Disaster has struck Pretty Penny’s home!
Her grandmother’s basement has flooded and Grandma doesn’t have money left in her house repair budget. Penny is determined to pitch in to earn some money to help Grandma pay for the needed repairs.
With the help of her pet pig Iggy (who I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be a real pet or a stuffed animal) Penny makes jewelry to sell in her shop.
While reading Pretty Penny Makes Ends Meet, it was pretty obvious that Penny must be a part of a series of books due to the lack of explanation about her jewelry making habits or the fact that she has her own shop!
Upon investigation I found out that Devon Kinch has written several other Pretty Penny books, including Pretty Penny Sets Up Shop and Pretty Penny Comes Up Short.
All of the Pretty Penny books are designed to tell as story that teaches children how to have a positive relationship with money. Mrs. Kinch has a daughter herself and writes books for children with the belief that children can avoid financial problems in the future by learning about money now.
In Pretty Penny Makes End Meet, Penny learns about working to earn money, and the difference between the money earned from sales and the total money earned (the latter being how much was earned minus the amount spent on supplies, etc.)
Apart from the pet pig confusion (is he real or stuffed?) I was also confused at why Penny calls her grandmother Bunny, and the story offered no explanation. I guess I’ll just have to accept Bunny as a nickname for grandma.
Overall this was a story that my children and I enjoyed reading together, although my children (ages 3 and 5) were a little young to completely grasp the money message of the story.
I think it would be fun for young elementary age children who are doing work problems in school to read because they would see the math application readily throughout the story.
Pretty Penny Makes Ends Meet
by Devon Kinch
Price: on amazon.com for $13.25
http://www.randomhousekids.com/books/detail/202870-pretty-penny-makes-ends-meet
| Easy to Read | 4 |
| Quality of Illustrations |
4 |
| Appealed to Both Boys and Girls |
3 |
| Kept My Children’s Interest |
4 |
| I Would Purchase this for My Family |
yes |
| I Would Purchase this as a Gift |
yes |
| Overall Rating |
4 |
All ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Meet the Reviewer!
Janice Richardson is an elementary
school teacher turned stay-at-home
mom of three energetic little ones,
ages 5, 3 and 1. She enjoys
playing with her family, being outdoors,
and eating chocolate.Janice runs an etsy
shop, www.etsy.com/shop/feltyfun,
where she makes and sells preschool
activities made from felt.One of her
goals is to someday visit each of the
50 states and each continent.
