Himalia’s Dream Venture is the first book in my new, financial literacy series for children, just in time for the holiday gift giving season and beyond. Often times, we find that when there are young children in our lives, they may ask questions that some adults may feel unequipped to answer or there may be the feeling that since the questions are about money matters, children don’t need to know the answers.
There may also be the perspective that children will not understand the details, when attempting to answer their questions. Hence, this financial literacy, children’s book series tackles such financial questions directly. For example, in the first book entitled Himalia’s Dream Venture, the protagonist, Himalia, spends the day running errands with her mother including a visit to the bank to open a savings account, payment of rent for her family’s living space and a stop for ice cream.
The savings account is for Himalia, as she has been putting her allowance in her piggy bank. Her mother wants her to have a bank account so that Himalia can better understand how to save and what various accounts consist of. As they are handling these activities, Himalia asks questions such as why do I need a bank account, what is a debit card, what is a checking account, what is rent and more! As her mother is overwhelmed with the tasks at hand, while they are running errands, she is not able to answer all of Himalia’s questions right away and appeases her daughter with a trip to the ice cream parlor.
Subsequently, Himalia is advised by her parents, at the end of an exhausting day and before she goes to sleep, to explore getting the answers to all of her questions of the day, pertaining to money matters, in her dreams. Through Himalia’s dream the answers are found in imaginative, ways, that serve to educate her and the readers as they enjoy this venture with her. The book is written in simple, straightforward language. Hence, as Himalia comes to understand the answers to her questions, so do the readers.
Together, Himalia’s and the children who enjoy the book, learn about what are seemingly complex money matters.
When Himalia took her questions to her dreams she met a dolphin, a panther and a flamingo, who while she was awake, were people that she and her mother met during the day! As her parents greet her with a special surprise, the next day, after her dream, she has something to share with them too as they wonder how she knows all of the answers to her many financial questions, from the day before. It is a story filled with fun, learning, love and the joy of a happy home for Himalia, her mom and dad and maybe one small guest in the future!
So, if you have little ones in your life, and agree that financial literacy is very important for children, I think you will find this book is filled with colorful images, easy to read, a fun learning tool and a great holiday present. iI is available at Amazon.com, in paperback, <https://www.amazon.com/Himalias-Venture-Childrens-Financial-Literacy/dp/0578402009/> for the children in your life. Children can read it by themselves or parents/teachers/librarians, etc. can have fun reading it to them. The second book in the series is in progress and I am having as much fun writing and illustrating it as I did with this first one. Check out the last page of this first book in this new financial literacy series for children, Himalia’s Dream Venture, to find out the title of the second one.
Dr. Patti Rose acquired her Master’s Degree (MPH) from Yale University, followed by her Doctorate (Ed.D) from Columbia University, Teachers College. She is the author of several books, including, Cultural Competency for Health Administration and Public Health, Cultural Competency for the Health Professions, Health Disparities and Diversity: Context, Controversies and Solutions, First Edition (the second edition will be released in 2020), all published by Jones and Bartlett Learning. She is delighted to have written and illustrated Himalia’s Dream Venture and is working on book two of this financial literacy series for children to be released soon.
