28 stories, 60+ songs and the competition

ooey Savvy, my kids book on financial education, continues to develop at a good clip. I have written first drafts of the book's 28 stories and this week I'm writing 60+ songs to go with them. Once those are finished, I'll give them all a long third look before seeking outside counsel from teachers, parents and kids.

This past fall I read 10-15 books by the competition. From those I took away six flaws that I address in my book. They are:

1) A paucity of kid or animal protagonists for kids to identify with;

2) No songs or rhymes to help understand or remember difficult concepts;

3) Graphic design heavy on AP stock photos from the trading floor, not illustrations that complement the written word;

4) A number of books that try to explain the entire financial system in a single go while reading like a textbook (ie, books difficult to read in one sitting);

5) Few books that bridge the divide between financial street slang which we all know and more formal synonyms which many of us do not; and

6) An introduction to the gray and black markets.

While I await feedback from my editing group, I plan to re-read those books and many more and to review them on this site. In light of the obvious conflict of interest, I will attempt to set up a grading system with which to judge these books so we're talking oranges to oranges and to be as objective as possible.

That should cover the next two weeks or so.