Pocket Change: Pitchiing in For a Better World, written by Michelle Mulder. Orca, 2016. $19.95 ages 10 and up

" ... until the department store opened. When the doors unlocked, we raced up the escalators to the toy section. I grabbed a doll and bolted toward the cashier. Halfway along, a woman snatched the doll from my arms and kept running. My dad ran faster, though, and snatched the doll back. Boy, was that woman embarrassed!"

This is part of one of the text boxes, tagged My Two Cents' Worth. They include observances from the author of stories in her life when money and consumerism had an impact. As we recover from the hoopla we too often call Christmas, many of us turn our thoughts to how much money was spent, and how to make the season focus more on the important things: being together, enjoying the real beauty of the season, and the joy to be found in helping others.

What is consumerism? How did we get to where we are now? Too many of us spend too much, and why should that bother us? What can we do to change how we use our money? These are all important questions for everyone, and it is important to our kids to start thinking about such things when they are young enough to see the big picture and make meaningful change.

Michelle Mulder, as she has done in other books in the "Orca Footprints" series, is terrific at explaining pretty complex ideas to her young readers. Changes through the years have people earning more, and spending more. Advertisers make it clear to consumers what their focus should be on; be it color, style, anything new. In order to earn more, they spend less time with family and friends and buy 'stuff' to make up for it.

Does that make us happier? How does it impact the planet we call home? These are important and interesting questions to ask, and to try to answer. Ms. Mulder helps with that. Do we throw all those items we purchased into our landfills, instead of passing them on? Do we need all that we purchase? It is important to take a critical look at how we can make our world a better place to live. We have so much money to spend that we forget to think of the impact that spending is having. Many alternatives to what many of us are doing now are presented, and are coming into vogue as we take a careful look. I love the examples she shares in terms of trade, sharing cars, making things we need, even lending small amounts of money to start a business.

"For example, Fatuma joined a borrowers group and used the twenty-dollar loan to buy chickens. She sold their eggs, paid back her loan and kept a profit. Then the next person could use the loan money to start another business, pay back the loan, keep a profit and so on ... These days, Fatuma makes enough of a profit to put her three kids through school."

What an education this book is for kids and their parents! Yes, it asks that we all make changes to try to move away from our consumer lifestyle; imagine how even small changes can help. Check out the 'Repair Cafe', the 'Kitchen Library', and a 'Buy Nothing Day'. Thoughtful and informative, I learned a lot.