Perfect Picture Book Friday - Lemonade In Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money

Woo hoo!  It's Friday!

And you know what that means...

Perfect Picture Books! :)

As you know, I'm trying to switch my blog over to Wordpress... http://susannahill.com/blog/ ...but there are (possibly insurmountable) issues, including the fact that I can't get a link list to appear over there.  So for today at least, I'm posting here as well so you can all add your links, and I'm going to try to add them manually to my post over there... I just won't get it done until late in the day or evening... and I wanted you to have visitors before that!

It will all work out eventually... :)

Meanwhile, I have the perfect picture book for a winter day :)  I especially love it because it reminds of when my kids did a very similar thing - set up a lemonade stand on the corner of a completely untraveled country road, certain they would make their fortune and with no inkling that they had no hope of a single customer.  (Of course, I couldn't bear for them to be out there waiting so hopefully only to get crushed with disappointment, so I made some phone calls to make sure at least a few cars came along full of thirsty passengers :)

Title: Lemonade In Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money
Written By: Emily Jenkins
Illustrated By: G. Brian Karas
Schwartz & Wade, September 2012, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: math/money, cooperation, hope, entrepreneurship

Opening: "An empty street.
Outside, a mean wind blows.
Icicles hang from the windowsills.
Inside, Pauline presses her nose to the frosted glass.
"I know!" she says.
"Let's have a lemonade stand.""

Brief Synopsis: Undeterred by the wintry weather, Pauline and her little brother John-John gather up all their quarters, buy supplies, and set up a lemonade stand.  Alas, customers are few and far between, forcing Pauline and John-John to be creative to try to increase sales.  In spite of their best efforts, they spend more than they earn... but they earn enough for something that pleases them both.

Links To Resources: the book itself is a resource in terms of showing creative business management :) - Pauline and John-John try advertising, sales, decorations, and entertainment.  It also shows money and math in action, and there is back matter in which "Pauline Explains Money To John-John."  Ask your child or students to think up their own business ideas.  What would they sell?  How would they go about it?  What supplies would they need?  How much would they need to charge and how much would they need to earn to make their business a success?

Why I Like This Book: This book is so cute, and so completely believably child-like!  Only kids, full of hope and belief in themselves and their abilities, would set up a lemonade stand in a howling snowstorm on a mostly deserted street :)  In spite of the poor odds, they're determined to make their business a success and come up with all kinds of creative ideas.  Unfortunately in the end they learn a hard lesson about business... but at least something good comes of it (which I hate to give away, but it's so cute I have to tell you - they lose money, but have enough for two popsicles - the perfect treat in a snowstorm, apparently :))

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

(And at some point tomorrow, Sunday or Monday, I will post the promised new writing contest guidelines!  I'm trying desperately to scrounge up some prizes for you! :))