One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent: All About Money: All About Money

The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library

by Bonnie Worth

THE CAT IN the Hat puts to rest any notion that money grows on trees in this super simple look at numismatics, the study of money and its history. Beginning with the ancient practice of bartering, the Cat explains various forms of money used in different cultures, from shells, feathers, leather, and jade to metal ingots to coins (including the smallest—the BB-like Indian fanam—and the largest—the 8-foot-wide, ship-sinking limestone ones from the Islands of Yap!), to the current king of currency, paper. Also included is a look at banking, from the use of temples as the first banks to the concept of gaining or paying interest, and a step-by-step guide to minting coins. A fascinating introduction is bound to change young reader’s appreciation for change!

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Money, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, 1st Grade

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

BONNIE WORTH is the author of countless books for young readers, among them the Cat in the Hat Learning Library books If I Ran the Rain Forest, HarK! A Shark!, Oh Say Can You Seed? (winner of the 2003 Ohio Farm Bureau Award), Wish for a Fish, Oh Say Can You Say Di-No-Saur?, Would You Rather Be a Pollywog?, Ice Is Nice!, and Safari, So Good!

Reviews

[Jackson]

Genre – nonfiction
Awards – None
Source – Public book shop
Audience – 5-8 year old
Questions –
• The topic of this book is the history of money, bartering and how the first banks were formed.
• The topic is presented in an easy to understand, child friendly way. The books itself is styled as a picture book as a main character narrates the information to two minor characters.
• While child friendly the book supplies factual accuracy on the subject, giving the information at an easy to understand level as well as avoiding theories and stereotypes. Each piece of information is generalized as it is aimed towards younger audiences.
• In the classroom this can be a great read aloud to students beginning to learn money managing and government.

[Tylah Nance]

One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent by Dr. Seuss is an educational illustrated book that imparts knowledge to children regarding the historical background and fundamental principles of currency. This book covers the adventures of the Cat in the Hat as he guides readers through a creative exploration of the historical use of various things, such as shells, feathers, and metals, as mediums of exchange in different societies. The voyage culminates in an examination of modern-day currency in the form of coins and paper money. I would rate "One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent" with 4 stars. As a part of the popular Beginner Book series, this book effectively presents the potentially dull subject of money in a way that is easy to understand and interesting for young readers. It achieves this by using Dr. Seuss's distinctive and amusing rhymes and drawings. The Cat in the Hat serves as an ideal mentor to effectively and engagingly elucidate economic principles such as bartering, the attributes of currency, and the history of money. Although lacking in detailed analysis, the book excels in its capacity to instill financial literacy by utilizing the imaginative and beloved Seussian universe that children are familiar with. It transforms the process of acquiring knowledge about coins, bills, and the functions of money into an entertaining and engaging journey. The successful combination of genuine numismatic information with the Cat's comical behavior is a winning mix. Certain parents may perceive the book's conciseness as constraining in regards to its instructional depth. One Cent, Two Cents does a commendable job as an introduction primer on money ideas for novice readers. It facilitates more financial conversations while delivering an enjoyable and unforgettable reading experience in the timeless Seuss fashion. An excellent option for stimulating children's interest in economics and numismatics.

[Kianna Fullerton]

Dr.Suess is always so entertaining! Suess illustrations are always so wacky, colorful, and clean to engage the young audience. This story helps show students where money comes from. This story would be great when introducing students to the concept of money. Although, this book focuses on the history of money rather than money's overall value. Nevertheless, this book is wonderful!

[Audrey Widjaja]

Here comes again Thing 1 and Thing 2. I love new knowledge from this book, Kingdom of Lydia, cowries shaped money in China, the islands of Yap, wampum (oh i've seen these in my country!), numismatist - coins collector, and ingots.

[Westin Hankins]

This story is a fun informative way of telling students about where our money comes from. What was interesting is this breaks it down all the way to understanding how the U.S. Mint works. This is a great book to use for teaching younger ages about the concept and history of money.

[yeakmeow]

2.5 stars

[Melanie Hawkins]

Very Good

[Sir Readalot]

I save my money. I liked how it said maybe 1ooo dollars will have the cat in the hat on it.

[Mat Rueter]

Always read and counting coins and learning can be fun. He learned about money!

[Grace]

Fun rhyming way to learn about origin of money and teach kids.

[Magali Nettavong]

Great book to introduce how money came to be what we know it today!

[Isaiah Spade]

Adam Smith eat your heart out.

[Alex]

I enjoyed this book because I like money. I also enjoyed this book because this book had a lot of money in it.

[Kathryn Sublett]

Students will get excited to learn about money with this book by Dr. Seuss. Teachers could hand out real money and an object with a price label (up to one dollar) to each student. Students will have the opportunity to buy things from one another and provide the equivalent coins to make a purchase. This activity would be appropriate for students in first grade.

[Margaret Chind]

5/10/14. This was a fun short little read. Good for a social studies add on to starting the concept of math and money in our schoolwork. It covers the paper money but only the penny, no nickels, dimes, or quarters and I felt that was very strange as that's what I wanted us to read about and experience most. Hmm oh well.

[Shelli]

Very informative book for kids and adults alike about currency, current and past. I'm sure anyone reading this book will learn something new about how the coin has evolved over the years. Could even be used by young students to do a book report about the topic.

[Brogan Todd]

Bonnie Worth's book described the units of money and the differences around the world through a creative and silly manner. The cat in the hat and his things traveled and discovered the importance of money.

[La-Shanda]

One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent is a good book to teach children about money. I enjoy books that are a part of the Cat In The Hat books series. Not only will the reader enjoy a walk through the featured money museum, this is great for the Dr. Seuss Read Across America activity.

[Kathy]

Just an FYI, it is more about the history of money than about modern money.

[Audrey Harlan]

This is a great, fun book to use when talking about money. The book gives a brief history of other cultures and money and there are plenty of rhyming words.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K]

This was a great teaching tool. I would recommend it as a fun, kid-friendly resource for home and/or school settings. I secured a copy of this book from my local library.

[Aaron]

Good for little kids.
Was looking for a higher level intro to kids and money, all aspects.

[Odine]

I have never seen or read this book...until now...in a money museum!

[K Morlando]

Absolutely love this book, such a valuable resource to start our unit on Money!

[Aneesa]

7yo said she didn't learn anything from this. It mentions the interest you get from your savings account because "it's your due," without explaining what the bank is doing with your money.

[Angie]

Synopsis: "THE CAT IN the Hat puts to rest any notion that money grows on trees in this super simple look at numismatics, the study of money and its history. Beginning with the ancient practice of bartering, the Cat explains various forms of money used in different cultures, from shells, feathers, leather, and jade to metal ingots to coins (including the smallest—the BB-like Indian fanam—and the largest—the 8-foot-wide, ship-sinking limestone ones from the Islands of Yap!), to the current king of currency, paper. Also included is a look at banking, from the use of temples as the first banks to the concept of gaining or paying interest, and a step-by-step guide to minting coins. A fascinating introduction is bound to change young reader’s appreciation for change!"

My Review: I picked this book up for Munchkin to try to help teach him a little bit about money and saving it. Unfortunately, this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. While I do appreciate a good non-fiction book for kids, this one took it a little too in-depth for really young readers. The pages were long and there was a lot of information that will bore children. The rhymes are very creative though and make things a little more fun. This would be a better book for a classroom or if your child is really into money and different types, not so much if you are just trying to get the basics across to them.

[Paige]

Who knew learning about money could be so fun? Cat in the Hat explains money in a very kid friendly way with rhyming and jokes. Cat in the Hat starts by explain that money did not always exist and that way back when people had to trade things between each other for things they needed. Then money was invented but it did not look like the money now, seashells, feather, eggs, and leather were all used to make money. All these ways of money did not hold up, eggs would scramble, and leather got dirty. So people started mining and they melted copper, silver, and gold into ingots, which were hauled around for trade. Then in Lydia, they began making coins out of the different metals and then many other countries started to make coins too. Then Cat in the Hat explained how money is made in a mint and all the different steps metal goes through before becoming a coins. Then dollars and coins became our currency when we became the United States. Many of the nation’s father are stamped on our money.

I gave this book a 5-star rating because it was such a fun read and I know children would love to listen to someone read them this book or even read it for themselves. The book was written in a fun way, it used rhyme and meter to make the story catchy and entertaining. A lot of history was taught throughout this book, but many kids might not even know they are learning about history when they read this book because it just so much fun. The language was simple for young children to understand but did have some words that might make it a just enough challenge that children are learning too. The illustrations in this book are bright and funny. The animals had facial expressions and the scenery looked like it was from whoville. I also liked that this book had so much information and history in it that even adults would learn something new when they are reading it to kids. This book will definitely be used in my classroom and probably used to start off the money lesson in math!