'Cash, Credit Cards, or Checks'   

[MARCH 29, 2006]  ^"Cash Credit Cards, or Checks," written by Nancy Loewen, illustrated by Brad Fitzpatrick, Picture Window Books, 24 pages, ages 7-10

Review by
Louella Moreland

My grandparents had two simple forms of paying for services and goods: cash and barter. Credit at the local stores consisted of a paper record of purchases and payments. The following generations added the forms of checks and credit cards. Store credit without a card became a thing of the past.

Now, many parents may be at a loss when trying to explain the various forms of paying for items, including the differences between credit cards and debit cards, which look alike to smaller children. Our modern world, while making payments quicker and more convenient, has increased the responsibilities of handling our money wisely. The economic education of future generations has become more complicated. The need has become greater.

Ms. Loewen, in her book "Cash, Credit Cards, or Checks: A Book About Payment Methods," gives us an excellent tool in beginning this process. She has taken a rather dry subject and written a story to which children can easily relate. In her book, a father with two children spends a day shopping for the start of school. They purchase clothes, shoes, backpacks, school supplies and games, using a variety of payment methods. Checkbooks, credit cards, debit cards, store cards, automatic tellers and even cash are covered in the story. The author explains further about where the actual money comes from to make payments, as well as the purpose for using certain methods for certain purchases. As a parent myself, I like the extra step included: how to budget for items we wish to purchase.

An appendix with diagrams, glossary, index and other reference materials is included in the back of the book.

Brad Fitzpatrick's cartoonlike illustrations add to the fun of the story. Simple shadows make up the backgrounds, while bright-colored cartoons show off the importance in each spread. Big eyes, bright colors and expressive faces are delightful to look at as well as helpful in clarifying the text. A pink pig with half-glasses appears throughout the book to explain terminology so that the explanations do not distract from the story line.

From the green endpapers to the exhausted father sitting on a mall bench, "Cash, Credit Cards, or Checks" should hold a child's interest to introduce these important concepts. Ms. Loewen and Mr. Fitzpatrick have tackled a big project with this book, and we are rewarded with the product.

For this book and others on topics of economics for children, come visit us at the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin St.

[Louella Moreland, youth services librarian, Lincoln Public Library District]

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