Kids Are Encouraged To Become Entrepreneurs
KidVenture: Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue gets a fantastic review by Wren at her Finchwren blog who points out that learning basic business skills is something that's important for all kids to do:
What a fun yet instructive (in ways kids won’t even notice) chapter book for middle-grade children!
I have to admit, I don’t know much at all about starting and running a business, or entrepreneurship. Neither will most kids who would read this book; but there is a wealth of knowledge in Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue for any kid who might want to start a small kid business. After all, anything we’d picture as something a child might do to make money (babysitting, running a lemonade stand, mowing lawns) is actually a small business. In different ways, each of these might require promotion, start-up costs, additional labor pay, and purchases of equipment.
In this neat book, author Steve Searfoss introduces readers to Chance and his family. He has a dad, a mom, and several younger siblings. It’s summertime; school is out, and Chance has just laid eyes on a fantastic bike, which Chance calls Midnight Blue for its awesome color. But he doesn’t have the cash to buy it. Yet. In a conversation with his dad, Chance is given the opportunity to clean the family pool and make some cash. Chance does so, earns some cash, then spends some of the money on ice cream, and is lamenting the next week, when his dad asks him to clean the pool again, how long it will take to save up for the bike. His dad challenges him to do some math (not his favorite) and figure out how long it will take. And then, the adventure begins! Over the summer, Chance will learn many of the principles of being an entrepreneur, like:
- Marketing
- Other competitors in the same kind of business
- Partnerships
- Keeping one’s word
- Cost estimations
- Profit and loss statements
- and much more!
In all, Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue is a compelling and enjoyable read. We get to know Chance’s sister, Addie; many of his customers (plus a failed customer); and his good friend. Chance has successes and failures, but kids will want to keep reading, at the end of each chapter, to discover what comes next for the young entrepreneur! The author includes the math calculations Chance has to make in each step of his budding business. He also asks questions of the reader that will encourage kids to thing about what they might do to solve each challenge. There are also colorful illustrations which bring life to each chapter.
I enjoyed Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue and learned quite a bit myself, even as I was cheering Chance on as I read. Plus, now I know many important principles of starting a business. Kids will love it and maybe be encouraged to become entrepreneurs themselves!
Thank you, Wren! Our goal with KidVenture books is inspire kids to start their own little business, and equip them with the knowledge they'll need to succeed.