I really liked Cash Kat, but I think it is best for kids who are younger than me. My sister is five-years-old, and is learning about money. I think this book will be good for her to learn how much each coin is worth. I really liked all of the math and the counting coins. I liked the extra pages at the back of the book, which taught more about counting coins, decimal place values, and cleaning up litter. I especially liked the chart which showed how long different kinds of litter took to decompose. I did not know it takes a diaper 450 years to decompose.
- Jewel, Age 8
A well-rounded book with both fiction and non-fiction elements, Cash Kat makes for an enjoyable way to embrace concepts of money, community, and the environment through picture book reading. After my family read the book aloud together for the first time, I slipped it onto our math literature shelf and put some coins out nearby.
In the weeks since, my oldest sometimes takes the book out to read again, my younger child has matched real coins to the illustrated coins in the story, and all my children have played with and counted the coins I left near the book. We have also read Cash Kat couple more times together, pausing to chat about its illustrations and themes.
This book doesn't take long to read but it packs a good amount of lessons and information. While reading, children can learn what coins look like and their monetary value. There's even visuals that show how the sum of coins can equal up to others. Kat and her grandmother are picking up trash at the park while they find the coins, which can lead to discussion on why it's important to keep our parks clean and pretty. Another value told in the story is that of generosity.
Kat and Gram Hatter are all set for a day of picking up litter at the park. While there, Kat finds a variety of coins, and Gram helps her measure how much they're worth. Five pennies equal a nickel, five nickels equal a quarter, and so on. The illustrations are very helpful to help children understand the value of money and how it adds up. Kat is also wonderful to watch, especially when she decides what to do with her new-found treasure. Math activities at the end make this book a great choice for libraries, especially those enacting homework programs. The engaging illustrations and digestible text will also appeal to a wide variety of readers. Recommended for ages 6-8.
Kat and her grandma head to the park to pick up trash. As they work, Kat keeps her eye out for pennies hoping to earn enough for an ice cream cone. Along the way lessons in currency, the environment, and generosity are integrated into this playful math picture book. 5+
There is a big surge among publishers lately to provide quality nonfiction picture books for the educational market. Author Linda Joy Singleton has written an environmentally aware book and added cash counting in an attempt to support some Common Core areas. While some educators might find a use in their classroom for this picture book, others might struggle to find the true connection between these two topics. Simple illustrations accompany this story and back matter provides additional environmental information or simple math worksheets. Might be worth checking out if you're looking to add to your environmental science or math curriculum.
If your child is ready to handle money this book will be helpful teaching him/her how to make change. The focus is on coins and a dollar bill as you'll discover and the activity pages provide some practice in determining how to add coins and make change. An added bonus is the secondary theme of being responsible and keeping public places clean and free of litter. Teachers as well as parents will find this a helpful book.
I just love how Cash Kat has cute characters that have some quirky characteristics. As the story unfolds the bits and pieces of a variety of lessons is there for the reader to embrace. Not only is the story enjoyable in that Kat has a great experience with her Gram, but they are involved in a bit of community service. While cleaning up the park, Kat finds coins and begins to amass them hoping to eventually purchase an ice cream...All this is done in a fashion that relates to the kids reading the book. This is a sure-fire keeper book and perfect for the youngsters in the home, school, or library patrons.
This is an excellent picture book to begin teaching a child about the value of coins, and the activity pages the author includes will give parents and teachers some exercises to see if the lessons have taken hold with young readers. The idea of helping keep city parks clean is also embedded in the story so this book works on two levels. All in all, you get a lot for your money with Cash Kat!
The story starts as Kat is waiting on her porch, dropping pennies into her piggy bank. She is waiting for Gram Hatter who arrives calling, “Ready for a treasure hunt, Kat?” Gram Hatter carries a craft bag where she routinely plucks paper to fold into interesting hats. They are at the park to pick up trash, yet Gramma Hatter calls it a treasure hunt while imagining that they are pirates in their newly designed pirate hats. The pirate crew finds pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters while patrolling for trash. Kat’s pirate hat is soon replaced with a queen’s crown as she finds more and more coins while collecting trash. The hat takes on a final look to celebrate the luck of finding a dollar bill. Now, Kat has enough money for an ice cream though she is torn between donating the money to help improve the park or keeping it for her treat. There are four pages designated for curriculum connections. On the money, decimal place value, counting coins, and clean it up connect to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core.
A great non-fiction book that will interest young readers. Kat and Gram Hatter discuss money and how to make change as they volunteer in the local park. Color pictures and actual coins (photographs) included in the book so readers can see which coin is being discussed and its value. Kat and Gram are volunteering to help clean up the local park and Kat keeps finding change as they work. As Kat finds multiple coins she gets enough to buy ice cream. Heartwarming story with learning along the way.
As Kat and Gram Hatter clean up park trash, Kat also searches for coins to buy ice cream. During their "treasure hunt," Gram explains the value of different coins, and she folds paper hats for Kat to wear. This passable, mildly quirky intro to basic money concepts includes colorful illustrations of characters sporting unusual hats. Related facts and activities are appended.