My Rows and Piles of Coins

This story takes me back to the feeling I had as a child when I would save my change intentionally to buy something special, and I shared a similar sense of purpose and pride that Saruni felt. Although, he was much more selfless in his reason for saving- to help his mother with their daily work. The author builds up anticipation, when will he FINALLY save enough to get that bike, as he repeats the process of emptying his box, arranging the coins, and hoping for his dream bike. Saruni reminds us that sacrifice of our time and energy is so worth it and makes our reward that much sweeter. The illustrations in water color create scenes that come to life- making me feel as if these character are real, as if I know them, as if I am the one show more desiring to earn that bike to help my own mother. show less

I loved this book for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, this book gave a wonderful snapshot into the culture of Mollel’s childhood. This book transported you into this distant place, but with problems we have all experience, which brings me to my next point. This book is incredibly relatable. Almost every child has a memory of working hard to save for something they special they wanted and many also have the experience of not having enough and a parent swooping in to reward them for their hard work. Finally, the family bonds were very strong in this book. The selfless nature of our protagonist, Saruni, shows a wonderful example of the idea that families take care of each other. Saruni causes us to think how we have served our families show more and encourages us to participate more. show less

A young Tanzanian boy named Saruni longs to buy a bicycle so he can help his mother carry goods to the marketplace. He spots his bike – a beautiful red and blue one – and begins to save his money. Each time he earns some money, he pulls out his secret money box and lines his coins up in rows. He finally believes he has enough money and is crestfallen when the bicyle man laughs at him and the amount of money he brought in order to buy a bicycle. His parents learn of his disappointment and his dad sells him his own bicycle for the amount of money Saruni has saved. Then unexpectedly, he gives Saruni back his money.

This was such a sweet book about the sacrificial love this boy had for his parents and they for him. I also liked how it show more showed that even across the world, children in other cultures have difficulty learning to ride a bike for the first time. In addition, just as my children think a quarter is enough to buy anything they want in a toy story, there are little boys in Tanzania having difficult with the concept of money too. There are more similarities across cultures than there are differences.

In a classroom, I think it would be fun to have a “Price is Right” game where they guess how much items cost and then use paper money to count and purchase the item. There are also several pages with illustrations and text that describe the Tanzanian marketplace. It would be interesting to take a field trip to an outdoor market and compare the two. If they were Saruni, what would they pick out at the marketplace for which they would save their money? show less

A young boy in Tanzania saves the money he earns while working in the market with his mother. He is saving to buy a bicycle, which he believes will allow him to help his parents more at home. Although the other kids often ridicule him, he practises every chance he gets and, with the help of his father, he eventually learns. When he finally saves 350 coins he runs to the bike shop only to find out that, although 350 coins is an enormous amount to a young boy, it is no where near enough to buy a bicycle. Dejected, he returns home to Yoyo, but a surprise awaits.
This beautifully illustrated and wonderful tale manages to introduce themes that speak to experiences both universal and uniquely African.

A young boy carefully saves his ten-cent coins in order to purchase a shiny read and blue bicycle he admires every week at market. With this prize, he hopes to help his mother carry her burden of produce. Once realizing her son's generous ambitions, she finds a way to gift him first. The kindnesses multiply and the reader is shown how one good turn can lead to the next. The gorgeous watercolor illustration dramatize beautifully the emotional qualities of this story and show quite vividly life in rural Tanzania.

I like this is the book for a couple of reasons. First, I like the determination Saruni had for saving money to buy what he really wants: a bike. As a young child, even as adults, it is very hard to save money for just anything, especially if you are surrounded by temptation. “There were wooden toy trucks, kites, slingshots, and marbles. . . . [Saruni] want[ed] to buy everything.” Second, the genre of this book is realistic fiction. This is very significant when to readers because they can easily relate times when they really wanted to buy something but did not have enough money. In turn, it inspires readers to be determined like the Saruni, not only on saving money for the thing he likes but also determined to reach their goal. show more Third, I like the repetition in the book when Saruni counts his rows and piles of coins: “I emptied the box, arranged the coins in piles and the piles of rows. Then I counted the coins and thought about the blue and red bicycle.” This helps the young reader stay with their reading group and teachers can implement a small math lesson. Where young readers count the rows and piles of coins as it progresses. The determination, genre of the book, and repetition in My Rows and Piles of Coins enable readers to easily relate to Saruni. show less

This book is absolutely amazing! It is a very good example of showing the diversity and positive aspects of African countries. Students who may come from the country of Tanzania, may appreciate the fact that their culture is being displayed in a positive light. The illustrations are very detailed and give some good insight into the African culture. The illustrations alone elaborate on some African traditions such as clothing, food and some of the hardworking traits that Africans possess. The story can easily bring different emotions out of readers. I went from feeling a sense of happiness, to disappointment, to excitement and then to prideful. I think that this book really captures the gratefulness that appears in many African show more communities. The little boy in the story was earning his money in an honest way and could only think about how he could use his money to help and give back! That is amazing! I think that this story teachers an important lesson. The lesson is that when you do good things, good things will happen! You should always do your very best to be a good person and to help others. The little boy was absolutely devastated when he found out that he didn't have enough money to buy the bike, but he was gifted a bike as a token of the couple's appreciation. This was a great read!!! show less