No Problem: An Easy Guide to Getting What You Want

by Ken Watanabe, Elwood H. Smith (Illustrator)

Albert wants to learn computer animation?but he doesn?t have a computer. Kiwi wants to go to soccer camp in Brazil?but she can?t afford it. Rad, Rita, and Remi have started a rock band?but they need more fans. How will these kids achieve their goals? By problem-solving! In this young readers? adaptation of an international bestseller, author Ken Watanabe reveals the secrets to getting what you want. Techniques like goalsetting, brainstorming, and strategizing?essential for any kid?s success?are enlivened by Elwood H. Smith?s hilarious drawings. This motivational book is a must-have for any kid eager to make it to the top.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2010

About the author

Ken Watanabe grew up bilingual in Japan and studied in the United States at Yale and Harvard Business School. He was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company for six years. He is now the founder and CEO of his own education, entertainment, and media company, Delta Studio.

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Translated from the Japanese, and adapted for children from an adult book on problem-solving, with cute caroonish illustrations, this gives an excellent step-by-step approach to finding the root causes of problems in your life & focusing on realistic solutions, re-conceiving goals to make them manageable, and making big decisions.

That may seem like a very brief pamphlet-like scope, but the author & illustrator give great, middle-school-kid-friendly examples with logic trees, effect vs. effort matrixes, and simple charts to compare multiple qualities of various different solutions. I think it's helpful for any age reader, but uniquely appealing to readers ages 10 to 15.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid book, while also being fun. Somehow manages to cover in 70 pages: problem-solving mindset, logic trees, yes/no tree, market research (without calling it that), decision matrices, hypothesis/test/revisit strategy, pros and cons grid.

The examples are great. The illustrations are full of character. I really like this book.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of thing every child should be taught in school. Along with all the acedemic subjects, this is a great little book that provides lessons in how to think about problems and how to find solutions to them. We need more problem solvers in this world.

[A'ishah Kamaludin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book from my company’s resource center and only realised the book is actually written for kids to young adults when I’m already half-way reading it. It’s a fun book and I totally relate with two situations/examples given and found the answers to my current problems. Easy read for a 32 year old me. Finish it in one-way commute back home. Would definitely recommend this book to my son once he gets a lil bit older or maybe even reading this to him to let him understand the context.

[Phuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

An useful book which provides good and practical tips on how to achieve your goals

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It offers very straightforward and simple techniques on how to problem solve, which ultimately includes a ton of other skills -- experimenting, brainstorming, doing research, etc. Obviously problem solving can be much more complex than this, but for the problems many children are apt to encounter, this book offers solutions. I don't think it'll be off-putting (I know when I was a kid, anything purporting to make you responsible or whatever turned me off because it seemed like a trick by adults or something)

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's book breaks down the basics of systematic problem solving in one's life for kids. It is a real eye opener to read it as an adult, though I think it might be judgemental towards different attitudes and personalities and too cut and dry to really help some people. Still, it trys hard to approach the subject using terms and concepts that kids would understand. It is highly illustrated and this makes the book more enjoyable and more palatable.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This outlines problem-solving skills and methods well for upper elementary and middle school kids. Unfortunately (and perhaps unavoidably) it has the feeling of a math book story problem when diving into the examples of problem-solving, but it does a good job of explaining each step and demonstrating logic-based thinking.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this quick book. All about self empowerment, scientifically looking at problems and finding ways to reach the goals we set for ourselves. Adults and students alike could easily use the simple methods laid out in the book. I will be pushing this one into many student hands.

[Krittle Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to get younger audiences to think and be aware of how they process and how others around them process and how to handle experiences that may provide uncomfortable or challenging adventures.

[Rachel Jessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book parents could easily read with/share with their kids.