Give, Save, Spend with the Three Little Pigs

by Clint Greenleaf

The Big Bad Wolf is back, and he’s blowing down houses in the forest, one by one. The Three Little Pigs hatch a plan to help other animals weather the wolf’s mighty lungs. They start a building company, offering strong homes built of brick, just like theirs.

Demand is high for the brick homes the Pigs build, and their business becomes a success. Now they need to figure out what they should do with their hard-earned profits.

One little Pig wants to spend away, another wants to give it away, and the third wants to save it. Based on the give-save-spend-concept, this sequel to the classic fairy tale teaches kids a safe and practical approach to managing money.

Schools don’t teach basic finance, and most books about money are too confusing for younger children. An entertaining first step in any child’s education, Give, Save, Spend with the Three Little Pigs is easy to read and understand.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2014

About the author

As the founder and CEO of multiple businesses, Clint has worked in the publishing and content space, the consumer packaged good industry and in financial services. By playing the Long Game he has built a career of building businesses. He started, built, and sold three companies in three different industries.

Clint is the author of three books, a professional speaker, a regular TV guest, and his articles have appeared in publications such as American Express OPEN, Inc.com, CNN Money, and The Huffington Post. He is actively involved in numerous business organizations in his community and across the world; and he sits on several Boards of Directors, including DRG, Zilker Media and Keystone Bank in Austin, Texas.

For more information, visit www.ClintGreenleaf.com

Reviews

[Indie Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I received this book. I didn't know if it would be any good or not. However, it is very good for kids who are at least age 4+. Kids under the age of 4 just aren't ready for this. I read it to both my 4 year old and my 2 year old (at the same time) and my 4 year old understood it and really enjoyed it, and he wanted to start all different kinds of piggy banks, but my 2 year old just focused on the pigs and the wolf, and didn't really care about the lesson in the book. For older kids though, I would definitely recommend it.

I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.

[Elizabeth Cottrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful children's book packs some fantastic teaching into a highly engaging story without being boring or preachy. Inspired by his own three young children, the author, Clint Greenleaf, researched everything he could find on research and writing about teaching children how to handle money. When he found an alarming paucity of information, he decided to do something about it, writing both a primer for parents called "BEYOND THE PIGGY BANK: A Simple Plan for Raising Financially Capable Children," as well as this charming companion book for children.

Basing the story on the already-familiar one of the three little pigs, the author and his talented illustrator Paul Wilson have woven a simple tale that can go a long way towards helping very young children understand the basics of earning, saving, and helping those less fortunate. It allows parents and grandparents to begin a conversation and some teaching that will expand as children get older. Highly recommended!

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool and unique take on a very familiar story!

I did not quite know what to expect when I began reading this book, but I must say that I was absolutely thrilled by the author's creativity. I thought that he did a magnificent job of presenting the concepts of giving, saving and spending. These lessons are important for any of us to learn and why not begin those lessons in the early years.

I cannot wait to share this book with my little ones. More than that, I cannot wait to begin our "give, save, spend" program...piggy banks and all.

The inclusion of the glossary and parents' guide was very much appreciated.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The words I have expressed are my own.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great book to teach young readers about the responsibility of earning money. It happened to come at a very good time in our house as our 6 year old has just started to earn some pocket money each week. The lesson is told through the continuation of the 3 Little Pigs story, which of course the kids recognized right away. Using that story as a jumping off point helps the kids to relate to it much more than I think they would have to a new story line.

I agree with the author's idea of teaching kids that money should be used for all three (spend, save, and giving) so I was particularly pleased with this book. I should mention that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads, but in no way did that affect my review. Thank you for reading my review.

[Shawna Briseno · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley:
It's really difficult to find high-quality and engaging books about economics that are suitable for young elementary students. I struggle with this every year when we cover economics in second grade. Most of the ones I'm able to find are too complex for a seven-year-old. This one fits the bill perfectly! Building on the familiar story of The Three Little Pigs, the story uses a cast of animal characters to introduce the concepts of saving up for big purchase, putting money away for emergencies, and using banks to save money. This one is going on my shelf for sure!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads First Reads giveaways.

My kids were very happy when the book arrived and quickly went through all the pages and illustrations. I really liked the way the author added something positive and important to this fable. Both my kids, 7 and 5, understood what the story was about. It is really important to explain to kids how they can manage money so they have an idea that it is not only to spend it in everything they want, but they can also save and give away a little of it.

I also think the lenght of the story is good, because they were very excited about what was coming next in the story...

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free from a Goodreads giveaway. I was quite excited to get this because my children are getting old enough to keep track of money and figure out how they want to use their money.

I think that Clint Greenleaf did a wonderful job writing a story that was fun and interesting for children, but also shows a good way to use the money you have to benefit others, to buy things now, and to save for the future. My children really enjoyed the book and asked if they could go get their money and section it into savings, donations and spending.

[Amy Alvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book, but a little young for my students (5th/6th). I think that it would work nicely for grades 1-3. It teaches the children that when they get money that they will need to make a budget and decide how to spend it. The illustrations are beautiful and very well done. If I taught a younger grade, I would definitely be using this book in my classroom.

Thanks go to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for a free digital copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

[Janine Brouillette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story to introduce financial literacy to small children and elementary classrooms. He takes a familiar story and characters such as the three little pigs and shows how money can be saved and given. I could see where we could have a good family night at the school. Meet with the parents and discuss financial literacy in the home and resources and then give each one a copy of this book to provide home-based follow-up activities with their children.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter enjoyed this book, though it was definitely geared below her reading level. It's a very clever lesson in profits and money management with a 3 Little Pigs theme. I think the theme made it possible to simplify the concepts quite well. He should try one for fractions :).

I received a free copy from NetGalley.com.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book for children that are at least 5 years of age. Younger than that, they may not understand. This was a great way to introduce financial ethics with characters that are familiar and loved. This presented a great message and story with wonderfully appealing art. I rated this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clever book taking a familiar fairy tale and turning it into something educational. The Big Bad Wolf is harassing all of the animals by blowing their houses down. The Three Little Pigs have found success with their brick house, so other animals want one also. The enterprising pigs start a business and rake in the money. But what to do with all of that extra cash? Each one has a different idea. One wants to spend it on fun things. One wants to give it away to help others. And one wants to save for a rainy day or emergencies. The best thing to do is all three!

So this is a fun way to introduce that concept to kids, about spending some, using some to help others, and saving some for when you really need it. It's a fun story and has the educational piece that will appeal to young readers. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for fulfilling my request for a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given in exchange for an honest review:

Give, Save, Spend with the Three Little Pigs was a good story in the manner that it retold the ending of classic story of the Three Little Pigs. Instead of the brothers just living together, they were turned into entreprenuers building brick houses for all the animals in the forest who was bullied by the wolf. They were able to turn a profit, and they all had different ideas as in what to do with the money. So the conclusion that they came up with was to reinvest, save, and give, and spend on non essentials.

My boys 6-8 asked questions, some because they didn't know what the word meant and others as to it pertained to the ideas of how much should be donated to each catergory. In those regards it was a good book because it opened up discussion. The cons were that the words were too small and you couldn't enlarge it on the Kindle. Also, it was hard to read because the pages wouldn't change when I would slide my finger across the Kindle. I had to physically move the pages at the bottom of the sliding numerical scale at the bottom of the Kindle and that is not an exact science. It made it a longer read than was necessary.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Using the classic folk tale of the Three Little Pigs as background, this story shows the pigs after they have made it to safety in the brick house. Other animals also want houses that will be safe from the wolf, so the pigs begin a business building brick homes. The author uses the pigs' discussion of what to do with their profits to illustrate what people generally do with their money - give, save, or spend it. Each pig wants to do something different; one wants to take a vacation, another wants to help out other animals, the third wants to save in case of future needs. As they talk it over, they decide they can do all three things and set up a system to do so.

It is a simple way to introduce children to the idea of financial planning and responsibility. There are suggestions for parents in the back of the book.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Ham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a copy from NetGalley.
As far as story, it was uninspired and preachy, but I liked what it was trying to teach kids and I loved the illustrations.