Lion, King, and Coin

National Council for the Social Studies-Children's Book Council: 2018 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

A fascinating story about the invention of currency

Laos enjoys his life in ancient Turkey. His father and grandfather are blacksmiths, famous for melting gold into beautiful objects. Laos helps by working in his grandfather's market stall, bartering their gold for food and livestock.

But exchanging such different goods and quantities is complicated. What they need is something to represent the value of their goods, something durable and lightweight. And so the king comes to Laos's family with a very important task: to create something that will make the market accessible to everyone.

This Trade Winds book introduces readers to the world's first coin and gives them an appreciation for modern-day currency.