are very diverse in thoughts and opinions on their period. I think there is probably someone in this book that everyone can connect with. It may also be a good tool to educate those that do not get periods so they know what to expect. It is more geared for those with uterus however can be shared with anyone. Each chapter talks step by step what do when or before you get your period. It is a great tool.

I received an ARC copy of this book. All thoughts are my own!

A really lovely book! It gives all the nitty gritty information people with periods need all while being fun, entertaining, and inclusive. I enjoyed how real this book is with periods and how it focuses on normalizing it for first time period-havers. The book answers a lot of good questions while still engaging the reader and making them comfortable. Would definitely use this book with a student who just started their period.

Absolutely in love with the imagery - kids love graphic novels and this is a huge way to support that. I love the diversity of characters. I absolutely love the "what if" this happens scenarios. The chapter on PMS hasn't been done before in a lot of kids books - definitely needed and fulfilled here. I will 100% be buying this book when it comes out for our family library.