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If You Made a Million: A Magical Picture Book About Earning, Saving, and Investing Money for Kids
If You Made a Million
Have you ever wanted to make a million dollars? Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician is ready, willing, and able to explain the nuts and bolts -- as well as the mystery and wonder -- of earning money, investing it, accruing dividends and interest, and watching savings grow. Hey, you never know!
An ALA Notable Book A Horn Book Fanfare Selection A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Teachers' Choices Selection
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
12 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
David M. Schwartz
85 books28 followers As a child, I was filled with a sense of awe as I contemplated the universe. The huge numbers of stars and their sizes and distances never failed to amaze me. With binoculars and magnifying glass, I also focused on closer subjects like birds, flowers, frogs and bugs.
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
November 5, 2018
Provides a nice breakdown of money increments, what you can do with that money (invest, put it towards a job) and includes fun facts like how a million dollars in quarters weighs the same as a whale.
Ages: 6 - 10
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Ages: 6 - 10
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
March 4, 2017
"If You Made a Million" is a non-fiction picture book that uses lots of visual imagery and fun ideas to teach kids about the break down of money, and teaches simple ideas of banking and how interest works. In this classic by David M. Schwartz, a wizard walks through the aspects of saving and spending money by using ideas that are not super realistic like babysitting Ogres and buying castles, but still shows us different truths about the benefits of using the bank to save money and everything that entails. I think this book as an excellent source for teaching kids about math and money, and gives great real-world examples of how investing works when you grow up. David shows us the importance of saving money, and when he talks about the interest rates for a million dollars, it really puts the benefits of saving money into perspective. The text structure of this book is a simple font, and the placement of the text varies per page, depending on where the pictures are placed in the book. I think David organized it this way so the child does not get thrown off by all the wild imagery and the fact that there is a ton of information in the text because it is an expository type of non-fiction literature. The tone of this book is more positive, and is set in a way that gets the reader excited about saving money and all the different possibilities that come along with that.
The author uses color as a strong visual element in this picture book. He uses a lot of variety and bright colors, which also help set the happy and excited tone of the book. Quite a few of the pictures have a background of a rainbow, which is a big example of his use of color. Another visual element the author uses is the shape of the images. The pictures are more organic, meaning the images flow together more than if it were more geometrically shaped. This factor insinuates imagination, which is a strong characteristic in this book. The whole purpose is to get the reader excited about the opportunities that come your way when you save money, and when the visuals show this, it makes the reader start to imagine their own opportunities. The text is very bold and orderly, and the pictures are sort of all over the place, so they flow quite nicely with each other. Although certain aspects of this book are unrealistic, the point the author is trying to make on educating the reader about money and how it works is quite clear. I would definitely recommend using this book with younger grades to add something interesting into your math lesson!
The author uses color as a strong visual element in this picture book. He uses a lot of variety and bright colors, which also help set the happy and excited tone of the book. Quite a few of the pictures have a background of a rainbow, which is a big example of his use of color. Another visual element the author uses is the shape of the images. The pictures are more organic, meaning the images flow together more than if it were more geometrically shaped. This factor insinuates imagination, which is a strong characteristic in this book. The whole purpose is to get the reader excited about the opportunities that come your way when you save money, and when the visuals show this, it makes the reader start to imagine their own opportunities. The text is very bold and orderly, and the pictures are sort of all over the place, so they flow quite nicely with each other. Although certain aspects of this book are unrealistic, the point the author is trying to make on educating the reader about money and how it works is quite clear. I would definitely recommend using this book with younger grades to add something interesting into your math lesson!
February 15, 2015
“If You Made A Million” by David M. Schwartz and illustrated by Steven Kellogg. This is an informational book that teaches, in a funny way, the relationships between accomplishing tasks and earning money, saving and spending, and other concepts including interest, writing checks and even financing a mortgage. It is presenting money and complex concept in terms that correspond to how children think. The illustrator used colored pencil and watercolor that made for colorful artwork.
August 3, 2019
I have same problem with this book as I have with Millions to Measure: I don't like the artwork, and I find Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician annoying.
October 23, 2024
If You Made a Million is an engaging and informational book designed for elementary age children. Through beautiful and whimsical illustrations, it introduces young readers to different types of currency, including coins, bills, and checks. The book provides real-life scenarios that demonstrate how young children can earn money through chores and odd jobs. Additionally, it highlights the relationship between earning money and spending money, emphasizing the importance of saving money and explaining concepts like interest.
This book would be a fantastic resource in an elementary math or financial literacy unit. By exploring the relationship between earning, spending, and saving, this book would be a fantastic resource to encourage discussion in a financial literacy unit. It provides an opportunity for students to think critically about the decisions they make about their money in the future. This book would also be a wonderful addition to an early elementary unit on money as students learn about currency value and how to recognize equal values.
This book would be a fantastic resource in an elementary math or financial literacy unit. By exploring the relationship between earning, spending, and saving, this book would be a fantastic resource to encourage discussion in a financial literacy unit. It provides an opportunity for students to think critically about the decisions they make about their money in the future. This book would also be a wonderful addition to an early elementary unit on money as students learn about currency value and how to recognize equal values.
May 10, 2015
Personal Reaction: Beth Cigler also told us we definitely needed to pick up this book. I laughed at this book and how silly it is, but it is extremely informational when it comes to money which I think should really help some kids. I would recommend this and I would love to use this as a read aloud in my own classroom one day.
Read Aloud: This book has a little humor tossed into it. I definitely think that this would be an amazing read aloud for first or second graders learning about money and number sense. This would be a great math lesson. You could have kids pick a dollar amount maybe below $1 and come up with all of the different combinations of coins that they could use to reach that amount.
Independent Read: Any kid who loves money will love this book. I always loved handling money when I was younger because it made me feel really cool. I bet first and second graders would get a big kick out of knowing all the cent combinations of dollars and trying to figure out how tall a stack of money a million dollars high would be!
For informational books: This book has a huge note from the author in the back as well as the solutions to the problems from this book. I think it would be good to introduce why author's notes are sometimes important for authors to put in books. Sometimes the author wants to say something that would not necessarily pertain to the information in the book and thus the make an author's note. These are a good thing to read. They are sometimes placed before the book, and sometimes they are placed after.
Read Aloud: This book has a little humor tossed into it. I definitely think that this would be an amazing read aloud for first or second graders learning about money and number sense. This would be a great math lesson. You could have kids pick a dollar amount maybe below $1 and come up with all of the different combinations of coins that they could use to reach that amount.
Independent Read: Any kid who loves money will love this book. I always loved handling money when I was younger because it made me feel really cool. I bet first and second graders would get a big kick out of knowing all the cent combinations of dollars and trying to figure out how tall a stack of money a million dollars high would be!
For informational books: This book has a huge note from the author in the back as well as the solutions to the problems from this book. I think it would be good to introduce why author's notes are sometimes important for authors to put in books. Sometimes the author wants to say something that would not necessarily pertain to the information in the book and thus the make an author's note. These are a good thing to read. They are sometimes placed before the book, and sometimes they are placed after.
May 6, 2015
Personal Reaction: I adore everything about this book. From the detailed illustrations to the great explanations about money I think this book is very useful and entertaining to read.
Read aloud: This book would be so fun as a read aloud for a kindergarten,1st and maybe 2nd grade classroom. This book is so great with dealing with number sense and would be a good way to incorporate literature within a math unit. This book explains how much 1 million actually is and what it would look like and thats something that children have a hard time imagining.
Independent read: The illustrations in the book actually show how 25 pennies equal 1 quarter or how 100 pennies equals a dollar. This would be a great book for a student to independently read if their struggling with the idea of money and how it adds up. The mix of text and visuals explain to the reader the process of adding coins to get a larger amount.
The theme is the most important literary element in this book. The overall theme is to make sure students have a number sense and understand just how many coins could possibly make a million dollars. Even I was shocked about how a million dollars is equal to the amount of nickels it takes to fill a school bus. This book includes silly comparisons but gives the reader an idea of how to understand money sense.
Read aloud: This book would be so fun as a read aloud for a kindergarten,1st and maybe 2nd grade classroom. This book is so great with dealing with number sense and would be a good way to incorporate literature within a math unit. This book explains how much 1 million actually is and what it would look like and thats something that children have a hard time imagining.
Independent read: The illustrations in the book actually show how 25 pennies equal 1 quarter or how 100 pennies equals a dollar. This would be a great book for a student to independently read if their struggling with the idea of money and how it adds up. The mix of text and visuals explain to the reader the process of adding coins to get a larger amount.
The theme is the most important literary element in this book. The overall theme is to make sure students have a number sense and understand just how many coins could possibly make a million dollars. Even I was shocked about how a million dollars is equal to the amount of nickels it takes to fill a school bus. This book includes silly comparisons but gives the reader an idea of how to understand money sense.
October 4, 2016
This book explains in a kid-friendly way how money works, and it keeps explaining what's equal to one dollar, two dollars, five dollars, one thousand dollars, etc with each turn of the page. I think kids would find this book interesting just because of the title itself. Children would love to imagine what they would choose to do with a million dollars. This book goes in to detail and explains that if you place a million dollars in the bank, you could earn interest of $1,000 a week. It also explains what a check is, and what it looks like. It gives kids scenarios of what to do with money, and ends by explaining that making money means making choices. I would love to create an activity about comparisons of money with the value of material things. In a classroom we could even perhaps create an economic system and with good behavior, we could create our own class cash currency with a fun little store to buy trinkets, or even a bank to teach kids how to earn, save, and spend money wisely.
March 15, 2013
If You Made A Million by David Schwartz
This book is about teaching and learning the value of money. The book goes through NUMEROUS examples of how much money is worth in different denominations of the same amount. For instance 4 quarters equals one dollar or ten dimes or 100 pennies. Later the book explains how banking and lending works. It explains how you have to pay interest on a loan if you borrow money from the bank. It also talks about how your money can earn interest if you deposit it into a bank account.
This book has is a must have in almost any classroom. It can be used in man lessons to teach students how to count money. Then it can be used to teach those same children the intricacies of banking when they get older in terms that an adolescent first-time bank account owner can understand. Great book for students of various different ages.!
This book is about teaching and learning the value of money. The book goes through NUMEROUS examples of how much money is worth in different denominations of the same amount. For instance 4 quarters equals one dollar or ten dimes or 100 pennies. Later the book explains how banking and lending works. It explains how you have to pay interest on a loan if you borrow money from the bank. It also talks about how your money can earn interest if you deposit it into a bank account.
This book has is a must have in almost any classroom. It can be used in man lessons to teach students how to count money. Then it can be used to teach those same children the intricacies of banking when they get older in terms that an adolescent first-time bank account owner can understand. Great book for students of various different ages.!
May 1, 2010
When I was looking at this book in my teacher's classroom, I was wondering what it was about. When I picked up the other book of How you Make a Million and then I saw this one, I was like hmm...I wonder if this is the same book. But as I was looking at it, I thought it was so interesting. We always wonder how much is a million dollars or how long would it take to make a million dollars with the money you have saved. This would be a good book to talk to the children in the classroom about how much a million dollars look like. Also, when you talk to the children about how much work you have to do to get money that much. Even though, for normal people like us, a million dollars seems a little unrealistic, but if we work hard we can make a lot of money. It was a cute book too.
April 17, 2012
"If You Made a Million" is a great children's book if understanding how money works is the main goal. The text tells a story while teaching many lessons at the same time. The cover is colorful and showcases the illustrator's realistic colored pencil and watercolor artwork. The end pages are bright blue. The book is all about money equivalents, banks, interest and compound interest, checking accounts, loans, and income taxes. These are rather complex ideas for a child but this book does a great job of presenting the lessons and ideas in a comprehensive and creative way. The extremely detailed illustrations compliment the text and I would recommend this book to all kids, as they can always learn a thing or two about money!
December 2, 2015
This is a very interesting and unique children's book. It is like nothing I have ever read or seen before. Its all about money. It starts talking about a penny and then goes on from there. It talks about what you are able to buy with a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and so on. It also explains what happens if you decide to put your money in the bank and how to earn interest.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and was about a topic that children would need to be educated about at a young age. It would be good for them to read when they are learning to count or learning about money in school. Children should know the different kinds of money and how it can be spent/saved. I enjoyed this childrens book and I think children would as well.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and was about a topic that children would need to be educated about at a young age. It would be good for them to read when they are learning to count or learning about money in school. Children should know the different kinds of money and how it can be spent/saved. I enjoyed this childrens book and I think children would as well.
December 4, 2019
Summary: This book explains how money accrues interest in the bank. It explains how a check is written and cashed. The book provides information about loans and interest. It also has fun facts like to keep the reader engaged.
Review: I like how this book explains what some people learn as adults. The earlier that children are exposed to information they will need for the rest of the lives, the better. I really enjoyed reading all the fun facts in this book.
Book Connection: I would pair this book with books about money. I like this book for English language learners who do not have the same currency in their country. This book will provide a lot of information.
Quote:" A million one-dollar bills would weigh 2,500 pounds and stack up to 360 feet."
Review: I like how this book explains what some people learn as adults. The earlier that children are exposed to information they will need for the rest of the lives, the better. I really enjoyed reading all the fun facts in this book.
Book Connection: I would pair this book with books about money. I like this book for English language learners who do not have the same currency in their country. This book will provide a lot of information.
Quote:" A million one-dollar bills would weigh 2,500 pounds and stack up to 360 feet."
October 30, 2012
If You Made a Million is a great book to use when talking about money. The book talks about different ways you can think about how much one, five, or tens dollars is worth while relating it to different ways you can make them.Throughout the book, it talks about how you can build up your money all the way to one million dollars. It also introduces the idea of bank interest. When I was in sixth grade I did this activity where if I was given a million dollars how would I spend it. I had to use a lot of print media and make a book of all the things I would want to buy. We had to make sure that everything added up to one million dollars. This would be cool to do with 5th graders.
April 16, 2012
This text has clear and accurate pictures and images of the currency which will help children to easily explore the world of money.
With marvelosissimo the mathematical as a guide, children will compare and contrast: how much each coin/bill worth, their size and weight.
He will help students to understand, "if you want to spend it, what can you buy? or if you save it, how much will it grow? This book gives children a glimpse into the world of finance: checking, saving, spending and interest. Ultimately, "making money means making choices.
With marvelosissimo the mathematical as a guide, children will compare and contrast: how much each coin/bill worth, their size and weight.
He will help students to understand, "if you want to spend it, what can you buy? or if you save it, how much will it grow? This book gives children a glimpse into the world of finance: checking, saving, spending and interest. Ultimately, "making money means making choices.
April 17, 2012
This book is very beneficial for kids of all ages. First of all, younger students would be able to learn how to count money. Having the real coins in the story, kids can learn to differentiate the different between say a dime and a nickel. For older students and adults, this book can teach them the important lesson of saving money. The illustrations are very colorful and very busy. They really add to the story which in itself takes more time to read. The orientation of the book is a portrait orientation.
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April 17, 2012If You Made A Million is a great story to teach the children the concept of a dollar. The text really emphasizes the value of money. The illustrations give a great representation of how important the concept of a dollar is. It creatively shows representations of different amount of money to help students realize how much a dollar is really worth. By sharing this with students, kids will have an idea how hard it is to earn money and the children can carry that into their everyday life. The younger kids learn about money, the better they will be in the future.
September 20, 2012
This book involved money and all the different ways to count it. It even mentioned how we earn interest and can get loans from the bank. I liked the book because it told you how much money it would take to pay for something and gave you a picture to look at. For example, it would tell you if you paid for it in quarters they would sit fifty feet high. This book would be good when the class starts talking about interest because it tells you the informtion you need, but also is fun to read and the illustrations are done well.
December 2, 2012
The first thing that caught my eye about the book was the extremely colorful and bright cover page. The illustrations throughout the story were the same way. The illustrator was very creative with how he presented the text and connected it to the picture. The point of this story was to give children an idea of money and its values. It wasn't exciting, but important for kids. Most children do not understand the concept of how much one million dollars is, and this story provides them with an idea of how much time and work it takes to earn a million dollars.
August 31, 2018
I read this book in preparation for a money themed storytime/program. It was enjoyable and showed lessons on adding money and how money is used, while also being a good introduction to how money can be saved and earned. The illustrations were a little dated but the content is well thought out. I can see it getting a little long depending on the children's attention span, so read in advance to paper clip pages as needed.
For: readers needing a fun introduction to money and economics.
Possible red flags: depictions of magic/magicians; depictions of unrealistic earnings and tasks.
For: readers needing a fun introduction to money and economics.
Possible red flags: depictions of magic/magicians; depictions of unrealistic earnings and tasks.
May 25, 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: 2nd-6th
This book is a little dated in terms of prices of items and the talk of checks. But it is a great book to help children understand how much things cost and how money and banking works. I really liked how they illustrated the different ways to make a dollar, ten dollars, etc. It has great illustrations that will help children visualize what $100 worth of pennies looks like. The author also showed how interest works. A bit hard for younger students to grasp but he did a pretty good job!
Ages: 2nd-6th
This book is a little dated in terms of prices of items and the talk of checks. But it is a great book to help children understand how much things cost and how money and banking works. I really liked how they illustrated the different ways to make a dollar, ten dollars, etc. It has great illustrations that will help children visualize what $100 worth of pennies looks like. The author also showed how interest works. A bit hard for younger students to grasp but he did a pretty good job!
February 6, 2010
Ideally, I would use this book to provide humor to learning to count and counting to million. If you counted to a million it would take as long as getting a million children to stand on each other's arms! While the book does exaggerate and embellish the true aspect of counting that much, I do appreciate the true value of this book which is the fun that can be provided in counting. It can inspire students to count and use math!
February 24, 2011
This is a fascinating book about money, interest and the cost of things. It offers an interesting perspective on earning money and the importance of liking your profession. The illustrations are fun and the section in the back with the detailed explanation of the math concepts is very informative, but probably meant more for parents (our girls were definitely not interested in hearing the details.)
April 26, 2011
"If You Made A Million" is a good book to show students about money and the cost of items. Throughout the book, the illustrations are great because of the dollar bill figures and images of coins. It helps children or the reader visualize the text into images. The overall book is fun and its informative to learn more about math concepts. It is a nice book to read to children to show how it looks like to have a million dollars.
June 4, 2019
The story has a wizard and incorporates math skills... brilliant!
The story follows a wizard and a young boy as he attempts to make a million dollars. The illustrations and basic counting of money are interesting. The story loses some sizzle as it progresses and becomes a financial literacy book. A unique and interesting attempt, that falls flat in the end.
The story follows a wizard and a young boy as he attempts to make a million dollars. The illustrations and basic counting of money are interesting. The story loses some sizzle as it progresses and becomes a financial literacy book. A unique and interesting attempt, that falls flat in the end.
November 26, 2017
Great introduction to money and economics; alliteration used too. The brief history of money included was helpful too. Fun illustrations. Great math read aloud.
July 24, 2019
More of Kellogg's ugly children. The illustrations have no subtlety. There is plenty of good information, however.
February 10, 2020
Perfect for learning about money.
June 5, 2020
Probably would be better if my kids had a better concept of money, or if they were a bit older.
February 18, 2021
I am screening books to use in a 6th grade social studies unit on personal finance. I just love the Steven Kellogg illustrations in this book, as they have so much fun activity going on. The book covers the key topics of savings, interest, checks and checking accounts, loans, and tax and couples these practical facts with fun facts like how high a stack of $100 in pennies would be. Because the illustrations are so engaging, I'm more inclined to use this as a reading for students rather than as a read-aloud, though the text is perfectly suitable to read aloud as an introduction to the topic. I really appreciate that the book ends with a question that can spur inquiry among students. There is also a helpful note at the end that discusses the concepts covered in the book in more detail.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews