Best Financial Literacy Books for Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Quick answer: For kindergarten, choose read-alouds about saving, coins and wants versus needs, such as Teddy and the Piggy Banks, Bunny Money and Just Saving My Money. For 1st grade, add earning, making change and choices: Teddy and the Corn Stand, Lemonade in Winter and Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. For a ready-made set, Teddy Volume 1 suits kindergarten and Volume 2 suits 1st grade ($69.99 each, free US shipping).

Five- to seven-year-olds are ready for real money ideas, as long as they arrive inside a story. This guide sorts picture books by grade so parents, teachers and homeschoolers can pick the right ones.

We run Caring Parents’ Choice, a small family store. We sell only the Teddy books; the other titles are recommendations you can find at a library or bookstore.

For kindergarten

Teddy Volume 1, five-book set

5 hardcovers · $69.99 · free US shipping

Saving, work, community helpers, the wider world and kind words.

See Volume 1 →

For 1st grade

Teddy Volume 2, five-book set

5 hardcovers · $69.99 · free US shipping

Wants versus needs, earning at a corn stand, friendship, a puppy and chores.

See Volume 2 →

What each grade is ready to learn

Grade	Money ideas	Skills to practice
Kindergarten (5–6)	Money is earned by working; saving; wants versus needs; naming coins	Sorting coins, counting to 20, waiting for a small goal
1st grade (6–7)	Earning, spending choices, simple budgets, giving	Counting coins, adding prices, making change with small amounts

Best financial literacy books for kindergarten

Book	Author	Lesson
Teddy and the Piggy Banks	Ryan Cohen	Saving and patience
Teddy Goes to Work	Ryan Cohen	Where money comes from
Bunny Money	Rosemary Wells	Spending and running out
Just Saving My Money	Mercer Mayer	Saving for something you want
The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money	Stan and Jan Berenstain	Spending versus saving

Best financial literacy books for 1st grade

Book	Author	Lesson
Teddy Says Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees	Ryan Cohen	Wants versus needs
Teddy and the Corn Stand	Ryan Cohen	Earning and a first business
Lemonade in Winter	Emily Jenkins	Counting money, costs and sales
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday	Judith Viorst	Small purchases add up
A Chair for My Mother	Vera B. Williams	Saving together for a big goal
Those Shoes	Maribeth Boelts	Wants, needs and giving

How to use the books in class or at home

One book a week. Read on Monday, then do one five-minute activity: sort coins, draw a savings goal, play store.
Ask three questions: What did the character want? What did they choose? What would you do?
Add a jar. A clear class or family savings jar makes the lesson visible.
April is Financial Literacy Month, a natural time for a money read-aloud unit.

For teachers, schools and banks

We supply Teddy sets in quantity for classrooms, school libraries and financial education programs. See bulk and classroom orders.

Prices

Volume 1, five books: $69.99, free US shipping
Volume 2, five books: $69.99, free US shipping
Complete Collection, 10 books: $109.99, free US shipping

Grade matches are our editorial suggestions for read-alouds, not official reading levels. We are not affiliated with the authors or publishers of the other books listed.

Frequently asked questions

What should kindergartners learn about money?

That money is earned through work, that it can be saved for later, the difference between wants and needs, and the names of coins.

What are good money books for first graders?

Teddy and the Corn Stand, Lemonade in Winter, Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday and A Chair for My Mother all work well as read-alouds.

Is there a book series for teaching kids about money?

Yes. The Teddy books by Ryan Cohen are ten illustrated hardcovers; four focus on money and six on work, friendship and responsibility.

Our pick

Kindergarten: Teddy Volume 1. First grade: Teddy Volume 2. For a classroom or two siblings, the Complete Collection covers both.

See the Complete Collection · Volume 1 · Volume 2

More: how to teach kids about money by age and allowance by age.

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Homeschool Money Curriculum for Ages 4–8: A Simple 10-Week Plan →Ryan Cohen’s Children’s Books: The Story Behind Teddy →

The Teddy sets

Give the whole set

Each volume is a boxed set of five illustrated hardcovers by Ryan Cohen, 32 pages each, for reading aloud with children about 3 to 8. One set covers a whole season of bedtime stories, and every set ships free in the US.