Budgeting

Children's Literature - Nancy Garhan Attebury

Children can learn about budgets at a fairly early age when they read this educational and informative book from the "Money" series. The book first defines "budget" in kid-friendly terms, and offers the idea that everyone needs a budget. Some chapters that follow discuss and help readers become interested in earning, spending, debt, setting saving goals, and making a budget. Bright photos show children in different activities that relate to the overall budget theme. Kids can relate to photos of the child who delivers papers, the boy who decides what shoes to buy, the boy who pays for karate lessons and also wants video games, and the child who saves change in a piggy bank. Excellent examples utilize graphics to show wants and needs, allowance as it could be used, and how to draw out an actual budget with income and expenses. If any problem exists with this book, it may be that the "needs" of children spotlighted may seem a bit superficial for some youngsters. For example, some of Zac's "needs" are listed as karate lessons, karate equipment, and entry fees for karate competitions. It is possible that some youngsters exposed to this book may have needs as basic as shoes without holes. This issue could be cleared up with adult help and the book's usefulness outweighs this problem. An end activity helps students make their own budget. This book should be added to math lessons for students in grades two and up.