My Rows and Piles of Coins

  

Tonight I had story time with just the boys.  As we settled on the sofa, Lucas picked out a book for us to read.   My Rows and Piles of Coins is the story of a young boy who lives in Tanzania.  He helps his mom at the market every Saturday, and when it's a good day, he receives a few coins as a thank you for his hard work.  He saves and saves his coins, counting them and dreaming of what he will buy. 

Unlike past attempts at reading this book, Keandre was riveted.  He is old enough now to start to apprecaite the illustrations, and studied every page and even asked a few questions.  E. B. Lewis is a talented artist, and every page was rich with detail.  It is easy to see why this book received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award!

Afterward, I asked Lucas and Keandre what they liked most about the story.  Keandre pointed to the little boy's legs and said, "He's the same color!"  Lucas said that he likes the way the little boy saves all his coins and counts them up and thinks so much about what he would like to buy.  That is just like Lucas, and I love that this was just one more reminder that children all over the world have things in common.