Funny Money

Funny Money: More Fun with Cliches! is a laugh-out-loud children's book by journalist Jayne A. Pearl, based on common clichs about money. It is beautifully and hilariously illustrated by artist Mat Bevilacqua, who makes the financial phrases come to life by imagining a literal interpretation.

This kids' book involves the Coyne family: little Bit Coyne and her parents, Papa Buck and Mama Penny. During a trip to the grocery store, Bit is confused by money cliches her parents say, such as "it costs an arm and a leg," "paying through the nose," and "pretty penny." On each page, when Buck and Penny explain what they mean by each saying, Bit asks, "Then why didn't you just say so?" But Bit has the last laugh when she turns the tables and uses a money cliche herself, showing that she was just "pulling their leg."

Funny Money will amuse and inform both adult and child. The back pages, "Prompts and Circumstances, provide questions adults can ask children to help them guess the meaning of each clich, as well as definitions and origins of each saying. This will be useful and engaging for grade-school teachers and students in the classroom, in person or virtually. New English learners and their teachers will also find this book invaluable for learning English idioms they are likely to hear but not understand naturally.