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55th out of 136 books
—
554 voters
The Money We'll Save
by
Brock Cole
One of Horn Book’s Best Picture Books of 2011
When Pa brings a turkey poult home to fatten for Christmas dinner, he assures Ma that it will be no trouble since it can live in a box by the stove andeat table scraps--and just think of the money we'll save! But it's not quite so simple to raise a turkey in a tinyflatin a nineteenth-century New York City tenement. Can Pa and th...more
When Pa brings a turkey poult home to fatten for Christmas dinner, he assures Ma that it will be no trouble since it can live in a box by the stove andeat table scraps--and just think of the money we'll save! But it's not quite so simple to raise a turkey in a tinyflatin a nineteenth-century New York City tenement. Can Pa and th...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 11th 2011
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
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Richie's Picks: THE MONEY WE'LL SAVE by Brock Cole, Farrar Straus Giroux, October 2011, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-374-35011-6
All of the children are constructively engaged in their assigned tasks so...
"So Ma decided to send Pa.
"'Now just buy two eggs and a half pound of flour,' she told him. "'Remember, Christmas is not far off, and we must save every penny.'
"'I'll remember,' said Pa, and he set off with a shopping basket and purse."
Back in the seventies, at a time when many of us became engaged in that...more
All of the children are constructively engaged in their assigned tasks so...
"So Ma decided to send Pa.
"'Now just buy two eggs and a half pound of flour,' she told him. "'Remember, Christmas is not far off, and we must save every penny.'
"'I'll remember,' said Pa, and he set off with a shopping basket and purse."
Back in the seventies, at a time when many of us became engaged in that...more
As time for the holidays are approaching, the family in this picture book set in a nineteenth century New York tenement is trying to pinch pennies so they can have a feast. While running errands for his wife, the father comes home with a young turkey that he plans to raise for their Christmas dinner. It can live in a box by the stove and eat table scraps. But the best laid plans of mice and men don't always work out as they plan, and the turkey essentially takes over the house. Some of the fathe...more
Brock Cole's illustrations can be quite surprising. While his drawings of people are most definitely simple in form, with movement and facial expressions that rate toward the rudimentary end of the spectrum, his rendering of routine scenery is often splendidly detailed and imaginative. A great example of this is the illustrations on the inside covers of The Money We'll Save, of laundry being hung between apartment fire escapes. This may have been a routine sight for apartment dwellers of the ti...more
The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole follows the attempt by Pa to save money for Christmas by bringing home a young turkey to fatten up for Christmas dinner.
Set in a 19th century New York City tenement, this humorous family story finds Pa buying a young turkey when sent out by busy Ma to the market. Fed table scraps, the turkey soon outgrows its box, gets into everything, and makes stinky messes in the apartment. Keeping the turkey on the fire escape or suspending it in a pen don't work. When it'...more
Set in a 19th century New York City tenement, this humorous family story finds Pa buying a young turkey when sent out by busy Ma to the market. Fed table scraps, the turkey soon outgrows its box, gets into everything, and makes stinky messes in the apartment. Keeping the turkey on the fire escape or suspending it in a pen don't work. When it'...more
The book The Money We’ll Save, is about a sweet family who is trying to save every penny for Christmas. The Father thinks that by buying a turkey to fatten up on their own for Christmas dinner will help with saving some of those pennies. Well, Alfred, the turkey, causes some trouble around the apartment complex. It’s a must read to find out what it would be like to live with a turkey, and if the family does end up eating him for Christmas dinner.
I would recommend this book for first through fou...more
I would recommend this book for first through fou...more
Pa brings home a little turkey baby, assuring Ma that this will save the family money in the difficult times of a nineteenth century New York tenement building. But will the turkey save the family money, when he messes up the ironing and steals the baby’s biscuits?
“There were so many complaints and so much extra washing that when Pa and the children caught Alfred there was nothing to do but bring him back into the flat.
‘It’s just for a few days, now,’ Pa explained to Ma. ‘And that idea you had a...more
“There were so many complaints and so much extra washing that when Pa and the children caught Alfred there was nothing to do but bring him back into the flat.
‘It’s just for a few days, now,’ Pa explained to Ma. ‘And that idea you had a...more
The story takes place in 19th century New York. A rather large family is living in an apartment flat. Ma and the children are very busy with chores so Pa is sent out to buy flour and eggs. Christmas is coming up, so Ma reminds him not to spend an extra penny. But as all loyal husbands do...Pa disobeys and buys a young turkey in hopes of saving the family money. The turkey is not favored by their neighborhoods and he soon becomes costly. The family gets creative in finding a solution that pleases...more
I requested this once I saw it was included on an SLJ Newbery prediction post. Yes, they said this was a flyer and would surprise people by its inclusion. Yup, it surprised me. The story is not that original, and I found the illustrations somewhat distracting. It is definitely a departure from The Goats, one of Cole's novels. A family struggles with providing for the family as Christmas approaches. Pa goes to the store for eggs and flour and comes back with a live turkey as well, planning to ser...more
When Pa went to the market, no one expected him to come home with a turkey to fatten up for Christmas dinner. The chaos that ensues as this young family tries to raise a turkey in a small apartment is priceless. Many of the details come out through the illustrations instead of the actual words of the story. Will the family survive? Will they save money? Will they be able to butcher the turkey come Christmas?
Great story that emphasizes family, love, and togetherness at Christmas time, instead of...more
Great story that emphasizes family, love, and togetherness at Christmas time, instead of...more
A clever Christmas story where the mother sends the father to the store to with very specific instructions. The father comes home with the things on the list and...a turkey. He keeps emphasizing the money they will save since they can use it for their Christmas dinner. We laughed at the trouble this silly turkey caused and yet the family was so attached they could not use him for their dinner. Usually children's stories are fairly predictable, but I never would have guessed this ending! Very det...more
When a nineteenth-century New York City tenement family struggling to make ends meet dreams of a wonderful Christmas, Pa takes matters into his own hands and buys a young turkey to grow into their Christmas turkey. He soothes his shocked and somewhat disgruntled wife by telling her to think of the money they would save, fattening up the turkey with table scraps vs. spending all that money on a turkey come Christmas time. But, things go awry as the turkey wreaks havoc around the apartments and go...more
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When Ma is forced to send Pa to the store for eggs and flour, she warns him to just buy those two items. But Pa is talked into purchasing a turkey poult at the market because of the money he’ll save. They plan on having the turkey for Christmas dinner after feeding it on scraps and letting it live in a box by the stove. But their nineteenth century apartment was definitely not designed to raise poultry. Alfred, the turkey, grew and grew and soon started to eat much more than table scraps. The fa...more
Ma sends Pa out to the market to get just two things and comes home with a turkey to save some money for Christmas dinner. Pa says the turkey can live in a box next to the stove. Well, things don't seem to go as planned with the turkey living all over the small apartment and outside the apartment as well. The neighbors aren't happy about the turkey living in the apartment.
I won't give away the ending but this is a silly book with several laugh out loud opportunities.
I won't give away the ending but this is a silly book with several laugh out loud opportunities.
Ma sends Pa out to the market to get just two things and comes home with a turkey to save some money for Christmas dinner. Pa says the turkey can live in a box next to the stove. Well, things don't seem to go as planned with the turkey living all over the small apartment and outside the apartment as well. The neighbors aren't happy about the turkey living in the apartment.
I won't give away the ending but this is a silly book with several laugh out loud opportunities.
I won't give away the ending but this is a silly book with several laugh out loud opportunities.
As usual when Pa is sent to the store for the ingredients for pancakes he picks up something extra a turkey poult. He explains they will save money raising the turkey to be Christmas dinner. He doesn't take into account the fact they are living in a small three room flat and have very little money to feed another mouth. The children in the story name the turkey Alfred and all kinds of turkey problems keep cropping up.
I brought this out at Christmas for a reading. My four-year-old niece listened patiently, but was not into it. I could tell she was bored and not following the story. However, my seven-year-old niece liked it. She didn't laugh out loud or anything, but I think she was amused by it and picked up on the moral. This made the shortlist for SLJ's Mock Newbery blog, so I think my expectations were way too high going in.
Charming and humorous; I liked it, but I'm not sure I see why it's getting so much award buzz. (I should ammend that statement- I could see it for Caldecott. The illustrations are wonderful, and do a great deal to establish the setting and time period... but I'm puzzled over the Newbery buzz.)
Would make a great elementary school read-aloud, in any case!
Would make a great elementary school read-aloud, in any case!
A family is trying to save money for Christmas. So they buy a small turkey and feed it so that it will grow to be nice and big in time for Christmas dinner. Of course even though the family doesn't like the mess and trouble that the turkey brings the kids still don't want to eat the turkey for Christmas dinner.
Not too much surprising or creative, but a nice little story. The appeal of the illustrations is definitely individual - count me on the side that didn't care for how busy and carefree they were. And of course, I'm a mom, and I'm exhausted on her behalf, even though she wisely makes the kids pitch in.
In an attempt to save money for Christmas, Papa buys a young turkey with the intention of fattening it up for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, there isn't really room inside a nineteenth-century tenement flat to raise a turkey. The smell is bad, the noise is bad, and the mess is bad. Papa tries all sorts of remedies--build the bird a pen, move the pen to the fire escape, hang the pen over the alley privies by the clothesline--but every remedy fails, and every remedy costs him more money. The phr...more
Why is it every time someone says "think of The Money We'll Save", they end up spending far more than they ever would have in the first place? A humorous story about a father trying hard to save, yet the turkey poult he brings home just before Christmas day becomes much more than a meal...
Gorgeous illustrations back up a humorous, warm and engaging story. I got a kick out of it too, which is not the case with every children's book. (I think any modern woman who has sent her husband to the store will identify with the plot, as will anyone who has ever raised fowl - and I am both!)
A father buys a young turkey with plans to fatten it up for Christmas and save some money in the process - BUT, of course the turkey makes a huge mess, eats more than planned, and doesn't end up providing much of a feast on Christmas day. Fun story that feels like an old classic.
The story is okay the pictures are not my taste and it is not a book I would recommend. My colleague told me to read this book because she loved it. She said "You have to have animals to appreciate that" I have a fish and I don't plan on eating him anytime soon.
Never send Pa to the market for eggs and flour, you never know what he'll come home with. A fun and frolicsome times ensues as the family deals with Alfred's (the turkey) antics and messes leading up to Christmas Eve when it's time to serve him for dinner.
A course in financial savvyness is something the father of this family may want to look into. Purchasing a turkey a month or more before Christmas to fatten up for Christmas dinner may not be the best way to pinch the families pennies.
I wish this had arrived in time to display before the Christmas holidays. Definitely worth a read aloud next year during a second or third grade library class visit. Although, set at the turn of the century in NYC, I think that the students will appreciate the humor in this story.
This has the feel of a classic Christmas story, and would make a great read aloud. The text is perfectly paced, repetitive in the right places, and engaging. I could see this one becoming an annual favorite.
Great Christmas story. Will offer a break from Santa. Emphasizes the importance of family at Christmas. Surprise ending. Great illustrations. Very detailed
Apr 23, 2012
Sharonta Johnson
added it
This a great book to have in your classroom during the holidays as you recognize all holidays that are celebrated during this season.
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Brock Cole was born a year before the Second World War in a small town in Michigan. Because of his father's work, his family moved frequently, but he never regarded these relocations as a hardship.
"I thought of myself as something of an explorer, even though my explorations never took me very far. I had a deep and intimate acquaintance with woodlots, creeks, lakes, back streets, and alleys all ove...more
More about Brock Cole...
"I thought of myself as something of an explorer, even though my explorations never took me very far. I had a deep and intimate acquaintance with woodlots, creeks, lakes, back streets, and alleys all ove...more
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