Three Cups By Tony Townsley with Mark St. Germain

Three Cups is a simple book for children and parents to share together. It teaches the principles of giving, saving, and spending, and opens the door to discuss financial basics, such as saving money at a bank and interest; saving money in order to give; and saving money to spend. It is not in depth, but gives just enough to pique a child’s curiousity to ask the questions that a parent can answer, at their own age level. This book is appropriate for all ages; a small child can understand the simple concept of the three cups, while an older child, while they may initially consider this juvenile, can still begin to understand the purpose behind the three cups concept.

I read this with my 8 year old daughter, and it immediately sparked a discussion about interest and taking money to the bank. The principles are ones we have instilled in our children already, so it was fun to reiterate it in a different light, but to also present a new level to the aspect of saving.

I downloaded this book to my ipad, and perhaps it’s only because I am a new ipad user – but my only complaint was the pictures did not seem to match up to the words. I’d read, and then the picture would come later, or the picture would tell the story before we got to the words.

I appreciated the two pages at the end where the authors share a little more information with the parents to prompt discussions, and ideas, on how to implement The Three Cups system within your own home.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”