Written by Martin Jenkins; Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Candlewick Press. 2014
ISBN: 9780763667634
Grades 7-12
I borrowed a copy of this book from my local public library to write this review.
The History of Money is a great introduction to the history
of how we came to use money as our means of buying and selling goods. Using a
very informal style, Jenkins' (The Emperor's Egg) tome takes readers from the days of bartering up to the evolution of buying and selling using coins to paper
money. He does an excellent job explaining inflation and how banks work.
Accompanying the content are the colorful cartoon drawings
by Satoshi Kitamura. They offer that important visual element that helps readers comprehend
the text.
Perhaps in the end the
most important fact about money—and the hardest thing to understand about it—is
that it exists only because people believe in it. It’s not a physical
thing—even though that’s how we tend to think of it, as banknotes and coins, or
cash.
The History of Money may look like an informational book for
elementary grades, yet the content would find an audience in middle and high school
as well.
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