”The Money Book: A Smart Kid`s Guide to Savvy Saving and Spending,” by Elaine Wyatt and Stan Hinden, illustrated by Arnie Levin, Tambourine Books, a division of William Morrow & Co., 64 pages and a plastic bank, $11.95
It may make little sense to ask an adult what he or she thinks of a children`s book.
So let`s turn this review over, temporarily, to 10-year-old Josh Sutton. His credentials to review this book are impeccable, according to his mother, who says Josh ”cares about two things: television and money.”
”Well, the book is kinda good,” Josh said. ”I don`t know if it will sell much, but those who do buy it will like it.” We also can note that Josh laughed out loud when reading about (Dad, listen carefully) limiting spending on snacks and baseball cards.
While Josh was reading ”The Money Book,” his 7-year-old brother, Zach, wanted to look at it, too. Josh let him because Zach found one of his brother`s long-forgotten wallets with 21 long-forgotten dollars stashed in a desk drawer.
So much for what children think. Adults will be the ones shelling out $11.95 for this book and its companion, a bank cleverly designed to look like the book. Are they worth the money?
Well, considering that your Josh or Zach or Megan or Mary may be enticed to save at least that amount, this may be money well spent. And your children (not to mention yourself) will learn a few things along the way.
There are no surprises, no get-rich-quick schemes, no ”hot” ways to think about money, make money, save money, use money or spend money. Think of the traditional ways you were taught about money (”Put it in the bank!”
”What do you need another chochkee for?” ”Do you think money grows on trees?”) and you`ve got a pretty good idea what`s in this book.
That`s not to say Elaine Wyatt and Stan Hinden and artist Arnie Levin haven`t come up with an entertaining way to get these messages across to your 7- or 17-year-old.
Especially effective are the ”Money Fun” sections. The authors could have called them the ”List” sections, but then the publisher probably would have consigned this book to the dumper.
Wish lists, job lists, babysitting checklists, spending record lists, budget lists. They`re good ideas to help a child, not to mention an adult, focus on what he or she is doing with money. And there are other ”Money Fun” sections that inform, like the one that tells you money, indeed, does not grow on trees, but in banks. Though at the current penurious interest rates that Theodore ”Beaver” Cleaver might be more familiar with, growth is stunted.
Half the fun of money may be spending it. The other half is making it. So the authors devote 14 pages to this.
Mowing lawns and sitting for babies aren`t the only ways to earn a few dollars. Wyatt and Hinden offer some sound ideas like tying up old newspapers (which you may do after reading this review) or cleaning out basements.
What may draw some children into the book is the history section. For instance:
– Paper money-sheets of black mulberry paper stamped with Emperor Kublai Kahn`s seal-was used in China around 1275 A.D. Each sheet carried the warning that anyone caught making fake money would have his or her head chopped off.
– In the 15th Century, a Count Schlick began to make coins out of silver from a mine near St. Joachimsthal in Bohemia. The word `dollar` evolved from this coin, the Joachimsthaler. (Can you say yo-ah-kims-tah-ler?)
– In 1793, the United States` first mint, in Philadelphia, produced 11,178 copper cents, fewer coins than can be made in a minute today.
There are even sections on taxes, the economy and why it may be more lucrative to become a doctor than a school crossing guard.
Children also could go into advertising. But they can skip over the two pages-48 and 49-on advertising. Here the authors describe the types of ads
(slice-of-life ad, fun-fun ad) on television.
Go directly to page 50 to learn about debt.
Are the authors sending us a message here?
