Last month, Ariel and I reviewed Here’s Lily, the first book in a fictional series for tween girls.  This month, we got to take a look at The Beauty Book, a nonfiction book for girls ages 7-11 based on the Lily Series fiction books.

Chapters about hair, skin, hands & feet, shaving, clothes, and more address both inward and outward beauty issues.  Above all, girls are encouraged to love their bodies just the way God made them – because He made them that way and He doesn’t make mistakes!

I thought the book was okay – and was a good introduction to basics – but could have been better.  Some of the information is mainstream stuff that “everybody knows,” but which further research shows to be inaccurate.  Supposedly Marilyn Monroe “would have been considered overweight” “by today’s standards.”  However, for the vast majority of her career, 5’5″ Monroe weighed no more than 120 lbs.  (At her heaviest, she reportedly weighed 140 lbs, but this is not the Marilyn with which people are familiar.)  That she was very large is a common myth precipitated by the changing numbering systems of both sewing pattern sizes and (to a great extent) ready-to-wear clothing sizes!  She had a 23-inch waist – hardly “overweight”!

More concerning to me, however, is the misinformation regarding the sun and vitamin D.  Girls are told there is no such thing as a safe tan and strongly encouraged to use sunscreen “all the time,” “even when it’s cloudy or cold.” But the author rightly points out that the sun provides vitamin D, “which is very good for you.” The problem is, if you’re wearing sunblock, you’re not getting any vitamin D from the sun.

I have some other minor concerns, but they’re piddly.  I would prefer that The Message not be used so heavily, as it’s rarely very accurate.  As it was used in the book, however, it wasn’t defending any doctrinal matters, so it’s less of a problem than when it’s used elsewhere.  The significance of diet to appearance was underplayed, as well, in my opinion.  Right offhand, I can think of two places that diet could have been suggested as beneficial, but wasn’t.  (L-lysine supplementation often helps cold sores to clear up more quickly, and soft, weak nails can often be improved with certain dietary improvements.*)

My conclusion, then, is that the book could have been more thoroughly researched, but (apart from the sun/vitamin D issue) it’s still helpful information.  I would just not stop here; I would read this and then move on to something more in-depth.

If you would like to win your own copy, enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

WINNER: Katie Roch

*As I hope would be obvious, these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and nothing on this blog should be construed as constituting medical advice or diagnosis.  In short, use your common sense. 😉

Disclosure: I was provided by Thomas Nelson with a copy of the book to facilitate this review.  Thomas Nelson is also sponsoring this giveaway.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.