What Can I Say?: How to Speak Up, Speak Out, Talk about Hard Things, and Be a Good Friend; 50 Social Skills Every Kid Can Learn
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-12 06:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Catherine Newman
- ISBN：1635864348
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Susan
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Kids in middle grade school often find it difficult to communicate or what to do in new situations。 She discusses the basic social goals including manners indirectly。 How to say hi to someone new， what to do about prejudice， how to be an ally and be supportive are only a few of the different social skills she talks about。 She gives examples of what to do and what not to do。 The author has done an excellent job of explaining skills I would not even consider social skills — just good manners。 The Kids in middle grade school often find it difficult to communicate or what to do in new situations。 She discusses the basic social goals including manners indirectly。 How to say hi to someone new， what to do about prejudice， how to be an ally and be supportive are only a few of the different social skills she talks about。 She gives examples of what to do and what not to do。 The author has done an excellent job of explaining skills I would not even consider social skills — just good manners。 The art is friendly and funny。 Fogg did an excellent job as the art goes perfectly with book。 So many people are only communicating on their cell phones so when they meet an actual person， they may not know what to say or have forgotten because it’s been so long not sure what to do。 This happens even at home。 I like the author’s common sense and how she lets you know it is okay to be yourself。 This book is important to read regardless of your age。Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley。 I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all。 The opinions are strictly my own。 。。。more
Cindy :: leavemetomybooks ::
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What Can I Say？ is an illustrated guide with short， accessible tidbits of useful information to help kids with communication across multiple topics and issues。 I do wish there was more depth to many of the conversation-based topics and less info on how to volunteer or be a good neighbor or make a protest sign （those are all good things， but maybe for a different book？）For instance， I love that she included an example of something to say when your racist uncle makes an offensive joke， but it felt What Can I Say？ is an illustrated guide with short， accessible tidbits of useful information to help kids with communication across multiple topics and issues。 I do wish there was more depth to many of the conversation-based topics and less info on how to volunteer or be a good neighbor or make a protest sign （those are all good things， but maybe for a different book？）For instance， I love that she included an example of something to say when your racist uncle makes an offensive joke， but it felt incomplete。 I would have liked an additional panel or twelve on how to continue the conversation when said racist uncle doubles down。 Racist Uncle Joe isn't going to just accept your one-off truth bomb and stop being an asshole。 I do think this would be a good addition to any elementary school classroom or library and can serve as a good jumping off point for larger conversations。 I'd say the audience is tweens and younger -- my 13-year-old thought the information provided was useful， but that the presentation was "cringey"。* thank you to Storey Publishing for the NetGalley review copy。 What Can I Say？ publishes May 24th。 。。。more
Jess
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Fun how-to resource for middle schoolers。
Michelle Castaneda
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What Can I Say？: A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself; Speak Up， Speak Out， Talk about Hard Things， and Be a Good Friend by Catherine Newman is a great resource for kids and families。 This book has a fun， engaging format that makes it easy for kids to pick up and read。 The book actually deals with quite a few social topics。 I think this book would be great for kids of many ages， with parental support and guidance。 I read parts of it along with my What Can I Say？: A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Help You Get Along and Express Yourself; Speak Up， Speak Out， Talk about Hard Things， and Be a Good Friend by Catherine Newman is a great resource for kids and families。 This book has a fun， engaging format that makes it easy for kids to pick up and read。 The book actually deals with quite a few social topics。 I think this book would be great for kids of many ages， with parental support and guidance。 I read parts of it along with my son and I found that to be the perfect format so we could discuss the book's contents。 I particularly liked the quizzes at the end of each chapter because they reinforced the concepts in a silly way。 I don't think this is a book to be read through all at once。 Rather， use the table of contents wisely to address issues with your child as they come up。 I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations。 These opinions are entirely my own。 。。。more
Claire
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**Review is based on an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher。**This book is absolutely fantastic in so many ways - but unfortunately it falls short in a few critical places。First， I was very taken aback by the note at the beginning （p13） which states that the book is trying to be inclusive， but in the very next sentence says that it will use "conventional he and she pronouns" while also acknowledging "we understand that some folks are nonbinary。" What， we understand these mythical nonbinary **Review is based on an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher。**This book is absolutely fantastic in so many ways - but unfortunately it falls short in a few critical places。First， I was very taken aback by the note at the beginning （p13） which states that the book is trying to be inclusive， but in the very next sentence says that it will use "conventional he and she pronouns" while also acknowledging "we understand that some folks are nonbinary。" What， we understand these mythical nonbinary people might exist but we don't care about them enough to drop an occasional they/them pronoun in an entire 160-page book？？ Honestly it might have been better just to not bring up this point at all - since so much of the book is first-person dialogue， pronouns aren't even used very much in reference to the characters， and where pronouns are used to refer to a hypothetical person the author does in fact use they/them pronouns！ （e。g。 on p23， "You don't need to act 。。。 like they have a weird name。" and on p26， "。。。you can help them feel calm and relaxed just by being friendly。"） So why this off-putting， cis-normative introduction that immediately signals to non-binary folks that they are somehow weird or less-than？？ It's so incongruent with the inclusive tone of the rest of the book - I really hope there's a chance this will be edited before publication。In addition， given that a guide like this would be extremely useful to neurodivergent folks， I feel like more attention could have been paid to not using confusing figures of speech （or at least explaining them as needed）。 Sidebars that specifically address common experiences of neurodivergence would have been great to see too （e。g。 elaborating on that offhanded comment about eye contact and reassuring kids it's okay not to do something that's physically painful to them， or providing tips for how to tell what your friend might be feeling in the empathy section）。 There were also some attempts at humor that seemed likely to be more confusing than helpful （e。g。 on p19， "awkward parade float wave" or on p30， "for extra awkwardness， you can extend your first for a bump just as someone is leaning in to hug you" -- why not just tell kids its fine to wave to someone in a store， or fine to offer a high-five or fist bump when you decline a hug？）。 More than once， I was aware of having to "read between the lines" to understand the book's meaning， and that's not helpful to anyone in a how-to guide like this。More generally， some of the writing seemed unnecessarily confusing or wordy （e。g。 on p128， "And while that feeling might typically be a sign that something about what you're doing is wrong， in this case， it's usually a sign that you're doing good work。" -- why not just， "And while that feeling might typically mean something is wrong， in this case it usually means you're doing good work。"， or on p145， "Most of the rest of this book is about your immediate community， but here。。。" -- why not， "Most of this book is about your immediate community， but here。。。"）。 Again， especially considering accessibility for diverse audiences， I felt like more effort could have been made to ensure the book was written clearly。HOWEVER， with all of that said - this book is absolutely wonderful in many ways too。 The advice given is spot-on and presented in a fun， humorous， easy-to-digest format。 The book is well organized， such that kids could easily skip to the relevant section as things come up in their lives。 The use of concrete examples - including in-person conversations， emails， texts， and video chat - is extremely effective。 Kids who aren't big readers will still get a lot out of it just by looking at the graphics， which are colorful， engaging， and wonderfully inclusive。 And much of the text is great as well， with some truly silly humor that kids will appreciate。A major highlight for me was the last two chapters， "How to Be An Ally" and "How to Care for Your Community"。 Honestly I think the book's subtitle should have been "A Kid's Guide to Super-Useful Social Skills to Get Along， Express Yourself， and Change the World"。 The world would be a better place if those chapters were required reading for every human！ In fact， I want to print out the "how to respond to an offensive joke" section and give it to everyone I know。（I do think pronouns should have been brought up in the introductions section of Chapter 1 though; again it feels very off-putting to see this simply addressed with "See page X for gender-inclusive introductions" in a side note。 Like， we only need to worry about being gender inclusive some of the time， as an afterthought？ Instead， I would have included at least one example here that models stating your name and pronouns， and added a footnote to see the later section if you're not familiar with the idea of gender pronouns - which many kids these days absolutely are。）Another thing I loved was the repeated affirmation of the reader， which started around the middle of the book （e。g。 on p84， "Relationships sometimes change， but you are still loveable and loved。"）。 Emphasis on bodily autonomy， being true to yourself， and setting appropriate boundaries are SO important in a book like this， and those were all mentioned。 I think page 93 says it best: "If someone asks you out on a date and you don't want to go？ You never， ever have to。 Your job is to be your most authentic self - not to please other people。" If that's the only message kids retain from this book， it would be well worth it！ I also wanted to stand up and cheer for the "How to NOT be in a Romantic Relationship" page （p102） - so many young people are going to feel so affirmed and seen upon reading that section。 And inclusivity is woven into many of the examples and illustrations without making a big deal out of it - no need to explain that boys can date boys and girls can date girls， or what it means to be trans， but showing two feminine-presenting characters asking each other out， and a kid saying "I want you to call me Asher instead of Ashley"， are exactly the kinds of representation kids need to see。 Both the queer kids and the straight/cis kids， too。Overall， I am extremely conflicted about this book。 It gets so many things so right， but it also really falls short of the inclusivity it aspires to in a few critical places。 I'm just going to hope this ARC isn't the final version， that maybe a few judicious edits will still be made before publication。。。 and if not， I may just have to wait for a second edition before I feel comfortable recommending this to the young people I know。 。。。more
Becky
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Social Skills for KidsThis book is full of simple cartoon-like drawings with text bubbles and uses language kids can understand。 I thought there were some helpful tips。 The chapter headings are:How to Meet， Greet， and PartHow to Have a ConversationHow to Get Along with PeopleHow to Deal with Hard ThingsHow to Be in a Romantic Relationship （Or Not）How to Be SupportiveHow to Be an AllyHow to Care for Your CommunityParents might want to be aware that it uses God’s name in vain， it addresses LGBTQ i Social Skills for KidsThis book is full of simple cartoon-like drawings with text bubbles and uses language kids can understand。 I thought there were some helpful tips。 The chapter headings are:How to Meet， Greet， and PartHow to Have a ConversationHow to Get Along with PeopleHow to Deal with Hard ThingsHow to Be in a Romantic Relationship （Or Not）How to Be SupportiveHow to Be an AllyHow to Care for Your CommunityParents might want to be aware that it uses God’s name in vain， it addresses LGBTQ issues like relationships and coming out， and also kids choosing to be a different gender than the one from birth。Thanks to NetGalley for a temporary digital copy to use for my review。 。。。more
Jenn Reviews
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As a therapist who often works with preteens， this book will make an amazing addition to my resource list and to my office bookshelf for bibliotherapy purposes。 Can't wait for this to be published so I can purchase a hard copy！ As a therapist who often works with preteens， this book will make an amazing addition to my resource list and to my office bookshelf for bibliotherapy purposes。 Can't wait for this to be published so I can purchase a hard copy！ 。。。more
Darla
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Catherine Newman's inviting and winsome presentation make this a book that will engage readers。 The colorful graphics and occasional humor add additional value to the presentation。 I gave her previous book How to be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful， Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up 5 stars。 There were some fabulous tips for kids in that first book that are often overlooked in modern education。 While there was a plethora of useful tips in this one， I also found some content that w Catherine Newman's inviting and winsome presentation make this a book that will engage readers。 The colorful graphics and occasional humor add additional value to the presentation。 I gave her previous book How to be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful， Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up 5 stars。 There were some fabulous tips for kids in that first book that are often overlooked in modern education。 While there was a plethora of useful tips in this one， I also found some content that would be of concern for families with a biblical worldview。 This would be a great book for kids to work through with a parent or trusted adult。Thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Beth Cato
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I received an advance ebook via Netgalley。What Can I Say？ is a full-color graphical book for middle graders， providing basic guidance on social interactions and dilemmas in a way that is progressive and fully inclusive。 The attitude of the book is stated forthrightly at the beginning: "Learning how to be more kind， gracious， expressive， compassionate， responsible， respectful， and authentic in your interactions is going to make the world a better place， filled with happier people。 Plus， it's goin I received an advance ebook via Netgalley。What Can I Say？ is a full-color graphical book for middle graders， providing basic guidance on social interactions and dilemmas in a way that is progressive and fully inclusive。 The attitude of the book is stated forthrightly at the beginning: "Learning how to be more kind， gracious， expressive， compassionate， responsible， respectful， and authentic in your interactions is going to make the world a better place， filled with happier people。 Plus， it's going to help you yourself in a million ways。" There's also no pressure to do things one right way。 "Normal is not even a thing， and everyone doesn't have to be the same kind of person。" As the parent of an autistic teenager， I also appreciated the brief mention that readers might be autistic or shy or have social anxiety。The book is divided into numerous fast-to-read chapters: How to meet， greet， and part; how to have a conversation; how to get along with people; how to deal with hard things; how to be in a romantic relationship （or not）; how to be supportive; how to be an ally; how to care for your community。 The book is current and helpful by mentioning that some readers or their friends might identify as nonbinary or gay， and how to handle things like learning pronouns， and how to stand up for causes that are right。 The illustrations throughout are such a joy， and do include kids who are gay and even doing very contemporary things like talking by video chat。 Some especially awkward situations are addressed， too， like how to speak up politely if a relative is making racist jokes。 These are things kids have to deal with every day and often feel so alone。This is the kind of book that will save lives by letting kids know that they are seen， that they matter， that their voices deserve to be heard。 。。。more
Robyn Little
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I received a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest reviewthis help guide to social anxiety is pure gold。 I regret not having had it when I was younger。 While a little out of depth for reception or kindergarten it would make perfect use for young adults and could also work for parents and teachers as well。 light enough to follow and understand。
Khadija ✨
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After finishing this read， all i could think of is how different my relationship with myself and others would have taken a better turn if I was exposed to such a read as a child。 A quite informative up to date guide written in a simplistic style that is accessible to readers from different age ranges。 It tackles different essential topics that advocate for coexistence， tolerance and harmony between people。 Definitely， a work that’s worth giving a try。
Pam
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I received an electronic ARC from Storey Publishing through NetGalley。Newman offers clear information on communication for middle grade readers up to adults。 These 50 social skills are critical to living a well rounded life。 The language and illustrations support and explain each area of communication and move far beyond the verbal。 The author addresses simpler ways to communicate and moves to far more complex communication decisions。 A terrific book for family dialogue and growth。
Marinda （rindasreads）
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I loved the way this book tackles awkward situations。 I am eager to hand it over to my pre-teen to help prepare her for junior high and high school。 The illustrations are eye-catching， engaging， and helpful！ The topics are clear， concise， and relatable。 The organization and table of contents make the book easy to navigate。 I learned a lot and I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this one often in the future。 Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advanced review copy。 All opinions are m I loved the way this book tackles awkward situations。 I am eager to hand it over to my pre-teen to help prepare her for junior high and high school。 The illustrations are eye-catching， engaging， and helpful！ The topics are clear， concise， and relatable。 The organization and table of contents make the book easy to navigate。 I learned a lot and I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this one often in the future。 Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advanced review copy。 All opinions are my own！ 。。。more
Joy Z
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I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。My 6 years old really enjoyed this book- a communication book on how to address the difficult topics， stand up for yourself， and how to be a good understanding friend。 She particularly enjoyed the chapter on what to say during embarrassing situations。
Mairéad
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This fantastic guide to social skills is perfectly pitched for the target audience of children aged 10+ With bright， humourous graphics and a warm， conversational tone throughout， it is an absolutely perfect 'how to' guide for a number of highly relevant topics including getting along with people， dealing with hard things， being an ally and caring for your community。 The 4 step 'behaviour test' is something I can imagining displaying in a classroom to encourage self awareness among my pupils and This fantastic guide to social skills is perfectly pitched for the target audience of children aged 10+ With bright， humourous graphics and a warm， conversational tone throughout， it is an absolutely perfect 'how to' guide for a number of highly relevant topics including getting along with people， dealing with hard things， being an ally and caring for your community。 The 4 step 'behaviour test' is something I can imagining displaying in a classroom to encourage self awareness among my pupils and the level of effort made throughout the book to be genuinely inclusive and supportive of every young person as they develop their social skills was really wonderful to see。 I will definitely be buying a copy when it's published later this year！ Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Engrossed Reader
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Really liked this book。 The accessible way that pertinent issues were discussed make it ideal for research， self help or guidance。I would say that it's suitable for all ages， abilities and confidence levels。 Offering tips， scenarios and scripts is ideal for neurotypical and neurodiverse。 Even if you're the most clued up person socially or struggle 1:1 or in groups， you will gain something from reading a chapter or two。 Helpfully themes/issues are set out clearly in chapters， meaning you don't ha Really liked this book。 The accessible way that pertinent issues were discussed make it ideal for research， self help or guidance。I would say that it's suitable for all ages， abilities and confidence levels。 Offering tips， scenarios and scripts is ideal for neurotypical and neurodiverse。 Even if you're the most clued up person socially or struggle 1:1 or in groups， you will gain something from reading a chapter or two。 Helpfully themes/issues are set out clearly in chapters， meaning you don't have to read the whole book taking notes to have a decent summary on a topic。 Not all the scenarios met the mark， but that's to be expected， nor am I the target audience。 But that said it tackles well the fundementals of new situations， what to say， when to say it and how to be comfortable being you。Forgot to say that I got this via NetGalley and the formatting was pants even in the NetGalley app。 That was probably the most annoying part of reading this book。 。。。more
Sadie-Jane Alexis Huff
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Brilliant book， for adults， teens， kids （though parents need to walk through and only for some sections。。。 more like see the age， refer to what's relevant）。Love the pop quizzes and various scenarios listed out。Great book， especially for thise who are shy and need to network or simply make a friend！ In fact， I can imagine many adults using this as reference 。。。。。 much needed reference lol。。 Brilliant book， for adults， teens， kids （though parents need to walk through and only for some sections。。。 more like see the age， refer to what's relevant）。Love the pop quizzes and various scenarios listed out。Great book， especially for thise who are shy and need to network or simply make a friend！ In fact， I can imagine many adults using this as reference 。。。。。 much needed reference lol。。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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The book was clear and easy for a kid/teen to read and understand and was simple and to the point。 I love that it covered so many topics that kids will find themselves in or around and how to best handle them。 There are topics that I didn’t realize would be covered in the book but society is changing and I thought the author did a good job giving high level information on the topics。
Caroline
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A charming followup to How To Be A Person， this offers useful communication tips from the very basic （How to Meet， Greet， and Part） to bigger， tougher scenarios like responding to bullying， or an offensive joke， or standing up for somebody， and moves from interpersonal communication to being an activist， ally， and good neighbor and community member （"Drop off cookies if you make extra。 Okay， yes， 'extra' cookies aren't even a thing， but you know what we mean。"） I love that the section "How to As A charming followup to How To Be A Person， this offers useful communication tips from the very basic （How to Meet， Greet， and Part） to bigger， tougher scenarios like responding to bullying， or an offensive joke， or standing up for somebody， and moves from interpersonal communication to being an activist， ally， and good neighbor and community member （"Drop off cookies if you make extra。 Okay， yes， 'extra' cookies aren't even a thing， but you know what we mean。"） I love that the section "How to Ask for Help" begins， "Independence is overrated！ We all need help--lots of it， and frequently。"The book keeps it light with funny examples （the Raisin Harvest Dance， a grilled cheese sandwich with unfortunate gummy bears in it， dancing like an awkward broken pogo stick） and is full of heart and wise advice。 It starts with the reminder that communication can be hard and there's no one right way: "What matters most is that you try to be your best self and balance other people's needs with your own。" And then ends beautifully， simply， with "Be a force of kindness in your home， your school， your friend group， your neighborhood， your town and the world。 You will never， ever regret it。"I wish I'd had this when my kids were younger -- and when I was younger！ 。。。more
Debbie Lesley
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There have been other books on manners written through the years but this one is a bit different。 It is truly written for young people to read。 It is written in an easy-to-read way that would work for elementary school on up。 What is good is that it is very current--discusses things such as texting， and how people act these days。 It is one of those books that a family could have and pull out whenever a manners-related question arises; same for a classroom teacher。For a classroom teacher， situati There have been other books on manners written through the years but this one is a bit different。 It is truly written for young people to read。 It is written in an easy-to-read way that would work for elementary school on up。 What is good is that it is very current--discusses things such as texting， and how people act these days。 It is one of those books that a family could have and pull out whenever a manners-related question arises; same for a classroom teacher。For a classroom teacher， situations in books could be discussed and then the proper way to address that situation could be compared。 It is also fun， if studying Shakespeare and Elizabethan England to compare their manners with today's。 Quite a lot of fun。This book was given to me by #NetGalley to review。 #WhatCanISay 。。。more
AllBookedUp
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This book is， in my honest opinion， very relatable and an easy guide not just to kids but for all introverts。 During the course of the COVID-19， many of the kids and even adults have been more isolated and learning from home。 In other words， face-to-face communication is very different from the "Zooming" and virtual world。 This book shows us how to strike up conversations， how to be respectful， and how to be very clear about how to stand up for themselves and not be a wallflower who gets run ove This book is， in my honest opinion， very relatable and an easy guide not just to kids but for all introverts。 During the course of the COVID-19， many of the kids and even adults have been more isolated and learning from home。 In other words， face-to-face communication is very different from the "Zooming" and virtual world。 This book shows us how to strike up conversations， how to be respectful， and how to be very clear about how to stand up for themselves and not be a wallflower who gets run over by others。 The cartoon visuals make this book fun to read and are very helpful。 You don't feel like you are reading boring nonfiction of some sort。 I greatly appreciated the book focusing on issues that need to be addressed， which includes racism and prejudice， pronouns， and sexuality。 It's okay to ask questions and not know how to ask or who to ask， this is a great help。I received this ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Krystal
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This book was a great read。 I read it with my 13 year old middle grader， and the book definitely helps pre-teens & teens on topics that can be difficult to navigate。 I appreciate Story Publishing& NetGalley for the Early digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review， in all honesty I feel blessed that I was able to add this to my arsenal of tools to help my child navigate this new and sometimes difficult era of his life， especially since they are on the autism spectrum and that This book was a great read。 I read it with my 13 year old middle grader， and the book definitely helps pre-teens & teens on topics that can be difficult to navigate。 I appreciate Story Publishing& NetGalley for the Early digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review， in all honesty I feel blessed that I was able to add this to my arsenal of tools to help my child navigate this new and sometimes difficult era of his life， especially since they are on the autism spectrum and that makes the topics in this book even more difficult to navigate sometimes。 I highly recommend this to everyone who has a child entering the preteen/teen portion of their lives and who as a parent like me is having difficulty navigating it with their child and who might not have all the answers 。。。more
Reading_ Tamishly
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The illustrations and the presentation are quite outstanding yet fun cute。I feel this guidebook on social interaction for young readers is one of the best guidebooks I have come across。 I do feel most kids feel left out and are quiet when they meet new people or people who they are not familiar with just because they do not know how to respond or start a conversation or just simply how to greet。The illustrated guide on different common situations each kid might most possibly face are included an The illustrations and the presentation are quite outstanding yet fun cute。I feel this guidebook on social interaction for young readers is one of the best guidebooks I have come across。 I do feel most kids feel left out and are quiet when they meet new people or people who they are not familiar with just because they do not know how to respond or start a conversation or just simply how to greet。The illustrated guide on different common situations each kid might most possibly face are included and the tips on how to deal with them are explained well。The book almost reads like a graphic novel。 You will enjoy this one if you're reading with the kids。One of the best young readers guidebooks I say！Thank you， Storey Publishing， for the advance reading copy。 。。。more
Kate
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Honestly， adults need this book， too。 What Can I Say is a wonderful how-to book that helps guide the reader through all sorts of conversations。 Some are simple and some are really not， but all are moments that will happen at some point， and having a script to follow will help a lot of people。 I know it will help me。Ms。 Newman sets up the situations and gives multiple ideas to help navigate through them。 She often includes the caveat that the reader may not feel comfortable or may not feel safe a Honestly， adults need this book， too。 What Can I Say is a wonderful how-to book that helps guide the reader through all sorts of conversations。 Some are simple and some are really not， but all are moments that will happen at some point， and having a script to follow will help a lot of people。 I know it will help me。Ms。 Newman sets up the situations and gives multiple ideas to help navigate through them。 She often includes the caveat that the reader may not feel comfortable or may not feel safe and that it's okay to seek help from others， or find another way around a difficult situation。 Giving people options is an excellent way to let people know that one size doesn't fit all。My thanks to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Great Books
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#8
Ess
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This middle school guide to “learn and practice social skills” is just the book I could have benefited from as a pre-teen， hormonal smirch; except now I have the ability to recommend this gem of a manual to the masses！I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review。
Gijo
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The book "What can I say" really helps children confidently deal with any kind of situation they are in。 It deals with every kind of situation we go through and how to respond to it with chosen words and expressions。 The fine pictures catch children's attention。 The book "What can I say" really helps children confidently deal with any kind of situation they are in。 It deals with every kind of situation we go through and how to respond to it with chosen words and expressions。 The fine pictures catch children's attention。 。。。more
Jennifer Steinhagen
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Can I get an amen？ Man， my kids need this book。 Is it just me or has the social awkwardness reached an all time high？？ Catherine Newman and illustrator Debbie Fong tackle ALL the subjects kids these day need help with: how to start a conversation， how to interact with adults， how to think about complicated feelings， crushes， empathy and when to write a thank you card。 The illustrations are straight forward with key notes on what to say/what not to say。 Thank you for this ARC Net Galley！
Jenn
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Look; tweenhood is tough。 Anyone who says it isn't is either lying or deluding themselves。 It's even tougher when you have to spend half your time trying to decipher what everyone around you means when they're talking。 That's why this book will be a godsend。Written in clear， simple language， bolstered with fun cartoons and comics， this is the guide everyone needs。 I would love to see teachers reading this with their class， parents reading with their kids， kids reading with other kids。。。I'm an ad Look; tweenhood is tough。 Anyone who says it isn't is either lying or deluding themselves。 It's even tougher when you have to spend half your time trying to decipher what everyone around you means when they're talking。 That's why this book will be a godsend。Written in clear， simple language， bolstered with fun cartoons and comics， this is the guide everyone needs。 I would love to see teachers reading this with their class， parents reading with their kids， kids reading with other kids。。。I'm an adult （apparently？） and I feel like I learned some things from this book。As I was reading a proof， the conversion to Kindle wasn't perfect and a few things were in the wrong places， but I'm sure that'll be fixed by publication。 The important thing is that all the cartoons and illustrations came through perfectly！ They're fantastic， really helping to clarify while adding a light tone to the story。 I really enjoyed looking through them。This is a fantastic book， one I hope will do really well。 It really deserves to。 。。。more
Rachel
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