Kathryn's Reviews > Sam and the Lucky Money

I loved this! It felt nostalgic for me, somehow... published in 1995, it was a little beyond my childhood proper but Sam still felt very much like a kid I might have met when I was a kid and I vividly remember watching the Reading Rainbow episode with the Lion Dance! The illustrations here are warm and evocative, Sam's expression are so perfect. The backdrop is Chinese New Year but the story is so much more... Sam is allowed to spend the money he gets from his grandparents any way he wishes (a novel treat!) but the excitement of shopping for himself is soon diminished by the realization that the four dollars won't actually buy much, "What is four dollars good for?" he complains in frustration and disappointment. But, his empathy is stirred by the memory of a man with no shoes sitting out on the cold sidewalk. Sam realizes that four dollars may not buy him the toys he most wants... and it might not be enough to buy shoes... but it can still do a great deal of good for someone in need. Highly recommend!