Real Beauty: 101 Ways to Feel Great About You

American Girl Library

by Therese Kauchak, Carol Yoshizumi (Illustrator)

What is real beauty? It's not something you find in the makeup aisle or in the pages of a fashion magazine. Real beauty comes from liking yourself, from feeling strong and healthy, and from knowing what's beautiful in everyone around you. The Real Beauty Book is packed with ideas and activities that help you bring out the best in yourself--and that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Childrens

120 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Galilea Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I like about this book is that it tells you what you can do in situations. It's pretty cool that people created books that can support little girls or older. I really recommend this book because it can help a lot of girls and it tells you how to organized your room and stuff.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great book from American Girl. I really like their modern series.

[L. Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was very cool because it makes people feel great about themselves and others.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot more depth than I expected. It is a short and easy read written in a list format, but it covers a lot of different important themes about self-esteem, health and well-being, dealing with difficult emotions, standing up for yourself, seeing past harmful media messages about body images, and celebrating the beauty in yourself and others.

This is great for older elementary and middle school girls, and although this was originally published in 2004 and is now out of print, it isn't too dated for the current generation. Something published now would have additional information and advice about social media pressures, but even though this lacks some current topics, what it offers is timeless.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the material about physical health, since the book repeatedly emphasizes how important it is to view health in a holistic way beyond someone's weight and appearance. The advice focuses on eating well, exercising well for the joy of it, and taking care of your body out of love, instead of measuring health by the scale. The racially diverse girls pictured throughout are all conventionally attractive and naturally thin, and I wish that the images had backed up the book's messages, but I appreciate how the book rejects weight-based stigma and emphasizes healthy choices without promoting thinness itself as a goal for girls.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this book is encouraging.
Dislikes would include the yoga/meditation.
I believe that real beauty is living a life pleasing to God.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great American Girl Club book! This book has short, and simple things that girls can do every day to feel beautiful, inside and out. It has some fun quizes like "are you a healthy eater?", and "fact or fiction" (information about physical activity). Ideas are as simple as using a nice smelling lotion to feel pampered, to a little more time consuming activities such as writing down 3 of your good characteristics. Every girl should read this book, and follow it!

[Writerchic · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a really great book and taught me that a girl's real beauty comes from the inside. girls in this generation need a reminder of that every once in a while with all the pressure on them about outward appearance.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! When my mom got this book for me I wanted t read it right away! When I finished it I read it again, and I will read it even more, but this was a great book for my education.

[♥KRiSTiN3♥]

Great thing to read while getting stressed or upset.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't matter what you look like or what you where it matters how you treat others.