The Go-Around Dollar

by Barbara Johnston Adams, Joyce Audy Zarins (Illustrator)

Every dollar travels from person to person in a different way. Matt finds a dollar on his way home from school and uses it to buy shoelaces from Eric. Eric spends the dollar on bubble gum at the corner store. Jennifer, who happens to be the next customer, receives the dollar as part of her change.

A dollar bill is something we all see and use every day of our lives. But do we know how it's made? The meaning of the symbols that are shown on the front and back of the dollar? How long the average dollar stays in circulation?

In this fascinating and informative book, Barbara Johnston Adams weaves together a fictional narrative about the travels of a single dollar with facts and anecdotes that are sure to delight young readers.

Genres: Money, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Mathematics, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1992

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even I learned more about our currency in this book. Highly recommended!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

There really wasn't that much going-around. The dollar stayed in the same town and was taken out of circulation after about four people.

The book is written half-story and half little facts. Neither was especially compelling.

Illustrations were subpar.

[Jessica Minnoia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an informational text but also has a fictional story occurring at the same time. Each page has a dollar bill with facts about dollars/money on it while the other illustrations go along with the fictional text.
Although I found this information to be somewhat boring, this would be a great informational text for a child who is interested in money. I probably would not use this book as a read aloud in a classroom but would have it available either for guided reading or independent reading.
The text does not directly address any social or diversity issues but the illustrations do show multicultural characters.

[Anne Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books I get from my local library's used book store and pass along to my grandchildren.

This book is a good primer on how currency is made and how it can get circulated, with different people acquiring the same dollar and using it for different things. The dollar bill is originally found on the ground and is used for all sorts of purposes, finally ending up as a store owner acquiring it as his first dollar, framed upon his wall. The tale is illustrated with color illustrations—everything except illustrations of the dollar itself, which are in black and white. That last reflects just one of a few little known facts about paper money that I didn't know: it's illegal to show a dollar bill in color as an illustration! So not only is this book informative for children, it's also full of interesting facts adults may not know.

[Neely]

AR

[Lyndsey Hurm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells about how a dollar goes from place to place and person to person. I could use this book to introduce money and talk about the different types of money. I would also incorporate writing into this lesson by maybe having the students write a story about what would happen if they were a dollar and the places they would go. Maybe they could even make it a circular text and have the dollar end up in the same place it started off at.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers an interesting look at our currency - how it's made, how it's spent, and how a dollar bill can be transferred throughout a number of transactions. The narrative is short and the illustrations are colorful. I would recommend this book for elementary school-age children. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Lanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok for an educational picture book, but not super fun or super pretty. Good for teaching kids a little about money, but not much else. I'd rather read dr. Seuss with a kid. Not this.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and easy to understand description about the making of the dollar bill.