Book of the Week - The Stolen Smell

The Stolen Smell

(Story Cove: a World of Stories) (Paperback)by Martha Hamilton (Author)

This story was recently featured on Between the Lions, a learning show on PBS. This is a great story for teaching kids about money.

Quick Synopsis: a boy enjoys the smells from a treat shop, but doesn't buy anything. The storekeeper feels ripped off, so takes the boy to court. The judge grants in the shopkeepers favor, but the damages end up being quite fair. The boy may enjoy the smells as much as he wants, but each time he has to pay the shopkeeper with the sound of money!

Here are some questions to get a discussion about money going:

Wouldn't it be funny if we had to pay for things we smelled?

Was that a fair decision that the judge made?

How do you feel about paying for things you don't get to keep?

What about musicians, or artists, how can they make money?

Are there other times that we pay money to see things, or hear things, or feel things that we don't get to keep?

Depending on their age you could go in a different direction:

What if somebody made a smell you didn't like? Would they pay you?

How much would you charge for something that you made, but didn't have to give up?

Which do you think has more value, something you get to hold, or something you see, hear or smell?

Reading books with kids is a great way to bring in those teachable moments. You can check out this book from your local library, or watch it on YouTube.