Review: Get a Job Making Stuff to Sell by Ryan Jacobson (Author), Jon Cannell (Illustrator)

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Do you enjoy using your creativity to make something new? What if you could turn those skills into cash? Good news: You can go into business making and selling items that people want—from sports flags to fancy phone covers. This book will show you the ins and outs of each moneymaking venture and give you the tips and tricks you need to get started.

MY TAKE:
I wish there was a book like this one when I was a kid.

In Get a Job Making Stuff to Sell, kids are taught the basics of turning their talents into a business. The book specifically mentions selling: lemonade, baked goods, soap, custom notebooks, custom phone cases, jewelry, artwork, scrapbook design, and spirit flags. For each, readers are taught business skills, as well as a concise step-by-step on how to create the product and tips on selling it.

If your kid is interested in starting a business, this is a good book for him or her to read first. If one of the mentioned products interests them, then great, they have the basics already. The book includes suggestions for getting the ingredients or materials, and even helps kids compute how they should price their products. If the products don't interest your kid, they might still find the business tips in the book useful. I imagine that it's the artistic kids who will be able to make the most out of this book, since the last six mentioned products require at least some measure of artistic ability.

As for the layout and graphics, I found them to be colorful and eye-catching. It was a bit like looking at a scrapbook, but the design was less distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publications for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. There are plenty of useful business tips.
2. The steps for making and marketing the products are concise but everything that's important is included.
3. The layout/design is nice to look at.

THE BAD:

1. Most of the mentioned products require you to have some artistic ability, or have a partner who is artistic, in order to be really successful.

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid is interested in starting a business.
2. Your kid wants to earn money.
3. You want to teach your child money skills.

RATING:


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