The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking

by Martin Jenkins, Satoshi Kitamura (Illustrator)

Overview

With clarity and humor, Martin Jenkins and Satoshi Kitamura take readers on a fascinating tour of the history of money.

What can take the form of a stone with a hole in the middle, a string of shells, a piece of paper, or a plastic card? The answer is money, of course. But when did we start using it? And why? What does money have to do with writing? And how do taxes and interest work? From the Stone Age to modern banking, this lighthearted and engaging account traces the history of the stuff that makes the world go round.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763667634
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	662,648
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1160L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Martin Jenkins is the author of several nonfiction books for young readers, including The Time Book,illustrated by Richard Holland, and The Emperor’s Egg, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Martin Jenkins lives in Cambridge, England.

Satoshi Kitamura has won several awards, including the Mother Goose Award, the National Art Library Award from the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a Nestle Children’s Book Prize Silver Medal. He lives in Japan.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2014
Gr 4–6—This book takes readers on an engaging exploration of the history of money. The journey starts in the Stone Age (Chapter One: "In Which Nobody Has Any Money") and concludes in the Digital Age (Chapter Sixteen: "In Which We Discover That Even When Money Doesn't Disappear, You Still Can't Pin It Down"). Brief chapters feature an easy-to-follow narrative, complemented by Kitamura's gentle, cartoonlike watercolors. The author touches on examples of currency that include shells, clay tokens, clay tablet IOUs, bullion, precious metals, coins, and paper bank notes. He introduces economic concepts, such as taxes, interest, exchange rates, and hyperinflation. Jenkins also incorporates interesting tidbits, such as the fact that in 1946 the value of the Hungarian pengö plummeted nearly hourly. This book encourages critical thinking about the concept of money, the different forms of currency, and concerns about the importance placed on money. For lower grades, David A. Adler's Money Madness (Holiday House, 2009) introduces the history of trade, early forms, and contemporary types of currency.—June Shimonishi, Torrance Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2014-06-25
A snappy course in the evolution of exchange.Jenkins is thorough but not so thorough as to make the dismal science dismal to his readers. He offers lively explanations for barter, then refinements on the bartering system and the moment when parties agreed upon a medium of exchange: wampum, gemstones—and gold, in all its luster, its malleability, its exquisiteness. From there, he takes readers to weights and measures; banks, black markets and usury; interest earned and interest paid; inflation and deflation; crashes and runs on banks. Maybe because there has been enough already, Jenkins steers clear of loan-sharking and what happens when you can't pay your debt. It's all related in a simple, colloquial style that will keep readers engaged: "Wouldn't it be handy if you could swap your goat for something easy to keep and carry around and that everybody wanted?" The text is urged along by the fine illustrations of Kitamura, which sometimes hint at the old Johnny Hart comic strip "B.C.," with its touch of subversive humor. Jenkins closes with a caution: "[T]here's a danger that you start believing that buying and selling are the only important things in life"—how many economics textbooks include that?A thoughtful and entertaining story of how we got from trading a pig for a sack of rye to "Chapter Fifteen: In which we discover how easy it is for money to disappear." (author's note, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

This book takes readers on an engaging exploration of the history of money. ... Brief chapters feature an easy-to-follow narrative, complemented by Kitamura’s gentle, cartoonlike watercolors. ... This book encourages critical thinking about the concept of money, the different forms of currency, and concerns about the importance placed on money.
—School Library Journal

A snappy course in the evolution of exchange. [Jenkins] offers lively explanations... It’s all related in a simple, colloquial style that will keep readers engaged... The text is urged along by the fine illustrations of Kitamura, which sometimes hint at the old Johnny Hart comic strip “B.C.,” with its touch of subversive humor. ... A thoughtful and entertaining story of how we got from trading a pig for a sack of rye to “Chapter Fifteen: In which we discover how easy it is for money to disappear.”
—Kirkus Reviews

An engaging story it is thanks to Jenkins’s clear, easy-to-read text. ... Jenkins succeeds in presenting challenging ideas, each following naturally from the one before, and includes helpful back matter (an author’s note, bibliography, and an index). Kitamura’s tidy watercolors (spot art and panel illustrations) add humor and help illustrate the concepts. This is not a book for a quick report, but the open format, approachable typeface, and plethora of illustrations make it one a student can read in a single sitting without feeling overwhelmed.
—Horn Book

This is not your standard children’s review of the historical shift from barter to currency, with emphasis on exotic media for trade, culminating in our own paper and coinage. Instead, this is a post-2008 financial meltdown essay, broken into short, lively chapters tinged with tart humor, that walks kids through development of money and money-lending. ... A spacious layout and Kitamura’s delightful cartoon vignettes make the dense topics of taxation, interest, and inflation, and international currency valuation less daunting.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This cleverly designed picture book uses just the right balance of information and explanation to guide students through both the global history of currency and the application of market pressures on exchange methods. ... Of particular note is the cogent and accessible way Kitamura’s cartoonish drawings help illustrate Jenkins’ discussions of money’s symbolic worth and the ways accounting led to the development of written language. Jenkins’ straightforward, breezy tone and simple examples help make a confounding topic just a little clearer.
—Booklist

A rich and interesting perspective. ... Anyone who thinks financial discussions cure insomnia will be set straight by this quirky but reasoned book.
—Virginian-Pilot

"The History of Money" is a terrific resource for elementary school children. It is fun and informative—the perfect combination.
—Asheville Citizen-Times (syndicated from Jennifer Prince)

From the Publisher