The Kid's Guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It - Softcover

In The Kid's Guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It, author Steve Otfinoski achieves a complicated feat: explaining to kids (ages 9 through 12) the fundamentals of how to thrive in the American economy. Otfinoski uses an easy, informative tone, and focuses on the young entrepreneur who wants to earn money. The author promotes the joys of work, finding a job or building a business, developing advertising, and so on. Later chapters provide explanations of banks, budgets, careful consumerism, taxes, investments, and, finally, charitable donations. Throughout, Otfinoski sprinkles interesting sidebars (called Money Moment and Kid Cents) featuring odd facts about money and quotes from kids. Humorous drawings liven up the chapters, and the appendices include a detailed glossary. Cheers to Otfinoski for making what is often a dry, boring subject a fascinating opportunity for learning and fun. --Ericka Lutz

Grade 4-8?A book that clearly explains money in terms that will interest children and encourage them to behave responsibly. After presenting practical moneymaking ideas, Otfinoski covers budgeting and standard consumer advice. Other useful information includes the difference between simple and compound interest; a succinct explanation of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds; and the three golden rules of using a credit card. A chapter on sharing encourages charitable giving of both cash and personal effort. The author avoids fictionalizing; all of his examples are from the "real world." Illustrations are limited to a few black-and-white cartoons and diagrams of deposit slips, newspaper stock reports, etc. Appendixes include lists of consumer protection agencies and volunteer organizations, an explanation of how to read stock tables, and a slightly dated bibliography. Adriane Berg and Arthur Bochner's The Totally Awesome Money Book for Kids (Newmarket, 1993) presents much of the same material in more "hip" language. Dan Fitzgibbon's All about Your Money (Atheneum, 1984; o.p.) gives more general guidelines in a somewhat drier style, with an excellent chapter on "learning to enjoy your money." Elizabeth Wilkinson's Making Cents (Little, 1989) is the best written of all, but concentrates on money-making ideas with a final chapter on money management, business ethics, etc. Oftinoski's friendly, low-key approach compares well to all of these titles.?Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.