Book Review: More books on personal finance for kids

 

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am back to reviewing books for a 6th grade social studies unit on personal finance! This lovely picture book without words visually tells the story of a little girl who sees a beautiful green bicycle and begins to save her money to buy it. I would love to pair it with My Rows and Piles of Coins for students to compare the experiences of the the Girl and Saruni as they each save for a bicycle. I'm always looking for visual literacy options to incorporate into learning plans, and this book would be a great option.

View all my reviews



You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime: Problem-solving in Dollars and Cents by Harriet Ziefert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a cute book on earning money and saving for a goal - in Pete's case, to buy toy dinosaurs! It is a little dated and maybe skews a little too much toward basic money skills for my middle school students, but it has an engaging rhyme scheme and cute illustrations that will definitely appeal to elementary school students. The book effectively covers the concepts of money (and money math), income (via Pete's allowance and earning money for extra chores), savings, and sales tax. There are some great questions for further inquiry at the end as well as some fun facts about money.

View all my reviews



A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the almost 40 years since it was published, A Chair for My Mother has become a classic of children's literature. The book shares the story of a little girl, her Mama, and her Grandma, who are all saving their coins to buy a chair for hard-working Mama because they have lost all of their furniture in a fire. The story treats the loss matter-of-factly, and shows the community coming together to support the family and frankly discusses the family working together to save money. As I reviewed it for possible use in a 6th grade social studies unit on personal finance, I appreciate the opportunities it offers to introduce concepts like the minimum wage, income, and savings, and why it might take a long time for a family to save for a chair. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and I find this a strong contender as a read-aloud for the personal finance unit. Even though it is older, the story feels timeless and fresh.

View all my reviews