Customer Reviews

All Things Girl: Modern and Modest

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My sisters and I (ages 15, 13 and 10) eagerly awaited the arrival of these books. As we received each one, we became more and more saddened. While they would contain a few sentences of the beauty of the Church's teachings, they would quickly switch to fluff topics. For example, we had hoped to hear more on how your inner beauty is much more important than your physical. With such beauty, why do you need to use so much makeup or any at all? The beauty book (and the modern and modest) gives many very detailed makeup tips, (lip liner, lip stick, lip gloss, TONS of eye makeup, mascara, blush, concealer, foundation, powder, etc, etc, etc.). I do not personally think that makeup is a bad thing and certainly is not sinful, but I was hoping that they wouldn't put such an importance on the need for it. The book seemed to promote the draw into vanity (and not how to combat it) which is so promoted by our current secular world. They do say some things like you don't need designer clothing, etc. but that was pretty much it. I suppose I see how they were trying to bridge the ever widening gap between our Christian world and the secular world, but I still think that they had a great opportunity here that they missed using.

The other books missed the mark for us too. In Friendship, Boys and Getting Along, they say that "going with" and "having a boyfriend," simply means that you like a boy. When they could have stressed more firmly about waiting to date, they simply say that going places alone or having boy/girl parties are for high school. While this is a common take on dating, what about the virtue building possibilities here of not stressing such an importance on feeling that one must date in high school or even earlier? While the authors often have some good things that are character building, they just as often turn back to the secular view. The other sad thing about this book in particular is how they slam boys, saying that they just don't get "it." Also, that when you are ready to have a rational conversation, they are still doing silly things like playing with legos.

They seem to be constantly contradicting themselves, for instance, they say that makeup should be modest (that you shouldn't look like you have makeup on) and then they give 7 very detailed steps on how to apply all the various kinds of makeup that if followed would not look natural. And the aforementioned dating problem where they say that dating and courtship should be kept until you're ready to find a husband and then say that having a boyfriend and "going" with a boy should be saved as something to look forward to in high school (or younger).

They do have a few redeeming factors, they talk about your dignity as a daughter of the King (the same intro is repeated in every book) and about how your situation does not affect your dignity. Also, they have some prayers, good saint stories, and an examination of conscience in each book (these are not thorough, as they only cover the sins contained in the subject of the book, i.e., friendship). They try to give advice about friendship, clothing and hairstyles, although again they are mainly secular and sometimes rather obvious.

The manners book (All Things Girl, Mind Your Manners) is probably the best book, although you could probably get a much better book on manners somewhere else. They have place settings, a fun page about manners around the world, church manners, and other general etiquette.

Before reviewing this link, I looked to see what else was said about this book. I see two very postive and one negative. I considered the points in the negative. It seems that person missed the uplifting message and instead focused on the look of the book. I personally love the look, but I guess exterior images are a matter of opinion. If you are buying a book for the look then it's a shallow purchase. My daughter loves the book because of the powerful message if conveys. It helps girls to see themselves the way God sees them--their natural beauty worthy of protecting and enhancing. I too thought it was short, but that was because it left me wanting more. I just have not been able to find anything else out there with such a powerful and beautiful message, so this book has my full approval.

I bought this book for my 8 year old daughter (not knowing if it was age appropriate) because I started noticing subtle trends in her behavior that made me concerned that the secular culture was starting to affect her. What a pleasant surprise it was when she became very interested in this book -- once she started reading it she could hardly put it down (she even asked to bring it to a restaurant to read while we were waiting for our food)! I browsed through the book before giving it to her and was very impressed with the style of writing and the solid Christian message. For example, it was suggested to examine your conscience before going to bed (which we already have taught our kids) but instead of just recalling the things you did that weren't pleasing to God it was suggested to also think of the things you did that pleased God. I thought this was great advice especially for Christian parents who are trying to teach their kids the importance of good works in an active faith life.

I had intended to use them with my 9 1/2 and 8 1/2 year old daughters. While I expected some of the material to be older, I figured it would be appropriate to speak of most of it early. I consider myself careful, but not overly-sheltering. The books start out with the same information printed on the first five to 10 pages...they mention that we are children of God, the girls are princesses, etc. Nice beginning...we were a little disappointed that they repeated so much..with so few pages, our expectation was new material.) To help you understand the series, the first book, Friends, Boys and Getting Along continues on to classify girls...no kidding...here is a list..."Snooty Susie, Loose Lipped Lisa, Jenedict Arnold, Cruel Kelly, Penny the Pouter, Jealous Josie, Oblivious Olivia, Studious Sarah, Cute Katie, Pompous Polly, Emo Emily, Boyish Brenda". It goes on to show that each type of girl has redeeming qualities, but I can see where it might make some girls question if they are a little "less cool" because they don't spend a fortune on their clothes. Further, a couple of these classifications describe many normal, sweet girls and could actually cause them to wonder if other girls don't like them. I felt that I could talk through all of that with the kids, so I let that go. The message was still okay. The section in that book on boys was extremely brief, and really did not offer much wisdom or advice. I don't believe it should have been listed in the title.

The part of the series that made me jump out of my skin, was the saint story in the Modern and Modest book. The story talks about how Maria Goretti lost her dad, and how she, her mother and her siblings moved in with another family. It says that a 20 year old man in the house repeatedly tried to molest the preteen Maria. It does show that she refused, but it insinuates that she put up with his sexual molestation attempts to make things easier for her mom....I gathered from the story that she didn't tell her mom, and the story made that seem like a heroic sacrifice. I didn't think this was a helpful message for any young lady. (While I know we could look for other material about this saint, this story is a stand-alone when your daughter tries to read it in this book.) Anyway, the story later described in amazingly graphic detail how he tried to rape her. It described the attempted rape and murder so well, that I could actually picture it. I am sure that there is a lot of good in these books, but for me, there WAS NOT a lot of new and helpful information...there was just a lot to explain.

Modern and modest should be required reading for all our girls. Of course, requiring something makes it seem dull and like work. Instead, just share this with the girls in your life and see how they will absorb it. This book speaks their language; styles, fabrics, beauty and God....it can all go together. Girls are invited to be the graceful, royalty of God's court that He made them to be. It is packed with helpful information while presenting it in a positive way to protect and enhance a girls inner beauty--her soul.

I am 12 years old and my loving, understanding grandma gave me this book as a present. She is a devout Catholic and wants her grandchildren to know the TRUTH. And I really, truly loved this book. I just don't see WHY girls today WANT to be immodest. My friend said at her school the girls pull their skirts clear up above their thighs! That's stupid. I like this book because it shows WHY we're modest: we don't wanna show what's ours! Hello, people? Can't everybody understand this?

All Things Girl: Modern and Modest was the first all things girl book I read. I just recently read Friends, Boys, and Getting Along (by the way another amazing book). Modern and Modest is fun, too, because they tell you about the fashions and trends of the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and so on. I've been able to see what used to be a fashion in the forties, is a total hit again now. It was interesting to find out that fashions are merely "recycled", and not a totally new idea.

I recommend this for any tween-teen Catholic girl. Even if I wasn't really interested in my Faith, I still would've enjoyed this! The colors and illustrations are beautiful, i was drawn to them. The talk made me want more!

Five stars isn't enough!

My daugther is 11, we bought her first book in this series when she was 10. She loves them! They are wonderful books who help girls navigate this crazy world with sound moral values. The Catholic faith is expressed throughout the books. My daughter reads them and always brings things to my attention. She uses them like reference guides for her life, refering back to them often. I highly recommend these books for all girls. I wish they had them when I was young. They are also a great starting point for parents and children to have further discussions about certain topics. They are the best!

What a find! I had been looking for a good Catholic resource for my daughters who are all interested in fashion, beauty tips, media, friends, etc., but there wasn't anything out there until the All Things Girl series. These books are truly a treasure my girls love! Not only because they contain current topics, but also they contain solid Catholic teachings on dignity, vocation, saints, virtues and a plan girls can implement for their prayer life. Each book is beautifully designed with lots of color, quizes, ideas for projects, and an examination of conscience related to the topic of the book. These books are a must for every Catholic girl!

I was extremely disappointed in this book. After hearing about it on the radio, I decided to order one for my daughter who is 14, a freshman in high school, and interested in clothes and makeup. I was hoping for a Catholic version of the popular book "Sexy Girls," which has a lot of great information in it but, because it is aimed at Evangelicals, also says things such as that girls should not choose anyone but Christians to be their friends. But this isn't it.

This book is really aimed at girls who are 11 or 12 and not ready for makeup or teen clothes. It's very short. But most of all I was disappointed in the appearance of this book. It looks like an amateur put it together on her home computer -- all different type styles and colors, a lot of clip art, graphics that are stretched, etc. This may be a good book for younger girls. But if Catholic publishers are serious about selling books, they have to learn what the generic Christian publishing houses have figured out -- that the books have to look as professional as anything you can pick up at Borders. This looks like a self-published book someone sells at seminars, not a serious book aimed at a mass market.

Author and syndicated Catholic talk show host, Teresa Tomeo, teamed up with Molly Miller, and Monica Cops, putting their heads and hearts together to come up with a breath of fresh air for today's young girls.

Their series, All Things Girl, published by Bezalel Books includes 6 titles, two of which are: Girls Rock! and Modern and Modest . The series speaks about the dignity at the heart of every girl created in the image and likeness of God and does it in a very fun and appealing way. The books are generous in size and filled with colorful and attractive designs to capture a young girl's attention.

Modern and Modest is a delightful and eye-catching 59 pages and is just the book we'd love to see in every young girl's hands. The authors cover every relevant subject for girls from being a Godly girl and turning away from the media's portrayal of the culture's expectations and enticements and turning toward Jesus and the Church instead, to fashion and fabrics and what modesty really means, how to be modern and modest at the same time, as well as an overview of virtues and how they apply to living as a girl in our world today. Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body and Feminine Genius teachings are woven through in an uncomplicated understandable way. All topics discussed in Modern and Modest illustrate to girls that they can be very modern and cool yet pleasing to God in their modesty which is consistently explained in a simple yet contemporary manner.

In addition to suggesting ways to come up with a "family media plan" regarding the computer use, TV and movie viewing, this book encourages girls to look up to parents in topics such as "Daddy's Little Girl" and "Look to Mom." Amusing personality quizzes are sprinkled throughout the book. As well, make up and fragrance discussions, goals to achieve, and prayers to be included in a plan for life are all blended together in a delightful mix which is just right for our young growing girls. A story about St. Maria Goretti ends the book on a note to enhance the book's message of purity and dignity.

Girls Rock! is another very charming book for young girls by the same trio of women authors. Tastefully written, Girls Rock! covers many pertinent topics of interest to today's young girls in 52 pretty pages. This book, like the other, weaves Church teachings with practical tips for everyday life; giving girls the tools to navigate life in the twenty first century. Subjects are discussed in a very appealing manner. Feminism is compared to femininity, there are brief biographies of some great women throughout history, as well as a selection of Catholic woman today including Mother Angelica, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and Dorothy Day.

Girls Rock! explains the various vocations available to women. Positive goals are discussed to help girls persevere each day amid the messages contrary to the faith from the media. Fun games and quizzes and crafts are sprinkled throughout the book. One suggested project idea is to make a time capsule. Another is to start a family tree.

Girls can learn how to examine their consciences by turning to page 45. Some questions for girls to ask themselves when examining their conscience are suggested, such as: "Am I lazy? Do I finish what I started? Am I quitter? Do I give myself generously to others? Do I pray to God for light to see my vocation clearly? Do I use the traits of my personality to make a difference in my family, school and the parish?" Their virtues are also affirmed and the girls are encouraged to see the good things that they accomplished as pleasing to God.

Having a plan for prayer is impressed to the girls with explanations of the Morning Offering, Daily Prayers, The Rosary, and A Night Examination of Conscience. Girls Rock! ends with "A Girl Like Me which is a biography of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.

Modern and Modest and Girls Rock! could not have come at a better time for today's girls who are bombarded by an onslaught of confusing messages from the culture and their peers. It's a good idea to get these books into the hands of all young girls when they are open and interested. The All Things Girl series places the building blocks of prayer and virtue all throughout the pages of these lovely books to aid our young girls during their formative and impressionable years. They teach them the importance of protecting their God-given natural beauty -- their souls, as well as their bodies -- temples of the Holy Spirit, while encouraging them to turn to God in all things. These books are sure to help ensure today's girls a promising and grace-filled tomorrow.

[...]

Reviewer, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle [...]