The Money We’ll Save

In December many hunt for books both to read and to give as gifts. Well, if you are hunting for a picture book for four- to eight-year-olds and could use a good laugh, I recommend the book of the day, Brock Cole’s The Money We’ll Save. I laughed so much the first time that I read this story I literally started to cry.

In a saga about a dysfunctional family living in a nineteenth-century New York City tenement, Ma needs two eggs and a half a pound of flour. All the children—Bailey, Bridget, Pearl, and baby Arthur—are busy, so she sends Pa to the store. She tells him to be careful shopping, because they need every penny they have since Christmas is on the way. Well, Pa manages to avoid a lot of temptations, but the chicken man convinces him to buy a turkey poult that can be fattened up for Christmas dinner. And, so, Pa returns, pleased as punch, thinking of the money they will save.

Although by now readers have an inkling that trouble is about to ensue, Cole plays out the rest of the story brilliantly. The family puts the bird, now named Alfred, in a wooden box by the stove. Soon Alfred, who quickly becomes a mess and a glutton, has to be placed in a pen on the fire escape. They hang the pen on a clothesline for a week, and then must bring the bird into their apartment. Alfred gets the bedroom, and the family moves into the kitchen. As the story unfolds, viewers watch with delight as the home, once ordered and neat, becomes chaotic and crowded. And, of course, in the end the children have no desire to eat their friend Alfred for dinner. Fortunately, a perfect ending rounds out this romp of a tale.

Brock Cole does so many things well in this book. He uses delicious language and sentences. He develops characters in both art and picture. He tells a story that you can read again and again, savoring it each time. In this holiday season, where many may have to think about economy, he reminds us of the true spirit of these days. He even gets turkeys right! Unfortunately, wild turkeys stalk the streets of my suburb, pecking at car tires and creating havoc. Never have I seen anyone capture these creatures so well in a book.

I’m happy to have a title that reminds me why the picture book format is so special, with its wonderful blend between text and art. And think of the money you’ll save by buying a book that you can read again and again and pass down to the next generation!

Here’s a page from The Money We’ll Save: