Literature Links Bunny Money, by Rosemary Wells

(Viking, 1997) is a story about the famil- iar sibling rabbits, Ruby and Max. In this story they are shopping for a present for Grandma—Ruby wants to buy her a music box with dancing ballerina rabbits on top; Max wants a set of vampire teeth with ooz- ing cherry syrup. In the course of shopping, the younger Max gets his clothes dirty and they need to be washed at a Laundromat, which means using some birthday money. Buying him a drink and food further depletes their budgeted money. Eventually they adjust their plans to spend less money and manage to find some things that Grandma really appreci- ates, even the vampire fangs. First through third graders can read the story and count up expenses as Max and Ruby shop (there is play money on the end papers of the book that can be photocopied).

Sam and the Lucky Money, by Karen

Chinn (Lee & Low Books, 1995), takes place during Chinese New Year. Sam receives four dollars in the traditional lucky red envelopes called leisees. He goes shop- ping with his mother, eager to buy some- thing, but feels frustrated because everything he wants costs more than what he has. He bumps into a homeless man on the street. When he considers what would feel like a good way to spend his money, he presents the packets to the shoeless man sitting up against the side of a building. Many descrip- tions of festivities are included in the story, such as special foods and customs, and the big lion who dances through the street as firecrackers are lit. Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu’s watercolor illustrations enrich the text with vivid depictions. Stu- dents ages six through ten can appreciate Sam’s story.

PAGE 18 • Connect Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last

Sunday, by Judith Viorst (Atheneum, 2009, orig. 1979), is an older but very fine book that tells about learning to save money. Alex- ander and his two brothers are each given a dollar by their grandparents. Alexander spent his dollar pennies at a time, but every bit adds up. His brothers have their money long after Alexander has spent his (and not very wisely, it seems). Judith Viorst’s writing is particularly adept at relating the voice of a child and she does not shy away from uncomfortable situations or emotions (consider Alexander and the Terrible, Hor- rible, No Good, Very Bad Day). See Jane Crawford’s article on page 1 of this issue for ideas on how to use this book in your study of money. Five- to nine-year-olds will enjoy this story.

The Coin Counting Book, by Rozanne

Lanczak Williams (Charlesbridge, 2001), is a great introduction to coin recogni- tion, value, and counting. Concepts such as repeated addition and skip counting are also included in the simple rhyming text. Detailed photos of coins on solid color backgrounds make a clear presentation that encourages counting and seeing groups of numbers. Symbols for addition and equiva- lency are inserted as captions for counting up the coins in the illustrations. The clar- ity and simplicity of images and text make this an outstanding book for students pre-k through second grade.

©SYNERGY LEARNING • 800-769-6199 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012