Gold!

by David Shannon

A riotous retelling of the Midas myth by the Caldecott Honor-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of No, David!

Maximilian Midas was a peculiar little boy.
He didn’t much like chocolate and he didn’t play with toys.
The first word that he uttered when he was one year old
Wasn’t Mama, wasn’t Papa; what Maxie said was, “Gold!”

Max Midas isn’t like the other kids. Instead of trying to make friends, he decides to make millions and spends it all on what he loves GOLD. Gold statues. Gold fountains. Piles and piles of gold, and atop them all, a golden castle. But one day, things get lonely inside his shiny castle and Max finally learns that gold isn’t worth anything without friends and family by your side.

David Shannon, the Caldecott Honor—winning and New York Times bestselling author of No, David!, is back with a riotous romp that’s sure to be a beloved classic.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mythology, Fiction, Humor, Storytime, Fairy Tales

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

David Shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a fine arts degree, and then moved to New York City. His editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone, and his artwork has appeared on numerous book jackets. Shannon is a passionate baseball fan and softball player. He and his wife now live in Los Angeles.


David Shannon @ Scholastic

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect children's story if you suspect you might be raising a cute lil corporate sociopath. David Shannon's writing is always at its best when his characters are at their worst. His genius comes from still being able to channel his depraved and chaotic 7 year old spirit to animate his characters.

He was so big for a while with his David books, that I find it interesting to see his popularity fade as much as it has in recent years. My theory is that he got market-corrected by Aaron Blabey.

I was going to rate this 3 stars but the illustrations of Maximilian Midas clad in golden regalia and bunny slippers were so baller that I had to add a star.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Viking Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss+.
A retelling of the King Midas myth for younger readers. Max's first word was "gold" and he lived up (or down) to this word in everything he did. He focused solely on making money and buying gold. Readers will enjoy the highly detailed illustrations that emphasize the contrast between Max's gold and other people's lives. This can serve as a lower level version of this tale for older classes and a terrific discussion starter for younger classes and families with children of all ages.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Maximilian Midas can think about is gold and he learns the hard way that his selfish obsession not only hurts everyone around him, but himself. The bold illustrations and rhyming text work well together. A clever retelling of the King Midas myth.

[Logan Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that featured the main character's, Maxie's, passion for gold. He loved gold more than anything; his mom's pies, his dad's boring stories, and more. Throughout the story, Maxie becomes more wealthy and surrounded by gold and did anything he could to get it. During this journey, he gets so obsessed with gold which then causes him to gain a sense of loneliness from missing out on all the important relationships in his life. At the end of the story, Maxie realized that gold is not as important as the relationships in his life. I really enjoyed seeing Maxie's journey and revelation at the end of the story. The story being told from Maxie's perspective really showcased this theme that money and things are not as important as the people in your life. I also really love the illustrations that were included in this story; they were engaging, bright, detailed, and goofy. This illustrations automatically grasped my attention and encouraged me to continue reading the story. Overall, this would be a great and fun story to use in a classroom.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gold can never make you feel as good as being nice."

Maximilian Midas loves gold more than anything. The first word he uttered at one year old was "Gold!" He doesn't want hugs or stories from his parents. As he gets older, he cheats at school just to get the gold stars. "He didn't think of Bad or Good, He thought of Bought and Sold." As he begins to accumulate his fortune, through a lemonade stand and poor ethics, he spends it all on gold until he has a giant pile. But that isn't enough for Max and that is when he makes his fatal mistake. Why not crush up gold and put it on his cereal? Why not? Because it turns him into a golden statue. "No one ever comes up here. Who's going to rescue me?!" Now what will Max do?

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The famous author of the “David” series is back with this modern retelling of the King Midas tale. Maximilian Midas is an ambitious and ornery 7 year old boy who seeks nothing but gold in his life. Eventually, his gold piles up so high it creates a mountain and Max is left all by himself alone with his gold bedecked mansion. One morning, he decides to eat some gold dust for breakfast which is a major mistake and costs him dearly. He turns into a solid gold statue and freezes in place and can’t move or talk. He is eventually overcome with fear and loneliness and realizes he misses his family and the baking and bedtime stories. He learns a major lesson and discovers that being kind is way more important than having gold.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another retelling of the story of the golden touch that I found a bit lacking in real gold. Was the story trying to be cute, funny, or morally philosophical? I realize this was written for children, but let's not underestimate them... The story lacked any real consequences (three seconds as a golden statue works magic) and any potential lessons to be learned felt trivialized, while Max's parents were portrayed as totally useless. I had a thought while reading this that (for me) would have improved the story... Max stays a golden statue for a hundred years seeing the world change around him and learning as he spends some actual time watching and observing.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a morality lesson about chasing wealth and forgetting what is important. It immediately reminded me a little of an old book The Chocolate Touch which is based on the much older king midas. I'm not sure that the concept quite hits for the age group the book would be most likely read to, but K-2nd grades could probably enjoy it. I do love Shannon's illustrations as always!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Midas? He loves gold. In fact, it was his very first word! He had no use for anything else - stories, family, friends... all he wanted was gold. As with all obsessions, this one did not go well. What will become of bunny slippered Max and all his gold?
I always enjoy David Shannon's books. Readers familiar with King Midas will have an idea where this one is headed. But there's lots of room for laughs and discussion. And lemonade and pie. And bunny slippers. I loved Max's bunny slippers.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maximilian Midas is a boy obsessed with gold and does everything to get more of it. When he tries to eat it, it turns him into gold right in front of a window in his castle. There, he sees everything and everyone he is missing. It's definitely a version of King Midas and the Golden Touch, but it also reminds me of the greed of the Onceler in The Lorax and the attitude of Boss Baby. It's a great fable book to teach kids about valuing people, relationships, and memories over riches.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read: November 7th, 2022
Title: GOLD!
Author: David Shannon
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, Classic Retelling

Rating: 2/5

Review:
GOLD! Is an adorable retelling of the classic myth of Midas. It’s simplistic writing is effective though the rhyming can be awkward at times and the ending is a bit abrupt/confusing.

It was a fun little read with decent artwork and a good enough message.

Might not be one of the books I revisit more than once or twice, however.

Quotes:
N/A

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite Shannon book. While it might be an okay place to start a discussion about the King Midas myth for younger children, the forced, awkward rhyming, and the pedantic telling did not appeal to me. I read this with Mister and we were both confused when the ending abruptly dropped on us. All in all, maybe skip this one. Life is short. Go hug your family and read a better book instead.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this retelling about King Midas, we meet Max who is really good at making money. He's also really good at being an annoying, nasty little boy who is only interested in getting rich, at the cost of his entire family. While there's a valuable lesson here, I saw no reason to like Max at all. In the original story, I always felt sorry for King Midas when he turned his daughter to gold. I'm sorry I couldn't find the same compassion for Max.

Not my favorite book of the year.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peculiar little boy loves gold and nothing pleases him but gold. Colorful illustrations show this boy and his penchant for gold everything. The boy’s obsession to raise money is offending to competitors. He cares about nothing but gathering up gold things. When the inevitable happens nobody is around to rescue poor/rich Max as a solid gold child. But like picture books of old everything turns out in the end —apologies accepted.

[Catie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach greed vs. gratitude. Most kids don't understand what those words mean and to put them in a children's book so they have a better understanding. This also teaches the happiness doesn't come from objects or money that it comes from friendship. Lastly, this teaches children to be self-aware of their actions and if they see bad actions that they are doing they need to fix them.

[Ahriahna Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is very funny and entertaining, it teaches kids that they can discover and explore anything they like, but to never forget about the really valuable things in life, like friends and family. The story talks about a young boy who becomes obsessed with collecting gold more than toys or any other items. The illustration is very expressive, and the rhyming keeps the readers engaged throughout the reading.

[Miley Wagers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxi is a little boy obsessed with gold. He opens up a lemonade business and makes millions. He buys a mansion and charges his parents rent to live there. One day he's in his mansion and eats gold flakes, which turns him into gold. He looks out of his window and sees his parents, he thinks about all that he missed out on and sheds a tear. This turns him back and he realizes that being nice is better than gold.

[Cooper Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was very interesting. David was a boy who loved gold, and his entire life was about money and gold. But we got too greedy and his life changed when he sprinkled the gold on his cereal and it froze him. He was so upset he couldnt see his family he started to cry. His tear made him free and he returned home and he said that gold was good and money was good but not as much as being nice.

[Maddie Edgington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 2025 award winner starts off concerning, with the main character showing massive amounts of greed with no repercussions. While the final message is nice, it feels a bit too hidden for children to grasp without further guided discussion. The delivery of the words lacks an obvious shift in tone to keep kids engaged, but the illustration style is full of details and depictions to further understanding.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a tale obviously inspired by King Midas, a greedy kid doesn't care about kindness, friendship, or fairness---only about how much gold he can amass. When he builds his empire to Richie Rich-style proportions, he ends up seeing how hollow it all is without love or friendship, and reforms his greedy ways.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maximillian Midas is a rich kid of his own making. He's super greedy and gets his humbling comeuppance in the end. A good read aloud for holiday times and any time the focus should be on thankfulness and simplicity rather than consumerism and instant gratification. Read this and retire that ancient copy of Berenstain's "Get the gimmes."

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it).

This was a cute Shannon book! It's a retalling of the Midas story but it seems pretty current when you think about the US right now and how the middle class is disappearing. A good message about being nice to others.
I did find a few of the rhymes to be kind of awkward.

[Meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of King Midas with a good rhyme scheme and the classic David Shannon illustrations.
Maxie was a greedy boy obsessed with gold and material things, but then he realizes his need for human connection and using his wealth for good.
It begins as a story of a greedy kid who in the end redeems himself.

[skcocnaH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m surprised that at the time of my review (12/3/22) this book has a 3.46 overall rating. Though Shannon’s illustrative style has never been my favorite, the story is a great retelling of the Midas tale. Also, I know some people disagree with this, but I think the rhyming added to the story rather than detracted as some picture books do.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clever retelling of the King Midas myth features a plucky protagonist who lets greed take over his life until he learns how costly selfishness and narcissistic self-absorption can be. Quirky illustrations emphasize Max’s distorted worldview in thought-provoking ways, such as the exaggerated eyes (I’s).

[Anna W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxamillion Midas is consumed with gold. It was his first word, his first love. He spends all of his time acquiring more and more gold, and eventually -- SPOILER --









he turns into gold. By finding his way back to his roots. Main message (which I loved) is that sometimes being nice feels even better than having gold.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story to share with kids and talk about what really makes you happy. This is a story about a little boy named Maximillian Midas who loves everything that is gold. He is obsessed with gold and it isolates him from others and creates a lot of problems. The illustrations are colorful and hilarious. Highly recommended for Grades K-5.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous twist on the King Midas tale with a precocious 7-year-old who is all about gold. He is not kind or nice and when his obsession leads to disaster, there is no one there to help him--until he has almost lost everything. Max learns that there is value in other, perhaps no tangible things besides gold.

[Tori Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3.5 year old was obsessed with this when we got it from the library. I don't know if it's because of the little boy and shiny gold cover, the fact that it's a Shannon book, or the plot, but he had us read it a lot and also looked at the pages on his own a lot. It's a great kiddy version of Midas with the Shannon touch. A win all around.

[Dakota Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sadly disappointed in this book. I think very highly of many of David Shannon's older books, but I think this one fell short. There were many times in the book that I found myself confused as the book scenes felt forced and out of place. I did really enjoy the illustrations in the book, but this just wasn't my favorite!