By Giulia Marchesi and Francesca Palazzetti and Silvia Vanni
Every body tells a unique story, and this guide gives tweens the vocabulary and confidence they need to understand their own.
Giulia Marchesi, a psychologist, and Francesca Palazzetti, a doula, teamed up with illustrator Silvia Vanni to create My Changing Body: A Tween Guide to Puberty. This inclusive roadmap for readers aged 8 to 12 uses a vibrant, manga-inspired aesthetic that feels immediately familiar to middle-grade students. The book covers the physical and emotional shifts of puberty for all genders while placing a significant emphasis on diversity in body shape, ethnicity, and personal experience. As a “bridging” text, it is specifically designed to support students who might feel overwhelmed by dense paragraphs or complex jargon. The authors use short, direct sentence structures and medical terminology that is always paired with contextual support. Rather than facing a wall of text, a reluctant reader or an English language learner can rely on Vanni’s detailed illustrations and labeled diagrams to grasp concepts like hormonal changes or menstruation. This heavy reliance on visual aids ensures that the core information remains accessible even if a student’s reading confidence is still developing.
This guide to human biology serves as a practical tool for addressing UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. It encourages students to develop the IB Learner Profile traits of being ‘balanced’ and ‘caring’ by focusing as much on mental health and self-respect as it does on physical growth. In a health or homeroom setting, teachers can use these chapters to facilitate projects like “Personal Wellness Plans,” where students reflect on self-care strategies and emotional regulation. Because the language is so clear and the visuals are so prominent, ELL students can participate fully in sophisticated classroom conversations about media representation and body image. The book provides facts within a culture of empathy by showing that while everyone’s timeline is different, every change is a natural part of growing up. By lowering the barrier to entry with its friendly format, the book allows every student to gain the knowledge necessary to manage their development with a sense of agency and confidence.
