Lemonade in Winter: A Book about Two Kids Counting Money (review)

The day is frigid and snowy and boring, but Pauline and younger brother John-John have a perfect plan—a lemonade stand. Unmoved by parental dissuasion, they collect their quarters, troop off to the grocer's for lemons, limes, sugar, and cups, and set up business. They aren't exactly besieged by customers, and after each sale they try to hype their product with better advertising (loud shouting), entertainment (cartwheels), slashed prices (50 cents down to 25 cents), and decorations. They do sell out, but sadly it's at a loss. There is just enough money in the till to buy themselves the perfect winter treat, though—popsicles, of course. The premise is amusingly realistic, from the customers drawn more by cute kids and novelty than a hankering for cold drinks, to the bottom line in red ink. Karas' pictures make the lemon and lime touches all the more inviting against the dull brown and blue-gray backdrop. As appealing as the storyline may be, the title's overall utility as a money-counting book is limited, first by its focus on quarters as the sole currency, and second by the rather heavy burden on young listeners to keep track of the income and switched prices as the tale proceeds. Jenkins introduces other coins in a chatty endnote ("Nickels are the most confusing of the coins. They kind of look like quarters, but they're not. I wish they were purple or something") that limits the discussion of the dollar to its paper iteration. It all amounts to a pleasant and good-hearted effort, but woe betide the kid who fishes a Sacagawea out of his pocket.