Money Madness [Paperback]

David A. Adler (Author), Edward Miller (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

What's all this madness about money? Long ago, people traded rocks or sheep for the items they wanted, but rocks were heavy and sheep ran away. This beginning guide to economics will have readers thinking about the purpose, and not just the value, of money.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Adler begins by asking young readers to imagine a world without money and the complications that would ensue. He then traces the history of our current monetary system, explaining early systems of bartering and the use of such things as rocks and feathers. Adler explains how the value of money fluctuates as prices go up and down and concludes with a discussion of digital money. One statement causes concern; the author states that "Checks and credit cards are money too, because they can be used to buy things." Regarding a credit card as money is irresponsible, and the two should not be equated. Miller's computer-generated illustrations are vibrantly colored if rather flat, but they do help to clarify and support some of the concepts and add some humor to the topic. The book will be useful as a starting point for units on money, but is otherwise an additional purchase.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

This brightly illustrated picture book introduces the concept of money, first by looking at its development as an alternative to bartering and then by explaining the many forms of money, from primitive rocks, feathers, and metal lumps to the familiar coins and paper bills to alternatives such as checks, credit cards, and digital forms of payment. Adler does a particularly good job explaining the inconvenience of bartering through child-friendly examples such as “How would a baker trade for a house? How many loaves of bread would he have to trade? And why would anybody want so much bread?” Using flat colors and stylized designs, Miller’s upbeat digital artwork helps to clarify points made in the text, while adding occasional bits of visual humor. Photos of coins and bills are incorporated where appropriate, and some children will want to pore over the page showing colorful foreign money. For young children, a fine introduction to the subject. Preschool-Grade 3. --Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; Reprint edition (January 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823422720
• ISBN-13: 978-0823422722
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Money
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > Business & Money
  • #34 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Money

More About the Author

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I begin my fiction with the main character. The story comes later. Of course, since I'll be spending a lot of time with each main character, why not have him or her be someone I like? Andy Russell is based, loosely, on a beloved member of my family. He's fun to write about and the boy who inspired the character is even more fun to know. Cam Jansen is based even more loosely on a classmate of mine in the first grade whom we all envied because we thought he had a photographic memory. Now, especially when my children remind me of some promise they said I made, I really envy Cam's amazing memory. I have really enjoyed writing about Cam Jansen and her many adventures. For my books of non-fiction I write about subjects I find fascinating. My first biography was Our Golda: The Life of Golda Meir. To research that book, I bought a 1905 set of encyclopedia. Those books told me what each of the places Golda Meir lived in were like when she lived there. I've written many other biographies, including books about Martin Luther King, Jr; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Helen Keller; Harriet Tubman; Anne Frank; and many others in my Picture Book Biography series. I've been a Yankee and a Lou Gehrig fan for decades so I wrote Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. It's more the story of his great courage than his baseball playing. Children face all sorts of challenges and it's my hope that some will be inspired by the courage of Lou Gehrig. I am working now on another book about a courageous man, Janusz Korczak. My book One Yellow Daffodil is fiction, too, but it's based on scores of interviews I did with Holocaust survivors for my books We Remember the Holocaust, Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, The Number on My Grandfather's Arm, and Hiding from the Nazis. The stories I heard were compelling. One Yellow Daffodil is both a look to the past and to the future, and expresses my belief in the great spirit and strength of our children. I love math and was a math teacher for many years, so it was fun for me to write several math books including Fraction Fun, Calculator Riddles, and Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons. In my office I have this sign, "Don't Think. Just Write!" and that's how I work. I try not to worry about each word, even each sentence or paragraph. For me stories evolve. Writing is a process. I rewrite each sentence, each manuscript, many times. And I work with my editors. I look forward to their suggestions, their help in the almost endless rewrite process. Well, it's time to get back to dreaming, and to writing, my dream of a job. David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children's books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, January 15, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Money Madness (Hardcover)

People want money, but why? At first glance, currency around the world is simply paper with nice pictures printed on the front and back, but life would be more difficult if people did not use money. People would have to be much more self-sufficient, either producing life's necessities themselves or bartering with others for the commodities they need in their daily lives. Long ago, people used items such as rocks and livestock as a form of money, but rocks got heavy and the livestock could run away. Coins made of precious metals were a big improvement, but carrying many coins also proved burdensome. The creation of paper money helped people not only to buy and sell goods and services, but also to provide a common measure of the value of these items.

With its brisk text and eye-catching illustrations, this informative book is sure to appeal to younger children as they learn to navigate the economic world around them. When households around the world are talking about financial instability and economic security, this book comes as a welcome means for teaching children about the fundamentals of money and exchange.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Way To Teach Beginning Economics, October 26, 2009

By 

Portianay "portianay" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Money Madness (Hardcover)

Forthright text and pictures make the basics of money easy to grasp. A good book for early-and-middle elementary students, and a real draw for the home schooling parent.

And to think, he also writes Cam Jansen! :-) Impressive.