Created by Joop and Hanke Fortuyn, this workbook—and the broader methodology it represented—was not just a brochure about changing bodies. It was the standard-bearer for the famous "Dutch Model" of sexual education: a pragmatic, non-judgmental approach that prioritized autonomy, communication, and safety. Today, as the 1991 edition finds a second life as an "online work" referenced by educators and historians, it offers a fascinating time capsule of how we learned to talk about sex.
The "Boys and Girls" title was literal. A boy flipping through the 1991 pages would find detailed, illustrated sections on menstruation, not just as a biological fact, but as an emotional experience. He would learn what it meant for a girl to have cramps, how to be supportive, and how to discuss it without shame. Created by Joop and Hanke Fortuyn, this workbook—and
I'll provide a comprehensive essay on puberty sexual education for boys and girls, focusing on the need for such education and referencing the situation in the Netherlands in 1991. The "Boys and Girls" title was literal