When dad walks away to work, Lilly and May are sad and ask why daddy and mommy need to go to work every day. This book-in-verse explains how many things money pays for, including taxes and, indirectly, others’ salaries. It’s a cute picture book for 3-6 year olds.

Excellent teaching for younger readers. It explains to children why people have to work, different jobs they can have , and what the grown ups spend the work day doing until we come back home to them. I liked this book and even read it a second time just to view the illustrations to see if I found something new in them.

It is a good moral story for children to educate them about the priorities. Obviously, they are the most important for their parents but still to feed them one need resources which eventually comes from money.
Lilly & May are two little girls who crave for their parents to spend time with. One day when they felt low when their father left for work, their mother let them learn about the importance of work, for home and for society.

It is a good one to read and educate the li'l ones.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

A great book to explain what we spend money on. Great reading with my kids.

This a prosaic, nicely illustrated, little book for children about why people work, and why the economy as a whole depends on the labor of individuals.

This would be a good introduction to the subject of occupations, as well as finance and money, for homeschooling and classroom teaching.

Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work by Anthony C. Delauney teaches youngsters a few basic concepts about money, budgets, savings, and how they apply to a family.

The rhyming phrases help make the story easy for younger readers. The concepts are simple and suited to the recommended age group. I’m a fan of children understanding how money works. They don’t need to be privy to all the issues facing parents. But, it’s nice for them to have an understanding that our taxes support community services, like police, firemen, libraries, etc. and the reasons why parents are gone from home. It’s never too early to teach a youngster why they can’t have everything they want.

I do wish the story was a little more inclusive to non-traditional work schedules and situations.

The book is a great conversation starter for all families and would be a good fit for home and school libraries.


Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me a digital copy of the book. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

I loved this book! Learning about money can be challenging for kids unless you talk often about it without attaching the negative feelings we grown ups get around the subject. I really liked how this book wove in money concepts with the fact that parents go to work because they love and care for their kids. My only wish was that it was #ownvoices.

Thank you NetGalley and Mascot Kids for a copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of plot:
Lilly and May learn why their parents go to work and how the money that they earn helps their family live.

Pros about the book:
✔️ Adorable and colorful illustrations
✔️ BIPOC family :)
✔️ Teaches little ones the importance of having money and budgeting
✔️ Cute activity at the end

Cons about the book:
❌ None!

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

Two adorable little sisters, Lilly and May, cry as their beloved dad leaves for work. Mom lovingly explains to them why both she and dad go off to work each day.

She pulls out the family budget book and points out that their parents have to work so the family can have money to pay for their home, food, clothes, and house utilities.

More family money is paid out in the form of taxes which subsidizes other people's jobs such as: teachers, policemen, construction workers and firefighters, just to name a few.

Once the girls realize the importance of their parent's jobs they begin to understand and calm down. The children now know why both of their parents leave them daily in the loving care of a trusted care giver as they attend work. Dad and Mom go to their jobs to make money for the necessities of living, to finance some fun things the family can do together and for their future needs.

The illustrations enrich the message and kids will love that the book is written in rhyme. The family is biracial and the endpapers show diverse people performing different jobs around the city. The author has included an engaging fun matching game at the end of the book for kids to enjoy also.

Visit Anthony C. Delauney's website, Owning the Dash, for free financial literacy resources for kids and parents. I love the book and highly recommend it!

Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work
by Anthony Delauney is a must book to read for each kids. It is a perfect book for ids to learn how to take care of their money

This was a charming explanation for kids on why their parents have to leave them at home when they go to work. It discusses budgets and taxes as well as the importance of having a job to pay for goods and services to keep a household running. Sure, it describes a lifestyle that with our current climate is not always obtainable, but for the kid who learns best by books and rhymes, this explains it fairly well. However, the book doesn’t really discuss part-time, night-shift, or stay-at-home parents. It is definitely targeted at the “two parents who work five 8-hour shifts a week”. The illustrations are adorable though and there is a workbook portion in the back pages of the book as well. 3/5 stars from me, due to the lack of describing less traditional work schedules.

Most children are sad when parents leave each day. Many children struggle to understand the importance of work, money, and the support people we depend on. This book is a great way to help your kids understand our roles in the workforce.
As Lilly and May start to understand why Mom and Dad leave them they also are introduced to money. Money is a concept even teenagers do not understand. Money is invisible these days. Children rarely see cash as we use cards for everything.
I gave this book Five stars. It addresses something all parents and children struggle with. Issues are addressed at a level they will understand even at a vet young age. Introducing budgets, money, careers and other important emotions a working family deals with everyday. I wish there would have been a book like this available when my children were young. I hope every preschool child has an opportunity to be read this story.

The book is very good for children and very well done, it explains everything really well and the illustrations are beautiful.

What a great book! Can’t wait to buy in hardback. My young kids are asking the same questions and this book succinctly addresses why both parents work. Especially my 2nd grader who is learning about social community in social studies.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was short, simple, and sweet. I love the fact how every sentenced rhyme and how it was well structured. It made me feel love towards the author and his love for children.

I also love after the end of the book it had a little activity that many children would enjoy. It gives insight on how well the child or children have paid attention to what they have read. I look forward to other books from this author!

Quick Summary: A Pre-Financial Literacy Lesson for Kids

My Review: Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work by Anthony Delauney and illustrated by Chiara Civati is a wonderful, kid-friendly book that introduces financial literacy concepts. With a simple rhyming style, a colorful display of contemporary illustrations, and the use of everyday life examples on how money plays a role in the lives of Lilly and May's family, this book does much to educate young minds. I particularly loved the diverse representation used from job professions to people group representations. Also, the bonus activity at the end of the book was helpful and will likely serve as a great conversation starter for families interested in teaching on occupations and money management.

My Final Say: This book would make a fantastic gift for a child.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Kids (5-9)

Appreciation is extended to all parties associated with this project. A special thank you is extended to the publisher and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words that I have voluntarily shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I think that this book is a unique perspective for a children's book. I can't say that I've ever seen a book describing things like taxes and water bills in a picture book. There were just too many words on the page for it to still have a rhyme scheme. If the lines were shorter than I think the cadence would work a little better. Other than this, an interesting read for kids wondering about money!

Beautifully illustrated and written, this book is a lovely book to read to children as a tool to discuss with them the nature and reasoning of having to work, in a manner that will interest them. I like the simple explanation of how money works for kids and how needed it is. But I appreciate ending with a note of how important the kids' happiness is for the parents working hard. I also like the activity at the end for the family to do together.

Thank you, NetGalley Mascot Kids, for the eARC.

Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work is a great way to let kids learn why their parents have to leave during the day to work. It tells kids how important it is for parents to work so the family can live each day. It's also a greta way to show them the different jobs there are! I love the beautiful illustrations on this book too!