A Penny In My Pocket: A Children's Book About Using Money

This Spanish language translation of "A Penny in My Pocket" has a single purpose, to teach kids about money. Unfortunately, "entertainment" is not a purpose of the story either.

The plot takes the form of a conversation between a parent and child, with questions from the child and answers from the parent, almost like a Socratic dialogue. Topics include earning money, saving money, and charitable donations. The whole thing is very heavy-handed, with very little to catch the interest of young readers. I tried it with my six-year-old daughter, and her attention rapidly wandered. She is great at paying attention to more engaging books, even those that have an underlying, educational message.

The art is serviceable. It feels awkward and is not show more very attractive, but it is colorful and supports the story. The translation feels like it was adapted from an AI translation. No translator is credited, and certain turns of phrase sound non-native. Even the title uses the word "penique" which refers exclusively to pence; that is, to divisions of the pound sterling. The more neutral term would be "centavo". Online translators tend to be pretty literal, and like to find the most exact translation of a word, regardless of whether the word choice is natural, or if the result matches the original text in tone or register. In short, the book appears to have been translated, but not localized, and the resulting text is stilted, inappropriate for the intended audience.

In summary, I would not recommend this book. The message is a useful one, but the shortcomings weaken that message and render it unpalatable to a young audience.

"Un penique en mi bolsillo" show less

The intention behind this book is strong - teaching children about money, wise spending and giving in charity. However, the way it's done is not as strong. The main things that I believe need work are the language used, the translation, and the images.

In regards to the language, I have difficulty with the language used and the translation. I haven't read the English version but if it's similar to the Spanish I find the style of writing inaccessible to younger children. It felt pedantic and stiff. Though children ages 6 to 9 are supposed to be reading early chapter books and more involved writing, they still need some fun to be engaged. I read this book as a teacher; thinking about how would my students respond to it. I would have to show more pair this with a silly book or something with more life to keep them engaged.

I also wanted to comment on the translation. I've translated English to Spanish writing all my life personally and professionally, so I know how difficult it is. I'm not trying to downplay the work of the translator (though they are not credited in the book) however, I want to offer some (hopefully) helpful critiques. Be careful of using words like 'penique' which are very old fashioned and perhaps country-specific. What is your target audience? Are they Spanish-speaking children in the United States or in Latin America? I'm not sure if some of the translation is rough because the text in English is also stilted and stiff. I would recommend that they review the translation and perhaps work with a translator who is well versed in children's literature.

In regards to the images, I also know a lot of friends who are illustrators and know how demanding the job is. It's not easy, and can be difficult to translate the author's vision into something on paper that makes sense. However, this digital style felt flat and not as engaging as it could be. Perhaps that's just personal preference, but I didn't enjoy the illustrations. I did appreciate the diverse people shown in the book.

Overall, it's an okay book and I would keep it as a resource when discussing money and charity with students. However it would not be something that I would recommend as a gift or focus a lesson on. I would supplement it with other materials such as the Moneybunny Book series. show less

This is a cute book and I enjoyed reading it. I read it because 1) I am an intermediate Spanish speaker who is out of practice and wants to improve her language skills (and have resources to help children develop language skills as well) and 2) I believe teaching children how to handle money is important and am looking for ways to make that natural. In regards to reason 1, the language was easy for me to understand and was fast enough I didn't lose interest. However, I am an adult and am not the target audience; a child would probably lose interest due to the lack of a real plot or humor. I am also not a native Spanish speaker and cannot speak to the quality of the writing. In regards to reason 2, the book could be a helpful tool to show more start that discussion with a kid. (Although there are some things I did not agree with; for example, at the end the child helps a less-fortunate person and the mother rewards the child by buying him ice cream. Is the lesson that we should help others to receive rewards? Not that it's wrong to buy ice cream, it just seemed an odd way to end the book.) show less

This book is a charming story for young ones with the lesson of money. If you are trying to discuss this topic through books, this is a great book with colorful illustrations. But if you are not trying to teach about money, then the story alone might not keep their attention.

Well written and encourages giving and kindness as well as the lessons of want vs need. 5 stars!

"Un penique en mi bolsillo" is the Spanish translation of the book "A Penny In My Pocket" by CM Harris and illustrated by Nareh Grigoryan. There is no translator credit.

The book is aimed at the pre-school crowd. It will take about ten minutes to read with an adult. It covers topics such as earning, saving, and donating money. There is nothing extraordinary about "Un penique en mi bolsillo" but the book is fine overall. It will serve as a good introduction for parents to approach the topic of money.

Some of the digital illustrations appear to have been cut-and-pasted and then changed slightly, giving some almost all of the characters a very rigid look.

Me and my kids enjoyed "Un penique en mi bolsillo" We have been learning spanish and we are just starting to delve into teaching the kids about money so it was a cool book incorporating both. This is a good book to include in teaching your littles about money.