Grandpa Pig’s Reading List: 26 Books (and 2 Games) That Teach Kids About Money

Clint Greenleaf
1 day ago
4 min read

“Good investors always do their research!” — Grandpa Pig

Before the Three Little Pigs invested a single coin, they went to the library and read every book on Grandpa’s list. Here’s our version — our favorite books about money, saving, and investing, organized by age, plus a few games that make the lessons stick. Build your own reading list with your child, just like the Pigs did.

Start here: Give, Save, Spend with the Three Little Pigs — the Benjamin Franklin Award–winning first book in our series, where the Pigs learn to divide every dollar between their Give, Save, and Spend piggy banks. It’s the foundation everything on this list builds on.

Picture Books & Early Readers (Ages 4–8)

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams — A family saves coins in a big jar toward one special goal. A gentle classic about saving with purpose.
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst — Alexander gets a dollar and watches it disappear, nickel by nickel. The funniest cautionary tale about spending ever written.
Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells — Max and Ruby’s shopping trip shows what happens when the money runs out before the list does.
Curious George Saves His Pennies by Margret & H. A. Rey — George saves up for a special treat and learns that good things take time.
One Cent, Two Cents, Old Cent, New Cent by Bonnie Worth — The Cat in the Hat explains the history of money in rollicking rhyme.
The Four Money Bears by Mac Gardner — Saver, Spender, Investor, and Giver Bear learn to work together — a natural companion to Give, Save, Spend.
Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock by Sheila Bair — Twin brothers, one saver and one spender, discover compounding when Gramps doubles their savings each week. Written by a former FDIC chair!
Isabel’s Car Wash by Sheila Bair — Isabel sells shares in her car wash to five friends and pays them back with profits. The simplest explanation of stocks and investors we’ve found.
Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins — Two kids run a lemonade stand in a snowstorm and count every coin — a sweet first lesson in earning, costs, and profit.
What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry — Busytown’s classic tour of work: everyone has a job, everyone earns, and money moves through the whole town. The perfect first picture of how an economy works.

Middle Grade (Ages 8–12)

If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz — Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician shows how money grows, including a kid-perfect picture of interest at the bank.
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies — A brother and sister compete to earn $100 first. Business smarts wrapped in a page-turning sibling rivalry.
Lunch Money by Andrew Clements — Greg discovers he can earn real money making comic books at school, and learns about competition and partnership.
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill — A sixth grader builds a toothpaste business from scratch. Costs, pricing, shares, and stock — all inside a great story.
One Hen by Katie Smith Milway — A boy in Ghana turns one small loan into a farm that changes his whole community. A beautiful introduction to how investing creates growth.
Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire by Ty Allan Jackson — Danny opens a lemonade stand, then a bank account, and dreams even bigger.
Finance 101 for Kids by Walter Andal — A clear, friendly walkthrough of earning, saving, credit, and investing, written by a dad who couldn’t find a book like it.
Investing for Kids by Dylin Redling & Allison Tom — Stocks, bonds, risk, reward, and diversification for ages 8–12, with activities throughout.
How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista & Matt Fontaine — From the creators of Biz Kid$: earning, budgeting, and the power of compounding, with worksheets kids actually enjoy.
Grandpa’s Fortune Fables by Will Rainey — Short stories about a girl named Gail learning to grow her wealth — a kindred spirit to Grandpa Pig’s lessons.
Blue Chip Kids by David W. Bianchi — What every kid should know about money and investing, written by a dad for his 13-year-old, with 100 money concepts made simple.
Heads Up Money by DK — A bright, visual tour of big money questions, from supply and demand to what banks actually do with your deposit.

Teens (Ages 13+)

I Want More Pizza by Steve Burkholder — A short, no-lecture money book teens actually finish. Saving, spending, and compounding in under 100 pages.
The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens by David & Tom Gardner — How to pick great companies, start a portfolio, and think long term.
Why Didn’t They Teach Me This in School? by Cary Siegel — 99 practical money principles for young people, perfect for graduation gifts.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason — The timeless classic: pay yourself first, make your gold work for you, and seek wise counsel. Grandpa Pig’s favorite.

Games That Teach Money (The Whole Family)

Not everything on Grandpa’s list is a book! Some lessons stick best when you play them.

Monopoly Deal — The fast card-game version of Monopoly: collect property sets, charge rent, and make deals — a whole game of real-estate thinking in about 15 minutes.
Cashflow for Kids — The board game where kids build passive income from investments until it covers their expenses — the Turtles, Beavers, and Bees would approve.

How to Use This List

Read together, then talk. One book and one conversation beats ten books on a shelf. The discussion questions in Investing with the Three Little Pigs work with any book here.
Match the book to the moment. Birthday money? Try Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock. First lemonade stand? The Lemonade War. Curious about stocks? Isabel’s Car Wash.
Let them pick. The Pigs read every book on Grandpa’s list because they wanted to. Choice is what turns research into a habit.

Start the journey with Give, Save, Spend with the Three Little Pigs and Investing with the Three Little Pigs, available at pigsandbricks.com.

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