A Dime Through Time

Follow the money (literally!) in this intriguing informational picture book that explores the journey of a single dime through its many owners over the decades.

A shiny new dime minted in the 1950s makes its way from one owner to the next as it travels across the country, and even across the world, in this fascinating look at a single coin’s journey over time. In its first few decades, the dime’s young owners see it as valuable, able to purchase a merry-go-round ride, a freshly printed comic book or a bag of candy. But as the years pass, the dime becomes less useful to the people who receive it, eventually ending up in a garage sale coin jar in the 2000s. The dime’s experiences provide a fun and unique way to explore the many ways money is used, how its value continuously changes and how central it is in people’s lives.

Author Jennifer Harris artfully employs an engaging fictional narrative about a dime to teach young children about key financial literacy concepts. Covered here are inflation, saving versus spending, the difference between wants and needs, and the cost of living, with examples that children can relate to. This book has cross-curricular applications in social studies, early numeracy, measurement and financial decision-making. Udayana Lugo’s colorful illustrations are loaded with historical details that bring each decade to life. Supplementary content at the end of the book contains an explanation of why prices increase, as well as an interactive game that asks readers to consider how they would spend their dime in each decade.