's Best of 2001
With 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, Brenda Lane Richardson and Elane Rehr have written the definitive book about body esteem for girls. These two mothers--one a journalist, the other a clinical psychologist--don't simply snarl about the ways society chips away at a young girl's self esteem via her body image. Instead, they offer fresh, practical strategies for parents to teach daughters to view their bodies lovingly in the face of enormous pressure. Body esteem, say the authors, "allows a girl to view her internal strengths, rather than her appearance, as a projection of her worth and to retain an image of her body as a whole rather than a package of distorted parts that must be dressed up and displayed to their best advantage." Each chapter is packed with specific suggestions about how parents can reframe a daughter's media-driven desire for a perfect body into a process of accepting her unique build. Among the topics: living in a fat-phobic culture, teaching body comfort with babies, why a mother's body esteem is critical, how dads make a difference, brilliant "Barbie" strategies, a crash course in the perils of puberty, the trap of "emotional eating," talking about pregnancy and periods, and how to keep her body from harm. The bold and wise counsel in this book should be read by every parent of a growing girl. --Barbara Mackoff


From Publishers Weekly
Journalist Richardson and clinical psychologist Rehr, both mothers of teenage girls, closely examine the experience of girls today, and offer suggestions for counteracting the media, fashion trends, the lure of Barbie and other cultural input that may negatively impact a girl's confidence and self-image. Not surprisingly, much of the book concerns weight issues; models are 23% thinner than the average female, the authors point out, yet many girls measure themselves by this standard. Along with suggesting that parents limit the presence of fashion magazines in the house ("OK, call us humorless, but... we see fashion magazines as potentially dangerous to your daughter's health"), Richardson and Rehr advise mothers to consider the detrimental messages sent when they criticize their own bodies, and fathers to focus on female attributes other than size and shape. Besides much practical information, such as teaching girls to read a map ("to raise a daughter who moves through the world with self-confidence") or encouraging participation in sports, the authors also urge parents to delve into their own feelings about the female body. This may require some soul-searching particularly for moms about such topics as menstruation, childbirth and their own body images. Although primarily addressing mothers, the authors consider the enormous impact men have on their daughters' self-image and offer plenty of tips for fathers. Thought-provoking and navigable, the book will help parents reassess their own attitudes about the female body while imparting crucial values to their daughters. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
With the goal of boosting girls' self-esteem and self-image, these two mothers Richardson is an author, journalist, and speaker, while Rehr is a professor of women's psychology have collaborated on this well-meaning collection of child-rearing tips. Their suggestions range in length from one to two pages and cover topics such as nutrition, positive role modeling, fostering emotional well-being, and physical fitness. While the tips themselves are useful, the book's format tends to fragment the authors' message and make them repeat their points. Although the authors' goals are admirable, and information is needed (the Eating Disorders Awareness Prevention web site estimates that on any given day, about 50 percent of American girls are dieting), this work will have limited appeal. It is directed to parents (primarily mothers), but it ranges so broadly from preschool-age to teenage girls that the core audience may be hard to identify. Recommended only for large collections. Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, MD Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


New Moon Network
"A very specific and helpful guide for concerned parents and other adults…particularly handy."


Jacquelyn Mitchard
This book is better than the usual. Both honest and gentle, it doesn't condemn. It acknowledges every mother's wish….


Book Description
Sit up straight so your tummy doesn't hang out. Thin is always in. You look so much prettier when you smile. Guys like girls with big boobs. Now that you've got your period, you's better be careful. I'd kill to have legs like yours.

With negative messages bombarding our girls on a daily basis -- from misguided adults, from peers, from the media -- how can our daughters possibly feel good about their bodies? While you may not single-handedly be able to change society there are ways to make sure that your daughter's sense of self is strong and sustaining. In fact, this hands-on guide offers 101 ways!

In 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, two mothers -- one a clinical psychologist, the other an award-winning journalist -- have teamed up to provide parents with practical ideas tailored to girls from birth through the teenage years. These initiatives inform parents and encourage them to take active roles in helping their daughters develop confidence, treat their bodies with love and respect, and make peace with their unique builds so that they can revel in a sense of femaleness and physical competence.

Psychologically astute and fun to read, this proactive guide will help define a new generation of healthy girls. There's no better time than now to help our daughters, young and growing, learn to love their bodies.


About the Author
Brenda Lane Richardson, an award-winning journalist and active public speaker, is the author of seven nonfiction books and Chesapeake Song, a novel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sit up straight so your tummy doesn't hang out. Thin is always in. You look so much prettier when you smile. Guys like girls with big boobs. Now that you've got your period, you's better be careful. I'd kill to have legs like yours.

With negative messages bombarding our girls on a daily basis — from misguided adults, from peers, from the media — how can our daughters possibly feel good about their bodies? While you may not single-handedly be able to change society there are ways to make sure that your daughter's sense of self is strong and sustaining. In fact, this hands-on guide offers 101 ways!

In 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, two mothers — one a clinical psychologist, the other an award-winning journalist — have teamed up to provide parents with practical ideas tailored to girls from birth through the teenage years. These initiatives inform parents and encourage them to take active roles in helping their daughters develop confidence, treat their bodies with love and respect, and make peace with their unique builds so that they can revel in a sense of femaleness and physical competence.

Psychologically astute and fun to read, this proactive guide will help define a new generation of healthy girls. There's no better time than now to help our daughters, young and growing, learn to love their bodies.

FROM THE CRITICS

New Moon Network

A very specific and helpful guide for concerned parents and other adults...particularly handy.

VOYA

From Barbies to Britney Spears, developing girls are bombarded with sounds and images that make the process of body acceptance and the healthy self-esteem related to it difficult in today's culture. Journalist Richardson and Rehr, a professor of women's and adolescent psychology, provide practical ideas to help parents examine their role in body acceptance and become a positive influence in the lives of their daughters. Their book is organized into thirteen chapters that look at various aspects of body image development, not only through the role of parents but also through emotions, basic health and eating habits, safety issues, and positive sexuality. Within each chapter short, enumerated advice is presented. Tip #29 is to encourage reading. The advice uses a variety of tactics from talking about things, such as deconstructing images and discussing feelings, to doing things, such as learning to swim and remembering old jump-rope rhymes. Readers can focus on certain topics such as sexuality, read the whole book through, or pick out an idea here or there for reflection. This book's conservative tendencies might not be embraced by all readers, but the ideas are solid and can be adapted and applied according to personal tastes. Richardson and Rehr write a well-organized and thoroughly thought-out handbook for any parent, teacher, or professional looking for practical, realistic ways to help teenage girls develop a healthy body image. This book is highly recommended. Notes. 2001, Quill/HarperCollins, 225p, $13 pb. Ages Adult. Reviewer:Karen Jensen—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)

Library Journal