You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime: Problem-solving in Dollars and Cents

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1929766815 ISBN 13: 9781929766819

Publisher: Blue Apple Books, 2003

Clink, clink, clink, clink...Clink, clink, clinkity... Money saved in a bank makes your brain think-thinkity!
Children are fascinated by money how it looks, feels, smells, and most of all, what it buys. And Pete is no exception. The rhymed verse describes how Pete saves his allowance, spends too much of it, has second thoughts, and starts over. Young readers will not only applaud Pete s decisions, but join him in his computations as he saves, spends, and strategizes over future purchases. The lively combination of fact and fiction, plus humorous art, will prove both thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable.

About the Author:

Harriet Ziefert is a well-known author who has written over one hundred books for children. When she is not writing, she commutes between her homes in Lincoln, Massachusetts and Maplewood, New Jersey.

Amanda Haley holds a B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently resides in Ohio with her husband and golden retriever, Sally.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-"Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink, clink, clinkity! Money saved in a bank makes your brain think-thinkity!" Pete's saving his coins in a jar. He's got 10 quarters, 7 dimes, and 6 nickels that he sets out before him on a table, so that he (and readers) can easily count them. His total comes to $3.50. He wants to buy a toy and finds a dinosaur that costs $3 plus 20 cents tax. He returns home happy with his purchase, but saddened to realize that his bank is almost empty until his dad tells him he can earn more money by cleaning the yard and his mother gives him his allowance. This simple introduction to adding and subtracting small amounts of money will delight and inform young readers. The rhyming story covers the math as well as the concepts of earning, saving, and spending. A concluding section called "More Stuff" wraps up the book nicely with information about coin rubbings, ways to earn money, charitable giving, and a host of fun facts (like the origins of the name "piggy bank"). Bright cartoon art adds to the enjoyment. Ziefert and Haley know exactly how to make learning fun.
Leslie Barban, Richland CountyPublic Library, Columbia, SC
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.