A KID'S GUIDE TO THE ECONOMY

by Manfred G. Riedel ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 5, 1976

If you question the very notion of a kid's guide to the economy in 39 short, illustrated pages, start reading and your reservations are confirmed--by a ridiculous conversation between Penny and Tony, who argue whether NATURAL RESOURCES or CAPITAL are ""safer,"" and (black) Hamilton, who seems to need everything explained to him, ""shrieks"" incredulously when it is, but is vehemently sure of one thing: ""we capitalists believe in PRIVATE PROPERTY."" Later these three and other junior entrepreneurs engage in small-scale transactions and staged conversations to demonstrate the meaning of such terms as MONOPOLY, INTEREST, GNP (""the higher a nation's GNP the more clout it has in the world"") and STAGFLATION. About this last, ""not even the President knows what to do""--though Tony, on top of things as usual, suggests that ""you can probably juggle the cures."" Toward the end these overinflated little heads discuss whether the THIRD and FOURTH WORLD nations might ""blackmail"" us to achieve a NEW ECONOMIC ORDER; by the time Riedel comes out resoundingly for capitalism, readers will have acquired enough vocabulary to sound off like candidates--but they won't understand the economy any more than the President does.

Pub Date: May 5, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Prentice-Hall

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION