Editorial review
Kassie and the Four Jars
By Miracle Achodo
Everyone knows you get a job to earn money, but what they don’t tell you is that money has jobs of its own. And for Kassie, it has four.
Reviewed by CANREADS
Everyone knows you get a job to earn money, but what they don’t tell you is that money has jobs of its own. And for Kassie, it has four.
Miracle Achodo’s Kassie and the Four Jars is a young reader’s introduction to money sense, vibrantly told through a charming story interwoven with Christian teachings. Kassie is a bright, creative girl who loves making music and baking sweets. After the debut of her cookie stand at the community festival, Kassie earns some money for her hard work. So, Kassie’s mom brings out four big glass jars labelled “tithe,” “give,” “spend,” and “save.” Clink, clink, clink. As Kassie sorts her earnings, she learns that every dollar has a purpose, and every choice tells a story. Kassie fills her jars with her earnings until she has enough to buy candy and even a shiny new xylophone! But when Kassie becomes reluctant to fill up her “tithe” and “give” jars, she learns how rewarding it can be to give, and that God will always provide.
Achodo captures the essence of classic Christian teachings, moulding them into bite-sized pieces for her audience and interspersing them throughout the story. Children are never too young to start learning about saving and budgeting, and Achodo’s book offers a fun, approachable guide—great for parents, kids, and their piggy banks.
From the hand-drawn illustrations to the warm atmosphere baked into the story, Kassie and the Four Jars is a book brimming with a unique personal style. Although both the illustrations and prose are occasionally rough around the edges, and the educational lessons sometimes take precedence over the story itself, there’s no doubt that this lovingly crafted book succeeds in what it sets out to do. It is exactly what is highlighted in the author’s note: a story “designed to provoke thoughtful conversations and make children think deeply.”
Kassie and the Four Jars creates space for meaningful conversations about money, faith, generosity, and responsibility, offering the very resource Achodo wished she’d had when she was teaching her own daughter about financial literacy. From the very first page, Achodo forefronts the timelessness of the lessons contained within the story and the book’s importance in sparking initial conversations about money sense. Through discussion questions and money-sense activities included at the back, this book makes learning both engaging and accessible.
Those who loved the financial lessons found in Harriet Ziefert’s You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime and Caryn Rivadeneria’s It’s Not Fair! will find another great book to add to the nighttime reading stack with Achodo’s latest work. Practical yet light, Kassie and the Four Jars is a meaningful introduction to money sense, firmly grounded in Christian faith. In Achodo’s hands, financial literacy begins with four jars, a handful of coins, and a lesson that lasts far beyond childhood.
—CANREADS BOOK REVIEW
Published by Red Fountain Press