The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking

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