How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn before You're Grown Up

by Catherine Newman

Overview

For the kid who leaves a wet towel wadded up on the floor or forgets to put a new roll on the toilet-paper thingy, humorous writer and etiquette columnist Catherine Newman has created the ultimate guidebook to becoming a person whom everyone will like being around more. Jam-packed with tips, tricks, and skills — all illustrated in an irresistible graphic novel–style — this book shows kids just how easy it is to free themselves from parental nagging and become more dependable — and they’ll like themselves better, too! They’ll learn how to deal with dirty rooms, care for pets and cactuses, stick up for somebody, and fold a T-shirt. They’ll even get a crash course on using the kitchen (including how to turn a 33-cent package of ramen into dinner) and a boot camp for lending a hand outside the house (mowing, shoveling, and fixing something loose has never been easier). This handbook to becoming beyond helpful promises that every kid can be a valued and valuable member of the grown-up world.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635861839
Publisher:	Storey Books
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Catherine Newman is the author of What Can I Say? and the award-winning bestseller How to Be a Person, as well as two parenting memoirs: Waiting for Birdy and Catastrophic Happiness, and a middle-grade novel, One Mixed-Up Night. She's also the co-author of Stitch Camp. Newman is the etiquette columnist for Real Simple magazine and the editor of the James Beard Award–winning kids’ cooking magazine ChopChop. A regular contributor to publications including the New York Times, Romper, Cup of Jo, and Grown & Flown, Newman lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her family. Visit her at catherinenewmanwriter.com.

Table of Contents

Becoming Your Best Self
Other Beings: How to Care for the People, Pets, and Plants in Your Life
Saying It Right: How to Be Kind and Get Your Point Across
Dirty Things: How to Clean and Care for Your Home
Edible Food: How to Make Meals and Find Your Way around the Kitchen
You're Wearing That?: How to Clean and Care for Your Clothes
Your Two Cents: How to Get, Give, and Spend Money
Useful Skills: How to Do Basic Important Things
Thank You

Editorial Reviews

Catherine Newman has created a starting place for loving, productive conversations about independence, competence, and kindness.”— Jessica Lahey, best-selling author of The Gift of Failure

“Kids will delight in this witty, clear, and fun-to-read handbook. And parents will rejoice in having Catherine Newman as a wise and warm partner in teaching our children nearly everything they should know — but don’t want to hear about from us!” — Dr. Lisa Damour, best-selling author of Untangled and Under Pressure

“An illustrated guide that teaches tweens (who aren't eager to learn anything from you) life skills such as managing money, doing the dishes, and addressing an envelope.”— Parents

“Geared toward kids — but honestly, everyone in the house should brush up on these cleaning and life skills.” — Real Simple

“Emphasizes why these skills are so important for kids to master and how good they’ll feel once they do. The illustrations reflect diversity and avoid gender stereotypes. Entertaining way to teach valuable skills that every kid (and adult) needs to know.” — Booklist

“This succinct and entertaining guidebook describes life skills with step-by-step instructions... No matter who is reading and enjoying the book, the skills are fleshed out with easy-to-understand steps and engaging illustrations.”  — School Library Journal


 

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

Gr 4–8—This succinct and entertaining guidebook describes life skills with step-by-step instructions. Newman teaches the basics, like how to write a thank-you note, how to be a good house guest, how to sweep the floor, how to save money, and how to plunge a toilet. She also provides hands-on examples for children to practice. Although this book is geared toward a young audience, some parts may appeal to adults, including the basic recipes in the chapter "Edible Food" and how to contact a representative in "Saying It Right." No matter who is reading and enjoying the book, the skills are fleshed out with easy-to-understand steps and engaging illustrations. It could also be used as a tool to teach language arts students how to write a process paper. VERDICT A welcome addition to all libraries serving middle grade and high school readers.—Kim Gardner, Fort Worth Country Day School, TX

School Library Journal