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Introduction and Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n Sadie’s family is in trouble.\u00a0 The family farm has suffered from drought and Papa has received a letter from the bank threatening to take the farm unless a debt is repaid.\u00a0 The only\u00a0thing left is the sweet potato crop.\u00a0\u00a0Mama has a brilliant idea that saves the day:\u00a0 sweet potato pie!\u00a0 The family will work together\u00a0to make\u00a0sweet potato pies and sell them at the upcoming Harvest Festival.\u00a0 So begins a\u00a0charming tale of how plain and\u00a0simple economics can make a difference in people’s lives:\u00a0 Sweet Potato Pie\u00a0<\/a>written by\u00a0Kathleen Lindsey\u00a0<\/a>and illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb<\/a>.\u00a0 Everyone has a job to do, and the family’s collective efforts pay off.\u00a0 At the Harvest Festival, Mama’s pies win a blue ribbon and the family begins a business enterprise selling their award-wining sweet potato pies.<\/p>\n Curriculum Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n This intimate look at how economics can affect one family’s life provides a wonderful introduction to key economic terms:\u00a0 goods (the pies), services (baking), producers (the family), consumers (the people who buy the pies), human resources (the family doing the baking), capitol resources (the sweet potatoes, the ingredients, the baking tools), income (the money the family\u00a0made), and enterpreneurs (the family who developed a new product and started a new business for profit) (SOL 1.7, 1.9).\u00a0 Most young readers know how to bake with their families, and everyone loves pie!\u00a0 This allows children to understand how making something yummy can turn into an economic benefit.\u00a0This book would be most appropriate for first graders.<\/p>\n Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n Make your own sweet potato pie holder or sachet <\/a>–\u00a0the author’s website offers a fun suggestion for an art project for students.\u00a0\u00a0If you have access to an oven at school, it could also be fun to make your own sweet potato pie, using the author’s recipe<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Students\u00a0can act as\u00a0producers providing a service (sewing or baking).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Kids Econ Posters <\/a>offers great tips on how to integrate concepts introduced in this book into a lesson plan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n EconEdLink <\/a>provides another good source for producers\/consumers lesson planning and activity ideas.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Sadie’s family worked together to make money to save the farm. In today’s economic climate, many families are working hard to save their earnings and spend wisely.\u00a0 This story and a subsequent economics lesson could parlay into a great discussion on how\u00a0students can\u00a0help save money at home.\u00a0 Brainstorming ideas helps empower students to take an active role in family finances, and Scholastic’s website has a few suggestions in Fun Family Finances<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u00a0General Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n