#6- Two Dollars, One Wallet

6) Two Dollars, One Wallet

Written and Illustrated by: Third Grade Students of William McKinley Elementary School

Scholastic, Inc.

2012

32 pages

Picture Book

            I was attracted to this book because it was about currency, which I thought was neat, and it was written and illustrated by a class. It is about a dollar bill named George in the wallet of the school janitor. He is soon joined by a one-dollar coin named Sacagawea. They become friends and talk about their travels since being printed and stamped at the U.S. Mint. Towards the end of the story, the dollar bill is taken out of the wallet and the friends think they will be separated, but they are removed together and will go on many adventures as a pair.

            The illustrations in this book are done by the third grade students and are drawn in colored pencils and construction paper that has been cut and pasted. They are very colorful and depict the story very well. They take up only part of the page, but instead of white pages the entire book is navy blue. This is because the front cover is a depiction of the dollar bill and the coin in a pocket of a pair of blue jeans. It is neat that the idea carries throughout the book.

            I would recommend this book for any elementary class. It would be great to use in a study about the way money is made and currency. You could also incorporate it by adding it onto a history lesson about George Washington or Sacagawea. The way I would use it in a classroom is to introduce students to creating a book, so we could make our own class book. It won the “Kids Are Authors” Award. This book is a great read for many different reasons!