How to be a person by Catherine Newman is a useful book for elementary age, pre-teen, and teenagers. I also think it would be useful for young adults on the autism spectrum. It goes through things like how to thank someone. How to do chores. How to save and spend money. I would recommend this to several people I know both pre-teens and adults on thecspectrum

I am finding this helpful in helping my son with what I am defining as the "life skills" lessons during this shelter in place time. School is great for learning the academics, but in order to survive, one must know how to do functional things like sew on a button, clean a kitchen, cook a basic meal, etc. This book is a great guide for helping new adults learn what their parents didn't teach them, or even for families like mine, who want to make sure our kids know the practical skills needed to thrive.

Absolutely love this reference book for kids on how to do all sorts of things. With fun illustrations and text it makes very accessible all sorts of tasks like writing letters, doing basic chores. Some of the items covered are relationship building, like visiting a friends house or writing a condolence letter. Others are very practical such as how to wash dishes by hand or clean a bathroom. Each is given a simple step by step outline of how to complete the task with a fun illustration. The pages are not overwhelmingly full and while parents might have individual instructions to add in some cases, the basics are very well covered for young people.

A great reference to have on hand in a house with children (or adults that don’t know!!??) to help them be self sufficient in their life.

How to Be a Person was a funny yet informative read. This is a nice book to slide to that young adult moving out into the world for the first time. Its a fun reference to how to adult in a few areas. Tip from how to plunge the toliet, making ramen noodles to even cleaning up a kitchen!

The book makes it humorous and helpful at the same time. It added jokes in between the tips making the book more friendly. If you didnt know how to do something you didnt feel bad when you read the steps for how to do it because of how casual its stated.

This is a great gift to pass on and anyone who gets it will appreciate it for the helpful funny guide that it is.

Sometimes, when I read a book, I think about how my 7th grade self would have reacted to it. For this book, I would have written out a list of all 65 skills, posted it on the bulletin board in my room, and driven my mother up a tree trying to work my way through all of the skills! Some of the items mentioned are things that every 12 year old knew in 1977-- writing letters, sewing on a button, vacuuming a room. Heck, I was in charge of ironing all of my father's handkerchiefs when I was three! (Not joking. I had my own little ironing board and electric iron. Pink, of course.) But my students today can't even thread a needle or make a knot in the thread. They are sorely in need of these instructions.

I liked that the information was presented as basic things all people need to know to get by. Some things are purposefully vague-- how to take care of pets, for example. Others include more details, such as directions on how to clean a bathroom or some of the simple recipes. My 86 year old father would actually benefit a great deal from this book! My favorite instructions, however, are for folding a fitted sheet: just kidding, wad it up like everybody does!

The two color graphics are engaging, the print nice and big, and the instructions simple enough for even young readers to grasp. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my library, and it will be great for handing to children who are "bored" and don't feel like reading a novel. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy each of my students their own. They need it!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a practical yet entertaining at the same time, book for children aged 10+ that is aimed at making learning to do general things for themselves independently, fun!
Many things in this book as an adult you may think a 10+ year old should know how to do, but if your an adult reading this (like myself) please don't be critical because all children are different and unique and have different learning stages and interests.
This book guides children through general things such as chores like using a washing machine, doing laundry, how to make simple meals like boiling an egg, how to write a letter properly, how to do basic DIY, how to make a bed and how to sew a button on to clothing etc.

As adults we often forget that we had to learn all these things ourselves once and if we think back to that time, remember how satisfying and rewarding that achievement was. This book will definitely bring that to the child reading and doing those things from this book.

This is a tongue in cheek, humorous book for the average American teenager. It’s sectioned into different categories and each category provides a humorous yet knowledgeable take on how to achieve a skill. I like the quizzes at the end of each section as they break the main body of the text up.

I laughed out loud the first time I saw the title, HOW TO BE A PERSON, HA! When I started reading through the contents, I knew I HAD to praise that title, so freaking brilliant! For parents out there, this is probably one of the most useful and most brilliant book you could ever give to your younger kids. My thirteen-year-old sister thinks that the book pages are not colorful enough, but pushing that aside, the cartoon-style illustrations and contents are fabulous. It's like a daily life survival guide for kids that are growing up and learning how to live in this modern world, kids can gain confidence, some common knowledge and self-esteem with this book. Personally I think every children's library should get a copy.

Reading this book was fascinating. It gives information on useful everyday actives that as adults we don’t even think about when doing them. However I do think that teenagers and young adults would benefit from reading this book. My experiences have me to experiences who do know all the activities in the book and some that have no idea as what one does in “real” life. I loved reading the ramen recipe. It’s a great book! Everyone should read it if nothing else to remind them of manners.

First of all as I read it as an adult, it sounds pretty simple and primal because concepts discussed are basic and instinctive for adults.
But definitely young kids who are facing social isolation due to increasing use of technology and promotion of individualism.
It teaches basic things to kids like taking to sick relative, talking on phone, tying tie and shoe lases, making a sandwich, packing a gift etc.
These are most basic skills for navigation in social circles.
Artwork is good and funny at many points.
Book is in spacey outline with brief captions.
A gift for a toddler to familiarise him with basic social rules and basic skills.
A few skills mentioned are little bit hyped up or not required commonly like addressing envelope etc.
Their is list of useful links at end of the book related to learning and science.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. Potential unrealized. Simple things were made complicated, Complicated things were oversimplified. Some things seemed to be included just to make a chapter longer. The charming illustrations sometimes served to make things less clear. Overall, while I might borrow it to look it over with the young people in my life, I won't be buying them copies.

This is a great book to teach children of all ages how to do most things. Like laundry and dishes. There is also illustrations that help explain as well!

Excellent primer for pre-teens (boys especially) on how to be a basic, kind, self-sufficient, regular-bathing, good smelling, polite human being! Should be a must-read for all pre-teenagers.

A handy little guide to doing the basics of humaning. Covering topics like watering plants, saving money and cleaning showers, this little instruction manual will help kids, or anyone really, master basic life skills. As a parent, it was eye opening to see explanations for chores that we routinely assign to kids, but don't necessarily explain. While this is marketed to children and/or middle grade readers, I think it could have a place with teen and tween collections as well. This would make a great (secretly not) joke gift for a college kid or someone getting their first apartment.

How to be a Person by author Catherine Newman is a fun book for children. My children and I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book! This 160 page wonder contains 65 hugely, useful, super-important skills to learn before kids are grown up. The author has created a must-read for ages 10-14, and some adults too. The book presents valuable advice to kids before they enter into adulthood.

The author offers an amazing manual... how to become a person whom everyone will love and want to emulate. Here are the topics that are covered:

* Becoming Your Best Self, 6
* Other Beings: How to Care for the People, Pets and Plants in your Life, 9
* Saying It Right: How to be Kind and Get Your Point Across, 33
* Dirty Things: How to Clean and Care for Your Home
* Edible Food: How to Make Meals and Find Your Way Around the Kitchen, 79
* You're Wear That? : How to Clean and Care for Your Clothes, 101
* Your Two Cents: How to Get, Give, and Spend Money, 123
* Useful Skills: How to Do Basic Important Things, 14
* Thank You, 160

The cartoon-style illustrations greatly enrich the message of the book. Newman gives valuable advice which she sprinkles with humour and without parental nagging. Kids will learn basic life skills and life lessons and the proper way to do them. The book explains how to write a thank you note, a condolence card, use a screwdriver, be caring and kind, how to vacuum a room, use a debit card, pack for a trip, wrap a present, build a fire, and do housework, just to name a few. It states these skills not in a preachy way, but in a practical, helpful way that most kids can accomplish.

This book will boost a child's confidence and self-esteem. It informs the reader in a playful, easy, and understandable way. "How To Be A Person" would be great in every middle-school classroom and in each school library. I highly, highly recommend this wonderful book!

I think so many kids will benefit from this book! It is approachable and friendly, not bossy and know-it-all. Loved it! Can’t wait to get the book and put it in the library!

How To Be A Person is a guide for kids that shows them how to do lots of everyday things, such as housework, cooking, wrapping a present, building a fire, using tools, etc. It even tells kids how to help others and how to be kind.

This would be a wonderful gift for any kid, and for some adults too (Myself included . I still can't wrap a present.) The instructions are presented in an easy to understand, but also sometimes humorous way that is fun to read.

I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publishers. My review is voluntary.

This is a much needed book for many kids! There are so many basic tasks explained in a simple, easy to use format that they will want to keep this book to take to college with them! Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for allowing an advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic and fun book to gift to a pre teen or teen. It has plenty of graphics to go along with the topics. Advice they give is how to clean things, how to wrap a present, what to do with money and so on.