Consumer Sense

April 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Although these topics are critical to students' education, the matter-of-fact presentations do little to capture their interest. The writing is clear with just a few paragraphs per page. The layout is well organized with bright colors, captioned photographs, and additional facts in text boxes. Consumer Sense covers the basics of consumerism, including needs versus wants, consumer rights, and peer pressure. Currency discusses the history of currency, from the bartering system to present-day minting and printing of money. Managing Money is about earning and saving money, and how to spend wisely to create wealth. Money System includes information about the economy, banks, imports and exports, and investment funds. Managing Money has a quote from "Benjamin Franklin, former U. S. president"-a surprising error. Solid introductions, but don't expect students to engage with the material.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2012
Grades 3-5 The four books in the Money Sense series take on the hot topics of personal and global finance in a reader-friendly way. The books provide basic information, define key terms, offer practical advice, and add apt quotations in a variety of features and sidebars. Consumer Sense introduces the ideas of needs and wants, consumer rights and responsibilities, common advertising techniques and their effects, value, smart shopping, and sustainability. The inclusion of peer pressure in this context, however, seems slightly out of place. The page layout is busy but engaging. Stock photos add color but not much else. Overall, these books offer a fun way for elementary readers to increase their financial literacy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)