Neale S. Godfrey's Ultimate Kids' Money Book

by Neale S. Godfrey

Money-- you know all about it. Or do you? Is credit always a good idea?

How risky are various investments?

Do you know where stones that are twelve feet across and weigh more than 500 pounds are used as money?

How do banks keep track of everyone's money?

In this comprehensive guide, renowned financial expert Neale S. Godfrey reveals everything you need to know about money, including how to earn it, save it, spend it, and share it. In an engaging text, filled with energetic illustrations, photographs, charts, and diagrams, she provides a history of money, as well as a look at currency throughout the world. She also explains such topics as credit, checks, and electronic banking-- and relates them all to a young reader's world.

From a piggy bank to the Federal Reserve Bank, Neale S. Godfrey makes you think about money in a whole new way.

Genres: Childrens, Nonfiction, Economics, Money

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Neale started her career at The Chase Manhattan Bank, in 1972 and became one of the first female bankers in the industry. She than became President of The First Women’s Bank. While there, she noticed that her own small children thought “money grew on trees” and she then looked for books to teach them about money. There were none. So, Neale opened up a real bank for kids at FAO Schwarz in New York City and worked as a founding member to open up the Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship, in Harlem teaching underserved kids how to start a business. Both were a huge success.

The next step was to start writing books for kids and their parents to teach them to become money savvy. But since it wasn’t a topic that existed, the publishing companies were not willing to take a risk. So, Neale marshaled a leverage buy-out of a publishing company under the proviso that they would publish her first book. They did (of course, she was Chairman of the Board, so it wasn’t a stretch!). Neale created the Green$treets kids cartoon characters in order to entertain and educate kids. That first book, The Kids’ Money Book, was a success and that paved the way for Simon & Schuster to sign her up for her first adult book. With help from Oprah (Neale has appeared 13 times on Oprah), Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees: A Parent’s Guide To Raising Financially Responsible Children, soared to #1 on The New York Times, Best Seller’s List.

Today Neale has 26 books and financial literacy and ecological lessons for pre-school through high school. Neale reaches app. 2,000,000 parents and their kids via her programs. She is proud to be working with about 200,000 youth of military personnel, 110,000 youth of the National Urban League, 25,000 youth in the YWCA, and countless others. Neale also has STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs via the ECO-Effect™: The Greening of Money, book and web site. Visit www.ECO-Effect.net to teach your kids to save money and resources…and plant trees!!

Neale sits on the Board of the US Committee for UN Women. She has been honored with such awards as: “Woman of the Year”, “Banker of the Year”, “Child Advocate of the Year”, 50 Best Women in Business. She is also proud to assist our Wounded Warriors and their families and Vets, who have served our country through: EBV – Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, V-Wise – Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, Give-An-Hour and the Community Blueprint. She is a member of YPO/WPO and is the proud mother of two amazing children and 2 even more amazing grandchildren.

Reviews

[Dean Ryan Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Every single day of your life you are dealing with money. Understanding money is a life skill (page 118)."

AUTHOR'S WRITING STYLE: 5 stars!!! Yey: It is written for kids in a question and answer format. The sentences are short, simple and is supported by colored illustrations in each page. Each sentence either uses a simple present or simple past. That's why; it is easy to understand. It is not filled with commas too. The font sizes are large. The illustrations are friendly animals such as dogs and rabbit. Therefore, you are fully entertained while finishing all 125 pages in an hour or two. Nay: Send me a message if you found one. Let us discuss.

SUBSTANCE AND QUALITY: 4 stars!!! Yey: The book is divided into seven parts. First is the beginning of money. Second is the money in United States. Third is all about banking. Fourth is about the credit card. Fifth is about the fundamentals of economy. Sixth is about the stock market. The last part is about you and what what you can do with your money. Will you start a business? Or, will you donate to a charity?

Nay It is wrong of me to expect the gray areas of life when this book is made for children. The year as of this writing is 2022. Money has evolved in a lot more ways. The controversy behind money printing and the rise of Bitcoin and central bank digital currencies are found on other platforms such as YouTube.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had an old outdated version, before debit cards, but the boys were super interested in this book, more so than I thought a boy would be interested in stocks and bonds. The history of money was the most interesting. If you found an updated version, I'd recommend picking it up.

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really thorough: it begins with the history of money; details money in America; covers making, spending, and saving money; and goes into banks, savings and checking accounts, credit, taxes, and investments. There's also a chapter on general economic purposes.

I found things in this book I had never known before, so for me, it was an interesting read. However, I think it's just too long and jam-packed to hold kids' interest. I think there's a bit of a mismatch with the intended audience and the principles being discussed. The author certainly does her best to keep the language and pictures to an upper elementary/middle school grade audience, but some of the subject matter seems just too difficult - and unnecessary - to explain to that age level. I think some genuine comedy or enthusiasm would be nice; it's pretty textbook-y. The other caution I have about this book is it's starting to be fairly dated - it was written in the mid '90s so some things, like how money is transferred and what jobs kids could have someday, are not really accurate anymore. That said, the foundational stuff is all still relevant.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old copyright but good basic information; I read several sections but not the whole book; I could use some parts with cool facts in my economics lessons for fourth grade

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with interesting facts, including the history of money back to the time of bartering. The text is laid out with sidebars and boxes, each with a heading. It would be easy to skim and skip, just gleaning the facts of current interest. Along with information, each chapter ends with suggestions for projects or further exploration. Also included are word banks and some thought provoking questions to consider in a sidebar entitled, "A Penny for Your Thoughts". To add entertainment value and humor, a boy and his dog often appear in artwork with clever and amusing captions. Overall this book has many strengths: easy to access information, attractive format, and an interactive style.

[Kelsey]

i think it is a good book because it gave me a few ideas and then i started my own kids business so thanks for writing this book