What’s better than ushering in the weekend by curling up with, sharing, and building upon a good book? That’s easy; curling up, sharing, and building upon a really good book that is rich with financial literacy concepts, strong positive values, and a feel-good ending that will have your entire family smiling. Such is the case with Vera B. Williams’s classic picture book, A Chair for My Mother. The perfect choice for Day 6 of Financial Literacy Month, FUTURES: Financially Literate Kids for a Financially Literate Society™, even features this book in one of its 29 program instructional sections. It’s that good.
The book centers on a young girl named Rosa who decides to save up to buy a new chair for her mother after a fire destroys everything in their apartment. Working as a waitress at the Blue Tile Diner, Rosa’s mother is on her feet all day. Rosa dreams of giving her with a comfortable place to sit when she returns home at the end of a long day. Along with her mother and Grandma, Rosa works hard and diligently puts aside coins in a big jar. Day by day they save until they finally have enough saved for a trip to the furniture store. Together, the family tries out chair after chair until they find the perfect chair for her mother.
Named a Caldecott Honor Book by the American Library Association, this engaging and heartwarming book focuses on the joy and love of family while teaching the importance of saving.
The story can serve as a fun springboard for lots of weekend discussions about family, stories, and extended family tales that your kids will treasure. On a more practical front, this book serves as a delightful foundation to talk about the benefits of setting short- and long-term savings goals. Kids will see that Rosa and her family make difficult choices as they budget their money and save up for an important purchase. You might also share some stories about big purchases you have saved for or that a family member or community group worked hard to achieve. Your own stories will make this award-winning story that much more real to your kids.
Along the way, Rosa learns an important lesson about gratitude. Kids will relate to Rosa’s story, lessons, discoveries, and accomplishments. Together you can apply her lessons to you own lives.
Use these questions to spark a lively discussion about the topics in this very real, fictional story.
How did Rosa achieve her goal?
Could you ever see yourself doing something like this?
Who do we know who really wants something big?
Why was the goal important to Rosa?
What sacrifices did she make to achieve it?
What goals do you have for saving?
Can you think of anything you’d want to save up for to help out a family member or a friend?
A Chair for My Mother is available at the library or you can purchase it on Amazon by clicking here.
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Tomorrow, check back again as we continue Financial Literacy Month with a weekend game of “What if…?”
For more information about FUTURES: Financially Literate Kids for a Financially Literate Society™, designed for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, or to download any of the 29 sections of the program, please click below.