The Penny Pot (MathStart 3)
Stuart J. Murphy is a hands-on mathematics expert. He travels the world showing kids how math is used in every day life, and shares his fun approach to math through the MathStart Series. The books are effective learning tools and are used by parents and educators alike.
In The Penny Pot, the school fair takes place on a hot Saturday in June —- a perfect day for lapping up ice cream. After buying her cone, Jessie has only 39 cents left and needs 50 cents to have her face painted. Fran thinks that people will donate their leftover change to the penny pot. If Jessie waits, she can have those coins to make up her shortfall.
Throughout the day, children come to have their faces painted and graciously donate extra coins to the penny pot. Life-size U.S. coins illustrate various ways to count 50 cents. Meanwhile, Jessie waits and Chester (Fran's cat) inspires her final face-painting decision.
As a parent and educator I feel that this book is an excellent resource for helping children learn about counting money in a fun and concrete way. My kids enjoyed the book for this purpose, but probably wouldn't choose it for a bedtime story.
Tips
MathStart has been named one of the Top Ten Nonfiction Series for Young Children by Booklist magazine, a publication of the American Library Association.
