This children's picture book tells the story of the invention of coins from the perspective of Laos, a young man in a family of goldsmiths. The book seems ideal for use in upper elementary classrooms. Additional features include a brief encyclopedia-like history of the invention of the coin, a map showing the location of Sardis, and a glossary. This book could be used as supplementary reading for math units on money, in social studies units, or even in language arts units on mythology since the story includes the legend of King Midas.

This review is based on an electronic advance reader's copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Not really a huge fan of this book so only given it two stars - its a short picture book about the invention of the coin as currency through the eyes of a young boy, I can see the concept was good, just don't think the execution was great - not one for us sadly.

We go along with Laos to his uncle’s stall at the market and witness people trying to trade sundry items for gold: honey, apples, animals, which is more than a little awkward. Laos’ uncle realizes they need something “that can replace the value of the things we sell. . . . light and easy to carry . . . that will not rot.” With the people’s consent, the uncle takes his ideas to the king, who decrees that coins will be used as currency and assigned Laos’ father and grandfather to make them. Laos explains the making of the “electrum” coin, including how it is stamped with a lion to represent the king. then shows how it is used, leaving “everyone happy that they can buy and sell easily.” The narrative part is followed by several back pages that serve up some extra information in straight non-fiction form. Included in these pages are the historical facts underlying the story, a map and description of the setting, a glossary and timeline, and a brief explanation of the barter system and its attendant problems.

I’d call the story “solid” if not particularly compelling or engaging. The POV voice has a nice steady quiet tone to it, if the language is a bit simple and at times repetitive in its construction (subject-verb, “It + verb” etc.). The illustrations are lovely to look at, their muted tones and repetitive geometric backgrounds a good match for the language.

I do think there’s some missed opportunities for a bit more fun or creativity, both textually and visually, especially for a children’s book. Seeing the villagers trying to figure out how to divide up a cow for instance, or other means of conveying the difficulties in a pre-coin era. And I wouldn’t have minded if the idea of coining had been carried forward a bit more so we could see the ripple effect and different ways in which the concept was carried out.

The information is interesting, the incorporation of the myth at the start and of the appendices at the end enhance the basic story line, and the muted voice and visuals do have their upside, making Lion, King, and Coin, as I noted, a solid pick-up, though it falls short I’d say of being a captivating one.

This is an informative children's book about how we came to have money. It discusses bartering, exchanging goods, and the difficulty of finding someone who actually wanted what you had to trade before currency. It talks about some of the precursors to coinage. The illustrations seem to fit the period of history being discussed. I received an advance review copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.

In ancient Turkey—Lydia, to be exact—there’s a golden river, where a boy named Laos gathers the fungible metal so his father can make ornaments and his uncle can sell them. When someone wants just a piece of fruit but can only pay with a cow, Uncle has an idea, and so money is born. Nice piece on how the coins are made, along with the legend of King Midas.
The artwork is fine, but there’s one long painting of the marketplace with Laos photobombing from the side that is truly excellent. As expected, there’s a lot of golden hues.
At the end are articles on the invention of the coin, the local geography, history of commerce, and a timeline. Kinda strange topic for a history lesson for little kids, but effective.

“Lion, King and Coin” was not my usual style of picture book, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Informative, unique look at the development and use of coinage in the ancient world. With appealing illustrations in a minimal yet pleasing color palette, this educational book teaches children about bartering and trade as well. Timeline charts, maps, and a glossary of terms are included and make this a valuable resource for school libraries.

I do not know what I expected from this book, but it was not a book on money. The founding of coins for trading to be exact. Why would you trade a cow for an apple? A cow is much more valuable. But the herder only wants one apple. How do you make this trade? By instead trading coins and making everything have a coin price. This was a very interesting book. In the end it goes more indepth about the invention of coins. I liked it, and the illustrations.

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A quick but slightly silly picture book, fictionalising the invention of the coin through the eyes of a young lad – and a weird-looking one, if these otherwise pleasant and pastel illustrations are to be believed. I'm only grateful for the non-fiction pages at the back, as they make the needs of coinage, its creation and use, much more obvious to the young reader. Before then, with the definition of electrum coins and other aspects of the story, it's a little clumsy and clunky.