I’m really excited to present this post in the Nutshell series! Reach for The Stars was written by a physician- Dr Michele Cho-Dorado- and it always makes me immensely proud to shine a light on the amazing work our colleagues put out, outside of doctoring.
When I was doing some work in the realm of kids and finance, all the research says that one of the biggest hurdles is that parents do not know how to broach the subject of money with their children. Especially the very little ones.
The research also says that the earlier we start, the better it is. In fact, preschool age children are already able to grasp some of the basic concepts of money and finance. They are beginning to understand numbers, counting, the concepts of more and less, denominations of money. And those lay the foundation for more as they grow.
And that’s when reading some books on money for kids really pays off. They can play off those concepts with the stories of little kids, like themselves.
Dr Cho-Dorado has written a beautiful, engaging story that will capture the imaginations of little kids and their parents alike. What I love about the story of Mimi, the little girl who is the protagonist in the book, is that it focuses on a few very important things apart from saving and investing.
There are a bunch of good books geared towards this age group, kindergarten through early elementary years (Dr Cho-Dorado recommends the book for ages 3-8yrs)- but most of them stop with the concept of saving and a few touch upon entrepreneurship. I understand why- for the general audience, these are the biggest take aways. Savings rate is dismal among adults- so they want to focus on inculcating frugality and saving early on.
Reach for The Stars takes it a notch further and brings up the beautiful pieces of friendship and giving- along with persistence in saving and investing. I love how the author weaves that in within the story- thereby reminding us all that it’s okay to get to the goalpost a little bit later, than you may otherwise have. If you can take a friend along with you or make a difference to someone else on your way to your dreams, do it.
You will still reach for the stars.
Dr Michele Cho-Dorado has teamed up with a talented illustrator who brings the story to life with her pictures.
The book is perfect bedtime reading material and you can supplement it with more information and resources on the author’s website: www.BrightFuturesEDG.com. She has some fun activities for kids, downloadable resources and the most adorable Reach for the Stars merch, including a money saving box and a canvas tote. It also has a blog section, where she has written posts on more topics to talk to your kids about.
I can’t wait to get this book in the hands of my little niece and nephew, it will be perfect for them! If you’ve been wondering where to start from with talking to your kids about finances, this is a great start! Check it out on Amazon.com. Your little one will love you for it and you’ll be supporting a physician mom!
[This post has affiliate links to Amazon: which means if you go the links here, it may compensate me a few pennies, at no extra cost to you. ]