Benny's Pennies

Benny had five pennies to spend. His family told him to buy something beautiful, good to eat, nice to wear, and the dog and cat said their respective woofs and meows. So, Benny went off to spend his money. Is that a good lesson? I mean, that is what I would do, but shouldn't we teach children about saving? Anyway, Benny buys a beautiful rose, a cookie, a paper hat, a meaty bone, and a fish with each of his pennies. He takes them home and gives them all the the person/animal that asked for it. He keeps nothing for himself. I suppose that it is good lesson to be charitable even if all the money is gone. I would be interested in the thoughts of the children on each item only costing a penny. Would that be believable for them?

Fish Wish

"If I lived on a coral reef," is the focus of this book. The narrator describes the different sea animals and plants he would see. The illustrations are large and child oriented. They are the highlight of the book. I would use this as an independent reading book for the Ocean unit. It does not contain a lot of information, but is well done for a simple ocean book. One great aspect of the book is the fish glossary at the end. It gives information about each fish listed in the book.
Barner, B. (2000) Fish Wish. Scholastic: New York.