How to be a Person by Catherine Newman is a book of instructions that encourages kids to ask, "What can I do to help?". Chapters are brief and humorous with bright illustrations. It contains concrete ideas of what to do in certain situations like making a card for someone sick, or needing to say sorry. The Dirty Things and Edible Food chapters are particularly helpful for around the house. Step by step directions are clear and informative for activities such as how to wrap a present or how to was dishes. Pretty soon your tween will be making quesadillas and doing laundry. "Fun Fact" boxes are sprinkled throughout book as extra trivia that kids will enjoy. Short Pop Quizzes test comprehension with funny scenarios. The book ends with the How To Be Happy chapter which could be made into a poster of good tips: Be Generous, Smile More. Both tweens and parents will enjoy this brilliant how-to manual for living.

Review for Netgalley

How to Be a Person by Catherine Newman is a delightfully, engaging book for young people about how to master life skills with aplomb. Subject matter like "how to be a good guest" or "how to take care of a cactus" just might help that young person in your life to gain a few more life skills before they are completely grown up. This book contains colorful, simple illustrations and cute thought bubbles to help maintain reading interest between the short, approachable passages.

*thank you to Netgalley, Catherine Newman and Storey Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

Wow. This book is so informative about so many different everyday things us adults do on a daily basis. It's a wonderful book that I think will also boost children's self-esteem as they find they are able to accomplish these daily tasks. I wish I had a book like this when I was a kid. It's such a great idea!

This is a great how to guide that will be helpful for kids of all ages. Clear and concise directions along with charming illustrations keep the reader engaged. Newman's sense of humor and light touch keeps the book from being too patronizing. Great for kids (and adults!) 10 and up.

How to be a Person by Catherine Newman is an awesome book. it covers so many important life skills in simple terms that kids can read and understand. This is a valuable tool all parents need!

Loved the introduction, particularly the request for feedback from the children. Overall I thought this was a lovely concept, beautifully executed. I thought the content was pitched just right and that the tone was perfect. I will be purchasing a copy for my child and recommending to my friends and family for their little cherubs.

A fantastic volume of really useful hints and tips for kids to cover things they should know as they grow up. Covering topics as diverse as how to write a thank you note to how to use a screwdriver, the tone stays light and the cartoons are well done. This is a great volume and I'll be buying copies for the young people in my life.

(However, half a point off because the 'clean the bathroom' section explains sinks and counters, then starts the toilet part with 'squirt some cleaner in and do the rest of the cleaning while it soaks.' Why not put toilets first, then? 4.5 stars, rounding down.)

This is a funny sweet quirky guide to LIFE! This is a fun gift idea for kids of any age. The author is also super kind! I love the art style. Each life tip is so practical while still being silly.

As a mom I think this is a great book for kids. It is very relatable to real life and is written in a way that kids will want to read it. I wish this book was around when my son was younger as it would have helped reinforce the things we were trying to teach regarding being a responsible person. Thank you for writing such a great book for younger kids.

**Thanks to the Storey Publishing, LLC., Catherine Newman, the author, and to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

This book is wonderful for middle school age children to learn basic every day life skills. This book teaches the proper way to do everything from household chores to writing letters, filling out forms, caring for the lawn, cooking some food, how to interact properly on the telephone, taking care of pets, being polite to others, and just how to do so many other life skills. In my opinion, this book is the perfect gift for every middle grade age person. It would help them learn to become a better person. I also love the images used in the book, they really help add to the descriptions and are drawn in a cartoon way that is enjoyable for the content. To be published May 26, 2020. I highly recommend this book!

How to Be a Person is an adorably crafted how-to book. From beginning to end, your young readers will love utilizing this informational text to learn all sorts of grown-up responsibilities.

The beginning of the book focuses on manners and social etiquettes. It has everything from how to address a new person, send a requesting e-mail, and help those around in the community. Additionally, the book addresses hot to show respect to elders and how to care for little ones.

After focusing on manners and social etiquettes, the book cascades through a wide variety of everyday skills. It dedicates a chapter to teaching students how to do basic chores. From there, it transitions to easy recipes and life skills, such as managing money and opening a bank account.

Throughout the entirety of this book, the advice within this book is practical, age-appropriate, and it speaks to the readers in a clear and kind manner. Thought and time were clearly put into the presentation of every one of the skills addressed. Many were given in a step-by-step organizational pattern, and they had basic illustrations to help communicate with its readers.

As a parent, the time I spent reading this book was a real eye-opener. It made me realize there are a lot of everyday skills that I need to be focusing on teaching my children. With the fast pace of life today, it is easy to realize that you are missing your opportunity to teach your children the basic life skills they will need to be successful on their own someday. How to Be A Person is a great book for families to utilize as they prepare their children to grow up and set out on their own someday.

This book is magnificent! It includes instructions for everything a young person could need, from how to visit someone in hospital or write a letter to how to chop an onion or care for a pet. It has cooking and money tips and help with using a washing machine or unblocking a toilet. The book is very funny and nicely illustrated throughout.

I love this little how-to book! So many topics are covered, some even a few adults I've known could probably stand to read :)

There is humor in many of the drawings and the passages that will appeal to readers while also giving them helpful information about how to do so many tasks we often don't think about -- such as addressing a letter, apologizing, and reaching out to include people.

This is a really cute, helpful little book for kids. While it's geared towards kids ten and up, a lot of these are things that I'd hope they'd already know like how to be a good house guest or answer the phone. Most of these are things your average kid will know by the college years so this is not one of those "how to adult" books (but maybe I overestimate what we teach teens these days?). These are much more basic -- how to vacuum a room, address an envelope, wash the dishes, use a debit card, pack for a trip, care for a house plant, etc. They are also generally very basic. For instance, how to care for a pet is mostly give it love, make sure to do the gross things you are supposed to do to care for it, and find out specifically how to care for that pet.

Sections are (in my words): pets and people, cleaning, cooking, money, clothes and skills. Don't expect a lot of variety or detail. For instance, the cooking section tells you how to roast a whole chicken and turn ramen into a healthier meal, scramble eggs, add more flavor to food, make a smoothie, and a few others. I disagreed with a couple of the directions for some skills, namely how to sort laundry (she sorts laundry into two piles -- whites for hot and everything else is colored for warm or cold, which does not work at all for my family's laundry).

There are fun, colorful illustrations throughout. All in all, this is a charming little book that is likely to teach a thing or two to most kids and young teens.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

This guide, illustrated in shades of cream, grey, and blue, is just right for that kid of yours who needs a little help figuring out what to do in various situations. These are all skills that a kid should have before moving out of the house. From "how to cheer up sick people," to "how to wrap a present" to "how to hand wash dishes," this book walks the reader through a variety of scenarios and gives them the info on what to do.

I do think typical kids will know how to do many of these. But there are some kids who really need explicit instruction on these basics. Some kids are just not wired to know how to think about other people in social situations; other might need help in the practical matters of taking care of their home environment. Maybe these kids also could benefit from various therapies, but absent or in conjunction with that, this book can help bridge the gap.

Recommended for older kids.

Two sections I think could add extra value: How to evaluate information online for accuracy (and really, any other topic pertaining to online life); how to get the resources you need if you need to learn something new.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for a free digital review copy in exchange for my review.

**Will hold review for publication on review sites until May 2020**

This book was the perfect combination of helpful and fun. While some of the "skills" may seem to us to be common sense, there are plenty of children out there who may not have perfectly functional role models. This would be a great book for a public or school library.

This is an excellent resource for middle graders and early young adults. It covers a wide variety of practical social and life skills in a brief and entertaining way. The illustrations add to the fun. Some adults may think some of the things covered are obvious, but keep in mind they're only that way to you because at some point you learned it! I especially appreciated the sections on things like writing letters (or formal emails) and how to address envelopes. Those things used to be taught in schools but are becoming less common. Highly recommended!

This book needs to become the standard book that you buy for any kid from the age of 10 onward. I am seriously tempted to buy a copy for each of my kids who will be 12 and 16 by the time publishing date rolls around. I love that this book covers every topic that parents try to cover with their kids, but in a way that is not the mundane routine of a parenting conversation. Everything is covered in here, money, cleaning, cooking, interacting with other people, proper email etiquette. I am amazed an in awe of this book and will be buying it anytime I need a gift for a tween or teen.

10/5 stars!! I want to buy a copy of this for myself and every kid I know! this Is such an amazing book! it covers so many important life skills in simple terms kids old enough to read it on their own can understand it on their own too. This IS a must own book for sure!

A book for every tween who needs to learn responsibility. A perfect guide to life skills to prepare them to be independent,