Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! It’s hard to believe May is just around the corner, though Nashville’s record-breaking heat this month sure does make it seem like it’s almost summer! My daughter only has a month left of kindergarten, which just seems impossible.
Today, I review four books for Financial Literacy Month as well as two excellent new releases.
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Bookish Goods
Anne of Green Gables Wallet by WellReadCompany
I love it when I can find the perfect bookish item for the newsletter’s theme. This one is a little coin wallet based on Anne of Green Gables. $19
New Releases
Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer
This is such a fun Jewish picture book retelling the legend “The Rabbi Loew and His Golem.” A rabbi’s son, Abi, has a tendency to get into trouble. He takes a bagel from a store without paying, he says a bad word in Hebrew school, and, worst of all, he takes an old scroll from the synagogue’s basement to practice his Hebrew at home. As he chants and sings the words on the scroll again and again, something rather terrible happens — he calls ten golems to his house! He serves them kindly as strangers and learns they need to help him with something. He enlists their help with Hebrew. This is a really charming and fun read. Yolen describes the original legend that inspired the book at the end.
The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan
I love all the themed middle grade anthologies that have been released lately. These 11 interconnected short stories center South Asian American experiences at a community center in the fictional town of Maple Grove, New Jersey. Authors include Aisha Saeed, Rajani LaRocca, Veera Hiranandani, Mitali Perkins, and more. It’s a delightful anthology.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Did you know April is National Financial Literacy Month? I thought I would round up four newer children’s books that address financial literacy.
Rebel Girls Money Matters: A Guide to Saving, Spending, and Everything in Between by Alexa von Tobel, illustrated by Morgan Goble
I love the Rebel Girls series, and their newest middle grade release is a nonfiction that addresses financial literacy. Alexa von Tobel, who is the founder and CEO of LearnVest.com, a personal finance website, addresses a range of topics: savings accounts, starting a business, budgeting, credit cards, and more. The illustrations and short chapters make this really accessible and a great conversation starter, too. I needed this as a kid!
Gigi Shin Is Not a Nerd by Lyla Lee
This is the first book in a new middle grade series about a young artist who decides to start her own business. Gigi wants to raise money to go to an art summer camp, but her immigrant parents can’t afford it, and she doesn’t think they would approve. They want her to focus more on her academic studies. She and her friends decide to start a tutoring business to help younger kids with math and raise money. But it’s hard to run a business and keep up with art, school, and friends! This is a charming, relatable novel. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!
Dollars to Doughnuts: Birthday Bling by Catherine Daly, illustrated by Genevieve Kote
This is the first book in a new early fictional chapter book series centering financial literacy. It’s Lucy’s birthday, and she receives a card from an aunt as a gift. She and her best friend Julian have noticed another wealthier girl at school who has a card her parents gave her who buys fun things with it — like a glittery sweater that Lucy loves. Lucy decides to buy the same sweater with her card, but it’s too expensive. Lucy and Julian ask their babysitter to explain the difference in cards, and they learn the difference between debit cards, credit cards, and gift cards. The second book, Batter Splatter, has Julian setting a budget for a bake sale to raise money for a school banner. These are really fun and informative reads for ages 6-9 ish.
A Dollar’s Grand Dream by Kimberly Wilson, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann
This is a really funny picture book told from the perspective of a one-dollar bill named Big Bill. Bill is enjoying his life of constant use when he meets a one hundred dollar bill, who makes Bill a bit jealous. He makes a wish on Penny for more zeroes and becomes a one thousand dollar bill! But it turns out that the life of luxury is kind of boring. Also check out Wilson’s equally delightful A Penny’s Worth.
My daughter goes through phases where she becomes super into different cat characters. Lately, it’s been the cat from Kitten Ninja, a precursor to the Cat Ninja books (which she’s also been reading). She asked if I could turn one of her stuffed animals into Kitten Ninja, and with a some extremely rudimentary sewing skills and scrap fabric, I was able to come up with this iteration of Kitten Ninja! She’s been sleeping with him every night.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury