Feeding Penny Pig review and giveaway

If you want your child to build good financial habits, it's best to start them young, and there's no better way to start than reading them a story. I recently received a copy of “Feeding Penny Pig”, by Jeannine Fox (Mimi’s Funhouse LLC, November 2009) that tells the story of a grandmother, a little girl and a very special pig.

Here's the publisher's description of the book: Laney’s grandmother Mimi gives her a very special piggy bank named Penny Pig for her birthday. Every day, Laney must do chores for her parents to earn money to feed the very hungry Penny. Because Laney loves Penny so much, she begins to love working around the house to keep her happy and full. The friendship between them teaches Laney responsibility and the value of earning and saving money.

The Bongga
I really liked reading this to my kids! In this age of consumerism and consumption and "mama can you buy me...", I think it really sends a great message about the importance of starting financial responsibility at a young age. The message is as subtle as Grandmother Mimi passing over the dolls and teddies and clothes in favor of a piggy bank for her granddaughter's present -- but I think even the youngest little kids will get it.

The Blah
I disagree with the recommended age range (ages 4-8): The basic concepts, simple language and bold illustrations make it more suitable to 4-6 year olds. I think 7 and 8 year olds would be interested in a more complex storyline and more concrete examples of saving, budgeting and earning.

The Bottom Line
Feeding Penny Pig is a great book to introduce a young child to the concept of earning and saving money.

Win It!
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a copy of "Feeding Penny Pig". To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and share one tip you have for teaching financial responsibility to kids.

For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following, (you can only do each extra entry once; please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):


1) Become a fan of Bonggamom Finds on Facebook (leave a comment with your FB id).

2) Leave a comment on any of my blog posts on Finding Bonggamom (leave a comment here with the link to the post that you commented on).

3) Join any of the other giveaways currently running on Bonggamom Finds (leave a comment here with the name of the other giveaway you joined).

4) Follow FeedingPennyPig on Twitter (leave a comment with your twitter id).

5) Tweet this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your tweet). Here is a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

Win a copy of "Feeding Penny Pig" from @bonggafinds and @FeedingPennyPig http://tinyurl.com/y8sp55y

Maximum of 6 entries per person. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on February 22, 2009; I will draw a winner at random on February 23 and post the winner's name as soon as the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book to review, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.