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Children's Books About Money
Books are listed by age level and in alphabetical order.
Age 3 and up
Paddy's pay-day / by Alexandra Day. Paddy is a dog who does circus acts. On his day off, he goes shopping. You can tell what's important to Paddy by what he buys with the money he earned.
Tom and Annie go shopping / Barry Smith. Tom and Annie go shopping for a lot of items. This book asks you to find the items on the shelves. Shopping isn't as easy as it looks.
Age 4 and up
Carl goes shopping / Alexandra Day. A dog named Carl goes to the store with his master. He watches the baby while the master goes shopping. Carl cares for the baby as they explore different parts of the store.
Curious George at the laundromat / edited by Margret Rey and Alan J. Shalleck. George tries to use the washing machine and makes a mess.
Just shopping with mom / by Mercer Mayer. Mom shops with three youngsters. One has trouble accepting "no" for an answer.
Ox-cart man / by Donald Hall ; pictures by Barbara Cooney. A farm family use their time and energy and talents to grow or make almost everything they need. They also grow or make extra things to take to market and sell.
Sheep in a shop / Nancy Shaw ; illustrated by Margot Apple. Some sheep go shopping for a birthday gift. They find out they do not have enough money to pay for it. They decided to solve their problem by trading.
The Berenstain bears and mama's new job / Stan & Jan Berenstain. When Mama becomes a "business bear," the way work gets done around the house changes. Other members of the Bear family discover how to help more.
The Berenstain bears get the gimmies / Stan & Jan Berenstain. Can Mama and Papa Bear find a way to keep the cubs from begging at the store?
The Berenstain bears' trouble with money / Stan & Jan Berenstain. Brother and sister Bear spend money as soon as they get it. Mama and Papa Bear want the cubs to understand that there is more to know about money than just how to spend it.
Working cotton / written by Sherley Anne Williams ; illustrated by Carole Byard. . Have you ever wondered what it's like to pick cotton? This book is about a day in the life of a family who work together in the cotton fields.
Age 5 and up
A bargain for Frances / by Russell Hoban ; pictures by Lillian Hoban. Frances saves and saves for a china tea set. Her friend Thelma tricks her into buying an old plastic tea set. Thelma says there are no "backsies" on the bargain. Frances finds a way to get what she really wants.
A quarter from the Tooth Fairy / by Caren Holtzman ; illustrated by Betsy Day. A boy tries to figure out how to spend the money he got from the tooth fairy. This book has notes in the front for adults and activities in the back for kids.
Alexander, who used to be rich last Sunday / Judith Viorst ; illustrated by Ray Cruz. Alexander started the week as a rich young man. There are so many things he could do with a dollar. The money begins to slip away.
Apple picking time / by Michele Benoit Slawson ; illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray. . All the townspeople work in the orchards at harvest time. Anna sets a goal to pick a whole basket of apples herself.
How the second grade got $8205.50 to visit the Statue of Liberty / Nathan Zimelman ; illustrated by Bill Slavin. The second grade class finds out that earning money for a big trip is not as easy as it looks.
Not so fast Songololo / written & illustrated by Niki Daly.. A young boy goes with his grandmother to the busy city. He helps her do her shopping. Before they leave, she gets him a nice surprise.
The gold coin / by Alma Flor Ada ; illustrated by Neil Waldman ; translated from the Spanish by Bernice Randall. This is a picture book based on a Spanish folk tale. Juan is a thief who wants to steal Doña Josefa's gold coin. As he travels to find her, he meets farmers and villagers who need his help with their chores. By the times he finds Doña Josefa, he has found another type of treasure. Find out what treasure Juan finds.
Age 6 and up
A chair for my mother / by Vera B. Williams. A family loses all their furniture in a fire. They set a goal to buy a chair for mother. Find out how the family, neighbors and friends work together for success.
A job for Jenny Archer / by Ellen Conford ; illustrated by Diane Palmisciano. Jenny wants to buy her Mom a fur coat. She tries many ways to earn money. Instead of a coat, Jenny finds the perfect gift in a most unlikely place.
Arthur's pet business / Marc Brown. Arthur wants a pet. His parents doubt he can take care of one. Arthur starts a pet business to prove his parents wrong.
Erandi's braids / written by Antonio Hernandez Madrigal ; illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Erandi's mother needs a new fishing net and also wants to buy Erandi her birthday gift, but is unable to due to their limited income. Erandi recognizes that her braids are valuable and makes a decision. Money on the Bookshelf Money Concepts: Decision Making, Recognizing Resources and Recognizing Success.
Jerome the babysitter / Eileen Christelow. Jerome goes on his first baby-sitting job. The kids play tricks on him. Jerome is surprised when he gets them all to bed.
Leo and Emily's zoo / by Franz Brandenberg ; pictures by Yossi Abolafia. Leo and Emily set up their own zoo. They make people pay to get in. Things don't go well. See who helps them out.
Money troubles / Bill Cosby ; illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood.. Little Bill wants to become famous by discovering a new comet, but first he needs a telescope. The telescope he wants costs $100 and he only has $47.87 in his football bank. Little Bill finds ways to earn money through jobs. Money on the Bookshelf Concepts: Recognizing Success, Problem Solving and Goal Setting.
My rows and piles of coins / by Tololwa M. Mollel ; illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Saruni saves money he receives from helping his mother work in the marketplace. His goal is to save enough money to buy a bicycle, so that he can better help his mother carry food to the marketplace. He works and saves his money for a long time. Money on the Bookshelf Concepts: Savings, Goal Setting, Prioritizing and Recognizing Success.
No Time For Christmas by Judy Delton. Two friends get jobs to buy each other Christmas presents. One works nights and the other works days. They don't see each other anymore.
Pedrito's day / [written and illustrated by] Luis Garay. Pedrito works to make money to buy a bicycle to help his mother at the marketplace. He helps his aunt with work, but makes a mistake and looses her money. He then finds a way to fix his mistake. Money on the Bookshelf Concepts: Savings, Goal Setting, Problem Solving and Recognizing Success.
The cinnamon hen's autumn day / written and illustrated by Sandra Dutton. Is it more fun to rake your own leaves or have Mr. Rabbit's lawn service do it for you?
Age 8 and up
Chicken Sunday / Patricia Polacco. To thank old Eula for her wonderful chicken dinners, the children sell decorated eggs and buy her a beautiful Easter hat.
The rag coat / Lauren Mills. Minna proudly wears her new coat of clothing scraps to school, where the other children laugh at her until she tells them the stories behind the scraps.
Age 9 and up.
Lyddie / Katherine Paterson. In the 1840's a farm girl goes to the city to get a factory job. She works hard to earn money to pay off the debt on the family farm.
The adventures of Tom Sawyer / Mark Twain. In the second chapter, Tom gets out of the boring job of whitewashing the fence. He finds a way to get every boy in town to do it for him.
Age 10 and up
How to get fabulously rich / Thomas Rockwell ; illustrated by Anne Canevari Green. Billy wins a lot of money. Everyone he knows wants some of the money. He wonders if winning was worth it.
Kid power / by Susan Beth Pfeffer ; illustrated by Leigh Grant. Janice has a summer business doing odd jobs. She ends up with more jobs than she can handle. She hires other kids to work for her.
Kid power strikes back / by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Janice's summer business ends when school starts. She begins to miss the money she made. Find out what she does.
Mall mania / by Stuart J. Murphy ; illustrated by Renée Andriani. Beth borrows a friend's credit card and goes on a shopping spree at the mall. She gets deeply into debt and must find a way out.
The toothpaste millionaire / by Jean Merrill. Prepared by the Bank Street College of Education. Rufus makes his own toothpaste. He starts selling it and makes money. His friends help him make his business something great.
Age 13 and up
Seventeen against the dealer / Cynthia Voigt.. Dicey uses her money to open a boat shop. When she tries to build her own boat, she ends up in situations she never imagined.
Shadow in the north / Philip Pullman. Sally's business causes a client to lose money. She tries to find out why and is drawn into a complex plot.
All ages
King Midas / retold by Neil Philip ; illustrated by Isabelle Brent. This book is based on the Greek legend of King Midas. King Midas was a greedy king who wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He got his wish, but found out that some things are more precious than gold.
The gift of the Magi / O. Henry ; illustrated by Carol Heyer. This is a classic tale of love, giving and sacrifice.
The giving tree / by Shel Silverstein. This is a sensitive tale of giving (and taking) until there is no more to give — or so it seems.
The treasure / Uri Shulevitz. This story is based on an old Hebrew folk tale. Follow Isaac as his dreams lead him on a treasure hunt in the city. He finds no treasure until he returns home.
List created by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and adapted for the Durham County Library.
