Beautiful Girlhood, revised by Karen Andreola, has a charming 1900’s tone with timeless lessons for girls. The book focuses on how a girl can grow in character to glorify God through her actions, thoughts and appearance. It guides young girls into asking important questions about the world around her such as “Is it right?” “Would it be for my good?” “Does it meet with the approval of my parents?” “Is it glorifying to God?” A girl is instructed to put off any activity, thought, or item that does meet up with a resounding “yes” to those questions. I love how the book calls Christ the Perfect Pattern for our lives. Using Christ as your pattern and not yourself or others you will build true character.
The book also ventures into the area of modest dressing. While this chapter may appear to have a lot of rules, I do not think that is the essence of the chapter. The chapter begins with a mom instructing her daughter on the proper clothing. It goes on to explain how a girl should present herself and why. I am not one for extra-biblical rules. In fact, I find it offensive. Yet, the essence of the chapter was not to place rules upon a young girl. Yes, it does give practical advice on how to mirror the adorning of modest apparel (2 Timothy 2:9). You may agree or disagree with the advice given in the chapter. How your daughter dresses is a matter of the heart. The chapter is intended to encourage a young lady in the area of how to present herself as she represents Christ. It is not a set of rules but guidance. The prevailing wind of the book is to build character through biblical study not a set of standards by man.
To gain further understanding of how a young girl is to represent Christ you will not want to miss The Companion Guide to Beautiful Girlhood by Shelley Noonan and Kimberly Zach. The book is published by Pumpkin Seed Press. The companion guide is a 32 week study on character training using the framework of Beautiful Girlhood. Each chapter gives you discussion questions, biblical applications and activities and finally a place for a journal entry. The companion takes Beautiful Girlhood one step further and makes into an invaluable study for moms and daughters on how to make Christ the pattern for your life through your character and devotion to Him. The book and companion are intended for girls ages 9 to 12. For teenagers you will want to invest in Beyond Beautiful Girlhood Plus Companion Guide.