28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Teaching Children To Be Positive at All Income Levels..., November 21, 2007
This review is from: It's Not What You've Got (Hardcover)
I had thought this was going to be a storybook but the book has a poetry type feel rather than that of a story taking place. The book is written in rhyme and addresses a new concept on each page. With each turn of the page, there is a new poem addressing a new value to teach your child. I found the illustrations very helpful for discussions with children, for example: the big house pictured by and apartment building on the page "It Doesn't Matter What They Have."
This book has the potential to be used across ages as young readers will most likely just enjoy the rhymes, but as children get older, parents can use the examples and concepts for discussions related to real life. There will always be someone with more... and always someone with less than what you have. Teaching children to be positive at all income levels will build their self-esteem, pride, and confidence through life.
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's Not Got It, July 26, 2008
This review is from: It's Not What You've Got (Hardcover)
I read this book with no prior familiarity with the author. Although it seemed very promising and innovative at first, I won't be adding it to my list of recommended books for children.
I would put this book in the same category as "Oh The Places You'll Go" (Dr. Seuss) and "I Knew That You Could" (Dorfman and Ong). All three contain pithy advice about life, set to rhyme, and illustrated for children. Unfortunately, these books tend to appeal far more to adults than to children.
In my experience, rhyming read-alouds are best for children up to about kindergarten-age. Only more sophisticated illustration or writing will extend the use-life of the book into early or mid elementary. In the case of "It's Not What You've Got," the ideas presented in the book will be difficult to grasp for young children with little life experience. By the time they are old enough to understand and make use of the advice, the book will seem far too childish. Therefore, I can imagine adults really loving the idea of a book like this, and giving it as a gift, only to see it gather dust. The illustration style is so unremarkable that I doubt that many kids will be drawn to it. Further, the wordy title just screams "Educational Book!" and will repel most children browsing the shelves for a bedtime story or something to idly pass the time.
As for the book's advice, I find most of it to be sound, but I agree with a previous reviewer that Tip #4 (You Have the Power to Get What You Want) is somewhat at odds with the advice to be happy with what you have, especially with the picture of a girl aspiring to own a car, a pony, a bg house, an expensive handbag, and dreaming about travel and adventure. I believe strongly in the power of positive thinking, but wealth and riches are not the only things to envision in one's future. This double-page spread could have been much more thoughtfully designed.
I suggest that "It's Not What You've Got" be used by parents and teachers as a source for ideas on how to speak about money with children. The individual tips could be used for lesson planning, and many of the discussion questions at the end could be woven into conversation or discussion quite easily without seeming too preachy. Repetition of the ideas in different contexts is what will help them sink in. As long as the kids never lay eyes on the book itself, I see some promise.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Child should read this, November 4, 2007
This review is from: It's Not What You've Got (Hardcover)
Teaching your children the principles in this book can make a dramatic difference in the way they perceive their life and their potential.
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