The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Lucky Beans
~Quick Economic Lessons ~
Book Synopsis: Times are tough in the Loman house during the 1930’s. Marshall’s dad has lost his job,
there is very little money, and it seems that all there is to eat is beans. Marshall’s opinion of beans
improves when he spies a poster in the window of a local furniture store. It is promoting a contest:
HOW MANY BEANS ARE IN THE JAR? WIN THIS BRAND NEW SEWING MACHINE! Using skills he learned
in math class, Marshall helps his family win the new resource that will help earn much needed income.
NOTES: These lessons are based on the book Lucky Beans by Becky Birtha (Albert Whitman & Company,
2010). It is beneficial to read the book (seven-eight minutes) to the students prior to introducing the
activities. At the end of the book there is an excellent one page explanation of the Great Depression
that is appropriate for grades 2-7.
Lesson I Productive Resources
TIME REQUIRED: 20-25 minutes.
OBJECTIVES:
The student will define the terms human resources, natural resources and capital resources.
The students will complete an activity sheet reviewing productive resources.
MATERIALS:
Prepared activity sheets
Productive resources posters found at:
http://www.highsmith.com/pdf/librarysparks/2007/lsp_mar07_lessons.pdf
PROCEDURE:
1. Prepare the materials prior to class.
2. Display and discuss the information on the Productive Resources Posters.
3. Distribute the activity sheet, Productive Resources. Read the directions and ask for questions.
Allow time to complete the activity.
4. Check for understanding. Connective lines should be drawn between: Furniture Repairman and
Cook (Human Resources), Beans and Water (Natural Resources), Sewing Machine and Stove
(Capital Resources)
Activity Sheet-
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Productive Resources
Directions: Draw a line connecting the things that are alike. On the connecting line write the
correct productive resource of each pair: Natural, Capital or Human.
Human Resources-People Who Work
Natural Resources-Gifts from Nature
Capital Resources Buildings-Tools-Machines
Water
Furniture Repairman
Stove
Beans
Sewing Machine
Cook
Extra Credit Activities:
List three other examples of human, natural, and capital resources found in the story.
What if Marshall’s estimation had been wrong? Write another ending to the story.
Write a poem that includes these words: Great Depression, Beans, Sewing Machine, Contest,
and Jar.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Lesson II Opportunity Cost
TIME REQUIRED: 25-30 minutes.
OBJECTIVES:
The student will be introduced to the concept of opportunity cost: “In a choice, the benefit expected
form the highest valued alternative forgone; or what you give up when you make a choice.”
MATERIALS:
Prepared color sheets (duplicated front-to-back)
Crayons or colored pencils
Scissors
ECONOMIC CONCEPTS:
Because we cannot have everything we want (scarcity), we must make choices. Each time we
make a choice, we give something up. There is always a next best alternative when making any
choice. The value of this next best alternative (or second favorite choice) is the opportunity cost.
PROCEDURE:
1. Prepare the materials prior to class. These color sheets can be found at the publisher’s website:
http://www.albertwhitman.com/resources/BookResources/1/3/documents/luckybeans2.pdf
2. Distribute the activity sheet and coloring tools.
3. Instruct the students to color both sides to the best of their ability. When the students are
finished, give them a pair a scissors and inform them they must cut out ONE of their creations
for display. Explain that the other side will be destroyed, so the chance to display that side will
be their opportunity cost.
4. Display student work on a bulletin board titled “Lucky Beans Opportunity Cost”.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Lesson III Saving and Estimating
OBJECTIVES:
The student will participate in a class saving activity.
The student will use problem solving skill to estimate the number of pennies in a jar.
MATERIALS:
Pennies (donated by students)
Quart jar
¼ cup measuring device
ECONOMIC CONCEPTS: People save money to buy something later. Savings is the part of income not
spent on taxes or consumption. Large purchases often require patience and sacrifice in the present to
reap rewards in the future. The future benefits make it worthwhile to sacrifice some current spending
since using savings rather than loans or credit allows consumers to keep their overall cost low.
PROCEDURE:
1. Introduce the lesson by putting a quart jar on your desk. Draw attention to the jar by “loudly”
placing pennies in it.
2. Tell the students that it would be fun to see how many pennies it would take to fill up the jar.
Inform them, just like the Mr. Kaplan in the book Luck Beans, you would like to have a contest to
discover who could make the best guess to the amount of items in a jar. Tell the students that
they may only put pennies in the jar and the contest will not start until the jar is full. (It may be
wise to inform parents that you are collecting pennies for a class project.) Explain that because
the pennies in jar are not being spent, that they are being saved.
3. Keep measuring cups and empty jars handy for those students who would like to follow
Marshall’s problem solving technique.
4. Once the jar is full ask the students to write down their estimation of the number of pennies in
the jar. Also, there may be some students who would rather count the pennies in the jar than
make a guess. Allow them to do so after the entries have been turned in. These students
should be rewarded for their effort with extra credit points, being first in line for lunch, extra
computer time, or something similar.
5. The student who has the nearest estimate wins. The winning student may donate the pennies
to a school field trip fund, to the library for the purchase of a book, or some other project.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Potato: A Tale of the Great Depression
By Kate Lied
Book Synopsis: Dorothy, an eight-year-old from Kansas, sets off for Idaho with her family in a borrowed
car when her father loses his job and cannot find another. There they work hard day and night picking
the potatoes that will help them survive the Great Depression.
Lesson Introduction: Assuming the role of a person living during the Great Depression, students will
participate in two exchanges; first bartering then purchasing items on their shopping list using money.
Objectives:
The student will understand the concept of barter, or trade
The student will discover that bartering can be time consuming and difficult
The student will discover the merits of using money as a means of exchange
The student will be introduced to the various goods traded during the Great Depression
Materials:
Student Shopping Lists
Student Merchant Labels
Sets of Product Cards
Sets of Money Cards
Colored Paper
Envelopes (two for each student)
Optional- the book Potato: Tale of the Great Depression by Kate Lied
Lesson Preparation:
Create Visuals.
Copy and cut out shopping lists using colored paper. (Two per student)
Copy and cut out Merchant Labels. (two per student)
Make copies of Product Cards. Cut out. To determine the number to make, take the number of
copies of the Shopping Lists made and multiply by five. In each round, each student will need five
product cards for the product they are trading.
Make copies of the Money Card Sheet. Each student needs three of these cards for the second
round.
Prepare two sets of envelopes so that each student will receive one envelope in each of the two
rounds of the game. Label the envelopes, “Round 1” and Round 2”. For Round 1, place a
Shopping List, a Merchant’s Badge and the five matching Product Cards in the corresponding
envelopes.
Create Round 2 envelopes just as you did for Round 1; add three money cards to each Round 2
envelope.
Lesson Procedure:
1. Introduce the lesson by reading Potato: Tale of the Great Depression by Kate Lied to the
students.
2. Tell students that they will be taking part in a simulation during which each of them will be a
person living during the Great Depression. There were no Wal-Marts during this time and very
few people had money. Therefore, most people tried to produce all that they needed to exist
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
on small family farms. Sometimes they produced more than they needed, which allowed them
to take their surplus goods to market to try to trade for things they couldn’t produce.
3. Conduct Round 1 : Bartering
Explain to the students that each one will receive an envelope containing what they will be
trading, five units of their product (blanket, gas, coffee, etc.) and a shopping list of items they
want to gather. Remind students that all people have different wants based on their personal
tastes and preferences, so one student’s shopping list may be completely different from another
student’s list. (Students will not have any money during the Round 1 of trading.) Each person
has come to town to trade surplus goods to get some more of the things that they want. The
products available for trade are:
 Coats
Blankets
Cloth
 Gas
Books
Boots
 Flour
Potatoes
Coffee
(All these products were in demand during the Great Depression.)
Explain to the students that the objective of the game is to get all five items on their shopping
lists. In this game items generally trade one for one. However, students will find that they will
not always be able to trade directly. They might have to trade for something they don’t want or
need so that they can trade again for something they do want. Explain that the first student to
complete their shopping list should say, “I got it! I got it!” at which time all trading should stop
while the teacher checks that student’s shopping list.
Give each student a Round 1 envelope. Students may hold it up as an advertisement during the
activity.
Open the market by announcing: “Let the trading begin!”
Round 1 will end when a student has successfully completed his/her shopping list. Talk with the
students about what kinds of problems they experienced during this round of trading. Talk
about why they experienced these difficulties.
4. Round 2: Purchasing Goods with Money
Tell students that they are going back to the market with their surplus products to trade, but
this time they will also have three units of “knife money” to help them complete their shopping
list. Hand out Round 2 envelopes.
Open the market. The round will end when the first student has satisfied his/her shopping list.
Again, discuss what happened in this round. Was it easier to get the things the students
wanted? Why?
Collect envelopes and cards for reuse.
5. Closure: About Money
At the conclusion of Round 2, talk with the students about which round of the game was easier.
Compare how long it took them to complete their shopping lists in each round.
Summarize the activity by discussing how money makes it easier to get the things we want.
Lesson Extensions & Notes:
The Federal Reserve Book of St. Louis has an online lesson based on this book that can be found here:
http://www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources/assets/lesson_plans/Potato.pdf
The bartering activity is based on a lesson in Adventures in Economics and U.S. History, Vol 1: Colonial
America from Econfun found at http://econ-fun.com/
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Activity Cards
The Great Depression
Shopping Lists
You have:
5 Coats
You have:
5 blankets
You have:
5 bolts of cloth
Trade until you have:
1 bag of flour
1 blanket
1 gallon of gas
1 bag of coffee
1 bolt of cloth
Trade until you have:
1 coat
1 pair of boots
1 bag of flour
1 bolt of cloth
1 bushel of potatoes
Trade until you have:
1 bushel of potatoes
1 pair of boots
1 book
1 coat
1 blanket
You have:
5 gallons of gas
You have:
5 books
You have:
5 pair of boots
Trade until you have:
1 bolt of cloth
1 pair of boots
1 bag of flour
1 bag of coffee
1 bushel of potatoes
Trade until you have:
1 gallon of gas
1 coat
1 blanket
1 pair of boots
1 bag of coffee
Trade until you have:
1 bushel of potatoes
1 bolt of cloth
1 book
1 blanket
1 bag of flour
You have:
5 bags of flour
You have:
5 bushels of potatoes
You have:
5 bags of coffee
Trade until you have:
1 book
1 bag of coffee
1 pair of boots
1 coat
1 gallon of gas
Trade until you have:
1 bolt of cloth
1 bag of coffee
1 blanket
1 gallon of gas
1 book
Trade until you have:
1 bushel of potatoes
1 coat
1 bag of flour
1 book
1 gallon of gas
Activity Cards
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
The Great Depression
Goods for Trade
Coats
for
Sale
Blankets
Gasoline
for
Sale
for
Sale
Cloth
for
Sale
Books
for
Sale
Boots
for
Sale
Flour
for
Sale
Potatoes Coffee
for
for
Sale
Sale
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Activity Cards
This is:
This is:
This is:
1 Gallon of Gas
One Coat
This is
One Blanket
This is:
This is:
Pair of Boots
One Bolt of Cloth
This is:
One Book
This is:
This is:
One Bag of Flour
One Bushel of Potatoes
Activity Cards
One Bag of Coffee
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Money
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
Money Card
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Uncle Jed’s Barber Shop
By Margaree King Mitchell
Economic Choices
Uncle Jed Makes a Choice
Story Synopsis: Told in the voice of young Sarah Jean, this tale of perseverance features her remarkable
Uncle Jed. The story chronicles life in the segregated South as the reader learns of the hardships of
segregation and the heartbreak of losing hard earned money when the banks fail on the outset of the
Great Depression. Finally, at the age of 79, Uncle Jed saves enough to achieve his goal of opening his
own barbershop.
Time Required: 25-30 minutes
Grade Level: 3-6
Objectives:
The student will be introduced to the concepts of costs and benefits.
The student will complete a group activity based on a class-created Cost-Benefit Analysis Chart.
The student will make an independent decision.
Materials:
Visual Uncle Jed’s Barbershop Cost-Benefit Analysis
Choice Cards- Printed on cardstock
Copy(s) of Uncle Jed’s Barbershop for student reference
Procedure:
1. Prepare and collect materials prior to class. Reproduce the visual and choice cards.
2. Introduce the lesson by reading Uncle Jed’s Barbershop to the students. This takes 4-5 minutes.
3. Display the cost-benefit analysis visual and read the introduction and directions. Review the
terms Cost, Benefit and Alternative. Solicit responses from the students concerning the possible
costs and benefits of each alternative and record the answers.
Possible responses include:
Alternative 1
Spend $300 for the operation
Benefits
Advantages
or
Good Points
 Save Sarah Jean’s life
 Set a good example in case you ever get sick
and need an operation
 Sarah Jean may write a book about you when
she grows up
 It’s more important to help others now than to
save money for the future
Costs
Disadvantages
or
Bad Points
 Sarah Jean may not appreciate what you did.
 Sarah Jean could never get better
 Your dream of opening a barbershop will be
delayed
 Other family members may expect you to help
them in times of need
Alternative 2
Save $300 toward the purchase of a
barbershop
 You will be able to open your own shop
sooner
 If you owned your own shop, you would be
able to help more people
 You could set an example to others about
the importance of saving money
 Sarah Jean could get better and you could
then help her go to college when she grew up
 Sarah Jean’s parents might not be able to
borrow money from anyone else
 Sarah Jean could die
 You could lose respect from friends and
family and they would not want you to be their
barber
 You could get sick yourself and then have to
spend the money anyway
4. Discuss their responses and then ask the students to pretend that they were Uncle Jed and they
had to make the decision concerning their hard earned $300.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
5. Tell the students that they are going to vote with their feet. Read the choice cards to the
students, placing each card in a difference corner of the room.
6. Ask the students to vote with their feet, which means getting out of their seats standing by the
choice card they think would be the best decision Uncle Jed could make to achieve his goal.
7. Allow the students in each group to quickly discuss why they selected this choice. Ask each
group to share with the class why they choose that option and what were the incentives for that
choice.
8. Conclude the lesson by asking the students if there could have been any other choices for these
characters to make in this situation.
9. Remind students that all choices have costs and benefits.
Extension Activities:
Challenge the students to create a list of at least five “real life” situations that require some
serious decision making. Possible topics could include: packing a lunch vs. buying the school
lunch, riding the school bus vs. walking to school, doing homework right after school vs. playing
games with friends.
Choice Cards:
Give the $300 to Sarah Jane’s parents for her operation.
(It would be a gift, no strings attached.)
Give the $300 to Sarah Jane’s parents for her operation.
(But require that they sign a paper stating that they will pay you back.)
Keep the $300. It will help you open your own barbershop.
(Being a business owner may allow you to make money that can help others in
the future.)
Use the $300 to move away from the Segregated South.
(During the 1920’s there are more opportunities for entrepreneurship in
Northern states.)
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Visual-
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop
Cost-Benefit Analysis
In Uncle Jed’s Barbershop Sarah Jean’s uncle must decide if he is going to pay the $300 needed for her
emergency surgery, or keep this money to help him achieve his goal of opening his own barbershop.
What should he do? Help him decide by filling in this chart with some of the advantages and
disadvantages of the two possible alternatives (choices).
Alternative 1
Spend $300 for the
operation
Alternative 2
Save $300 toward the purchase
of a barbershop
Benefits 















Advantages
or
Good Points
Costs
Disadvantages
or
Bad Points
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Story Synopsis: The Great Depression is in full swing and ten-year-old Bud Caldwell has been living in a
Flint, Michigan orphanage since his mother died when he was six. When life in a new foster home
becomes intolerable, Bud takes his suitcase and runs away. He soon makes his way to a soup kitchen.
Next he visits the library to do some research, as he tries to discover the identity of his father.
Eventually he finds himself at the local Hooverville where, because of his fixation with the items in his
suitcase, he misses hopping a freight train to Chicago. Determined to find his father, makes the decision
to walk to Grand Rapids, where he hopes to find his father who he believes to be the renowned
bandleader, Herman E. Calloway. Along the way he meets many interesting and helpful people and in
the end discovers and becomes a part of a family.
~Economic Concepts Round Table~
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Materials:
Prepared Economic Round Table cards. (Ideally copied on card stock and laminated.)
Copy of Economic Round Table Answer Grid for teacher use.
Optional: Multiple copies of the book Bud, Not Buddy for interested students to read.
Objectives:
The student will participate in a prepared question and answer activity focusing on economic
concepts in the book, Bud, Not Buddy, which is set during The Great Depression.
Economic Concepts:
Barter- the direct trading of goods and services between people
Capital Resources - manmade resources such tools, buildings, and vehicles used in production
Choice – a personal decision to use a limited resource.
Entrepreneur – person who comes up with an idea for a better service or product, or a better
way to produce one. The entrepreneur organizes the natural, human, and capital resources
needed to produce that good or service.
Incentive – the action or reward that determines a choice
Opportunity Cost - the real cost of a choice. It is the next best alternative that is given up—the
lost opportunity.
Services - physically intangible things such as medical care, haircuts, and education.
Scarcity – the condition of limited resources. Because resources are limited, people must make
choices
Procedure:
1. Prepare Economic Round Table cards ahead of class. These cards can be copied and cut in
horizontal strips. Each card should have a question and an answer. For example the first card
should have the question: [Times are hard in Flint, Michigan in 1936. Ten-year-old Bud
Caldwell’s mother has died and he is struggling to survive. During what period in American
history was he living?] on one side and the answer to another card’s question, [Bud was amazed
by the amount food available at the restaurant because in his experience there was not enough
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
2.
3.
4.
5.
food to satisfy the needs most people during the Great Depression. This is an example of
scarcity.] on the other side.
Introduce the lesson by saying to the students “Today we will be doing an activity based on the
book Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. You do not have had to read the book to
participate in the activity, but you do need to be a good listener because this lesson focuses on
the economic concepts that take place in the story.”
Distribute the prepared cards to the students.
Instruct the student with the card labeled 1st Question Asked to read this card to the class.
(Keep a copy of the Answer Grid at hand to help with the progression of the game.) The student
with the card that states, [This period history is called The Great Depression. It began in 1929
and continued through the 1930s and was a time of great hardship for many Americans]
answers the question. Then that student asks the question written on the other side of the
card. This continues until the student who asked the first question answers the last one.
Review the economic terms on the cards to check for student understanding.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Front of Card
Back of Card
1st Question Asked: Times are hard in Flint,
Michigan in 1936. Ten-year-old Bud Caldwell’s
mother has died and he is struggling to survive.
During what period in American history was he
living?
Answer: Bud was amazed by the amount food
available at the restaurant because in his
experience there was not enough food to satisfy
the needs most people during the Great
Depression. This is an example of scarcity.
Question: What choices does Bud have when he
is placed in an unfit foster home?
Answer: This period history is called The Great
Depression. It began in 1929 and continued
through the 1930s and was a time of great
hardship for many Americans.
Answer: Bud can stay in the foster home, report
the mistreatment to authorities, or run away. He
chooses to run away.
Question: What was Bud’s incentive for trying to
find his father?
Question: While in Hooverville, a makeshift camp
for homeless people, Bud traded a hot meal for
his labor. He washed the dishes. What is another
name for this type of trade?
Answer: Bud’s incentive, the action that
determined the choice he made, was his desire to
be part of a family.
Question: What was Bud’ s opportunity cost for
staying with his suitcase rather than joining the
other people climbing aboard the train bound for
Chicago?
Answer: Bud was bartering when he agreed to
wash the dishes in exchange for a hot meal.
Question: Bud thinks Herman E. Calloway is his
father. What does Mr. Calloway, the leader of a
popular jazz band, do to earn money?
Answer: Bud’s opportunity cost, the next best
alternative that is given up, was returning to
Hooverville.
Question: The musicians in the jazz band used a
piano, a saxophone, and drums to make
wonderful music. What type of resources are
these musical instruments?
Answer: Herman E. Calloway and his band, The
Dusky Devastators of the Depression, provide a
service. They make people happy with their
entertaining music.
Question: Lefty Lewis, the kind person who
rescued Bud, created a job for himself as a
courier who brings needed blood to hospitals. He
is an example of what kind of business person?
Question: Why was Bud amazed at the delicious
meal that was served to him at the Sweet Pea
Restaurant?
Answer: These musical instruments are capital
resources; manmade resources such tools,
buildings, and vehicles used in production.
Answer: A person like Lefty Lewis who organizes,
operates, and assumes the risk for a business
venture is called an entrepreneur.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Economic Round Table Answer Grid
1st Question Asked: Times are hard in Flint,
Michigan in 1936. Ten-year-old Bud Caldwell’s
mother has died and he is struggling to survive.
During what period in American history was he
living?
Answer: This period history is called The Great
Depression. It began in 1929 and continued
through the 1930s and was a time of great
hardship for many Americans.
Question: What choices does Bud have when he is
placed in an unfit foster home?
Answer: Bud can stay in the foster home, report
the mistreatment to authorities, or run away. He
chooses to run away.
Question: What was Bud’s incentive for trying to
find his father?
Answer: Bud’s incentive, the action that
determined the choice he made, was his desire to
be part of a family.
Question: While in Hooverville, a makeshift camp
for homeless people, Bud traded a hot meal for his
labor. He washed the dishes. What is another
name for this type of trade?
Answer: Bud was bartering when he agreed to
wash the dishes in exchange for a hot meal.
Question: What was Bud’ s opportunity cost for
staying with his suitcase rather than joining the
other people climbing aboard the train bound for
Chicago?
Answer: Bud’s opportunity cost, the next best
alternative that is given up, was returning to
Hooverville.
Question: Bud thinks Herman E. Calloway is his
father. What does Mr. Calloway, the leader of a
popular jazz band, do to earn money?
Answer: Herman E. Calloway and his band, The
Dusky Devastators of the Depression, provide a
service. They make people happy with their
entertaining music.
Question: The musicians in the jazz band used a
piano, a saxophone, and drums to make wonderful
music. What type of resources are these musical
instruments?
Answer: These musical instruments are capital
resources; manmade resources such tools,
buildings, and vehicles used in production.
Question: Lefty Lewis, the kind person who rescued
Bud, created a job for himself as a courier who
brings needed blood to hospitals. He is an example
of what kind of business person?
Question: Why was Bud amazed at the delicious
meal that was served to him at the Sweet Pea
Restaurant?
Answer: A person like Lefty Lewis who organizes,
operates, and assumes the risk for a business
venture is called an entrepreneur.
Answer: Bud was amazed by the amount food
available at the restaurant because in his
experience there was not enough food to satisfy
the needs most people during the Great
Depression. This is an example of scarcity.
The “Not So” Great Depression: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Economic Concepts
Children’s Books of The Great Depression
Title
Author
Copyright &
Publisher
Grade
Level
Al Capone Does My
Shirts
Choldenko,
Gennifer
2004, Putnam
4-7
Setting: California, 1935
Economic Concepts:
Market, Jobs, Choices
Bud, Not Buddy
Curtis,
Christopher
Paul
Levine, Gail
Carson
1999,
Delacorte Press
4-7
Setting: Michigan, 1936
Economic Concepts: Money,
Bartering, Opportunity Cost
2001, Harper
Collins
4-7
Esperanza Rising
Ryan, Pam
Munoz
2002, Blue Sky
Press
4-7
A Long Way to
Chicago
Peck, Richard
2004, Puffin
4-7
Lucky Beans
Birtha, Becky
2010, Albert
Whitman
[picture book]
Setting: New York City, during the
Harlem Renaissance
Economic Concepts: Scarcity,
Opportunity Cost, Incentives
Setting: Mexico & California- 1930
Economic Concepts: Wages, Saving,
Opportunity Cost, Investment
Setting: 1929, Illinois
Economic Concepts: Scarcity,
Choices, Saving
Setting: Northern City, 1930’s
Economic Concepts: Scarcity,
Opportunity Cost, Choices, Capital
Resources
Setting: Oklahoma, 1934-1935
Economic Concepts: Choices,
Opportunity Cost, Scarcity
Setting: Luray, Missouri- 1925
Economic Concepts: Earning,
Productive Resources
Opportunity Cost, Saving,
Setting: Iowa & Idaho -1930s
Economic Concepts: Jobs, Bartering,
Scarcity
Setting: Midwest, 1933
Economic Concepts:
Auction, Savings
Dave at Night
2-5
Out of the Dust
Hesse, Karen
1997,
Scholastic
4-7
The Pickle Patch
Bathtub
Kennedy,
Frances
2004, Tricycle
Press
[picture book]
Potato: A Tale from
the Great Depression
Lied, Kate
Houghton
Mifflin, 1999
[picture book]
Saving Strawberry
Farm
Hopkinson,
Deborah
Uncle Jed’s
Barbershop
Mitchell,
Margaree King
2005,
Greenwillow
Books
1993, Simon &
Schuster
A Year Down Yonder
Peck, Richard
2002, Puffin
K-4
K-3
2-5
[picture book]
2-6
[picture book]
4-7
Notes
Setting: Mississippi, 1920’s- 1970’s
Economic Concepts: Saving, Bank
Failure
Setting: Illinois, 1937
Economic Concepts: Civilian
Conservation Corps