Show Me the Money: How to Make Cents of Economics

by Alvin Hall

Money makes the world go round, but how well do children understand finances? Show Me the Money breaks the mold of the school textbook and introduces young readers to the world of economics — from the history of money to e-commerce. Divided into sections that focus on economics, business, personal finance, and the history of trade, Show Me the Money takes technical jargon and breaks it down with easy-to-understand text, diagrams, and illustrations making a formerly dry subject interesting and relevant. Topical questions of ethics are addressed throughout, including free trade, fair trade, debt in the developing world, and the impact of business on the environment. The book also looks at personal finance from saving to pensions, and introduces key thinkers such as Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes, to take a look at the bigger picture of the global economy. Updated to be in tune with today's culture of environmental and social awareness, Show Me the Money is a good investment for young people who want to learn about economics and the world around them.

Genres: Finance, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Daniela Simion · Rating 4 out of 5]

O enciclopedie de educaţie financiară captivantă (mai ales prin efectele vizuale, design-ul acesteia, multitudinea imaginilor), destul de utilă şi, pe alocuri, amuzantă. Mi-a plăcut abordarea! Eu, cel puţin, am învățat mai multe despre termenii economici, precum: antreprenoriat, inflație, piață liberă, diferenţa dintre tarif şi taxă, franciză, filantropie etc. şi de ce banii şi modul în care îi cheltuim ne pot defini.
Eu nu intenționez să studiez Ştiinţe Economice, la universitate, dar cred că educația financiară este vitală. Vrem sau nu, avem de-a face cu banii în fiecare zi şi e primordial să-i putem gestiona corect. Dacă vrem să-i investim, ca să nu stea ,,grămadă la colțun",🧦💰 s-o facem în domeniul pe care-l cunoaştem, ca nu cumva să ne amăgească cineva.
📌 Un alt aspect-cheie e inovaţia şi puterea de a convinge, la cât de lung e drumul către prosperarea afacerii şi încercarea de a negocia cu intermediarii, potențialii finanţatori...
✅ Mai pe scurt, investiţi în dezvoltarea voastră şi citiţi măcar o carte de educație financiară, o să observați efectele şi o să înțelegeți ce se întâmplă cu finanţele personale.
P.S. Eu am citit cartea în limba română: ,,Misterele economiei" de Alvin Hall, editura ,,Litera Internațional".

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book on economics geared towards kids - I'd say the 10-14 range. It is perhaps not organized the way I would do it, but the information is well written - engaging, clear, and accessible for older kids. Graphics are bright and crisp, adding a lot of visual appeal even if they don't always dramatically enhance understanding of the text. A great example of taking a tough topic to understand and bringing it to a kid's level without dumbing it down or making it cutesy.

A couple important things to note: some parts of this book may get dated pretty quickly, especially the page at the end showing the world's richest people or the page regarding the cost of living. Also, the author for the most part is objective as he discusses different economic practices and theories that slide into politics, but he is clearly pro a couple rather benign stances (doesn't favor communism, promotes shopping with a conscience). I like how he included a page entitiled "the best things in life are free", discussing the relationship (and nonrelationship) between money and happiness.

My favorite quote: "Economics isn't really about money! It isn't about what we make or buy, or even what companies, governments, or even entire countries make or buy. It's about people, their feelings, and behavior. And people are the hardest things in the world to understand."

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for young children and early teens to learn the history of money, making money decisions, and economics. Lots of graphics to engage and simplify complicated concepts.

[Lisa Overberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the history of money, the complexities of economics, and the world of business. The overwhelming level of detail becomes manageable through the use of color and groupings in the page layouts. Show Me the Money would be a great book to place on classroom library shelves so interested, sophisticated readers could explore at their own pace. It is a useful resource for financial literacy education.

Genre: Informational
Grade level: 4-8

[Chas Bayfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good, probably aimed at 10 year olds. It is a great potted history of money and how business works - I would have enjoyed it more if there was advice on how to save and make money and how to make wise financial decisions. The books shows making money as all to easy and doesn't point out the pitfalls as much as it perhaps could.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pages are a bit busy. It would have been better to stick to fewer graphic motifs throughout the book. Half the time I can't tell whether to read vertically on one page or both pages. The simplified explanations of concepts are generally good.

[Conrad Toft · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for teaching children about how money works. My 5-year-old wouldn't let me read anything else to her as a bedtime story for over a month. We've now moved on to another in the series: Mathmagicians.

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn't that much help either with teaching economics. Hmmmm... I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Julee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of graphics and illustrations to help explain making "cents" out of economics.

[Sunnyvale Librarian]

Packed with facts, games, cartoons and photos, this book presents the basic concepts of currency and finance in a visually appealing, exciting format.