Kid Konnection: Pretty Penny Cleans Up

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to review a new picture book which teaches some valuable lessons for little ones.

Summary: The Sassy Pants concert is one week away, and Penny's best friend Emma has spent her whole allowance! It's Pretty Penny to the rescue, with another of her big ideas­­—La Perfect Pup Salon! Local pups will come away with such hilarious styles as the Punk and the Regal, and the girls will earn enough money for their tickets! And with Pretty Penny's Saving Setup, they'll save money for charity and for future needs, too!

Author-illustrator Devon Kinch has created a charming, stylish character with a signature look, just like such classic children's book figures as Madeline, Eloise, and Olivia. -- Random House

Last year, Booking Son and I read PRETTY PENNY SETS UP SHOP by Devon Kinch -- you can read our review here. We both enjoyed the story and, as a mom, I loved some of the messages about money management. Well now Penny is back in PRETTY PENNY CLEANS UP. This new picture book picks up right where the last one left off -- teaching kids the value of a dollar (or five!)

In PRETTY PENNY CLEANS UP, Penny and her friend Emma want to see their favorite band The Sassy Pants; and Emma doesn't have any of her allowance money left to purchase a $5 ticket. So, Penny realizes that they have to think of a plan. She decides that the girls will open up La Perfect Pup Salon for dogs and charge $5 for a doggie (or kitty) makeover.

Penny has learned a great deal about fiscal responsibility and she teaches Emma thing or two about what to do with the money they will earn. She explains the concept of the Pretty Penny Savings Setup which involves a saving box, a jar for sharing (or charity) money, and a purse for spending money. Great concepts for kids, right?

Penny and Emma find that the La Perfect Pup Salon isn't as easy to manage as they first hoped, but Iggy the adorable little pig comes to the rescue. Between the three of them, they clean up the salon and finish prepping the pets; and their salon is a huge hit. Of course, they also earn more than enough money to buy concert tickets; however, poor Iggy doesn't get any of the funds.

It's hard to argue with Penny's philosophy -- save some, share some, and spend some. It's actually one that we've tried to incorporate into our own children's lives... sometimes with more success than others. The book ends with a review of this idea, and the reader sees how each girl divides their earnings into the three separate areas. I especially liked that there was a little math involved in dividing up the amounts, and I even asked Booking Son to double check and make sure it all added up -- it did.

Overall, I think PRETTY PENNY CLEANS UP is a fun way to teach children about fiscal responsibility. Booking Son's only issue is that the books are kind of "girly," but I think the illustrations are adorable!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!