Clarence Gets a Bargain
Shopping Homework? Yes, Really.
Clarence learns that the best deals don’t just fall in your lap. Through hands-on “shopping homework,” he discovers how to compare prices, read ads, and find the real value behind every price tag. Your kids will too.
The Smart Discovery
Clarence finds a marked-down RoBimmie and takes it back to compare with the newer models. Two small differences — a slightly smaller screen and an antenna. One much smarter choice. This is the moment kids learn that newer doesn’t always mean better.
“Characters are adorable. Lessons are spread throughout adventure in such a sweet way. It certainly doesn’t feel like a text book but the glossary is an awesome resource. Well done, Mr. Bach!”
Front & Back Cover
Flip Through Clarence’s Coupon Book!
Click to open • Flip pages by clicking left/right • Arrow keys work
Page 22. Aisle Five.
Your kid is at the checkout line. They have been holding a coupon for ten minutes — clutching it like a winning lottery ticket.
The cashier scans the robot box.
“That’ll be $19.99.”
Your kid pauses. Eyes flicker. They are doing math.
“Wait. With the 20% markdown and the $2 coupon… isn’t that $13.99?”
The cashier looks at you. You look at your kid.
Your kid just did real-world math at a register. For fun. Because it mattered to them.
That is what this book does.
Clarence Did It. Your Kids Can Too.
“My students fought over who got to hold the book during read-aloud. Fought. Over a book about money.”
“It taught me how to get sales to save money, which made me feel more grown-up and smart. I would recommend this book to other kids!”
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Why Clarence Belongs in Your Curriculum
Financial literacy is usually treated as a “high school” topic, but research shows that money habits are largely formed by age seven1. Most educational books on this subject are either too dry for a first-grader or too simplistic for a fifth-grader.
Clarence Gets a Bargain closes that gap. It is a 36-page narrative tool built for K–5 classrooms, libraries, and financial education programs. The book itself is the lesson plan. Here is what is in it:
- Behavioral Economics: The Wants vs. Needs decision, with real stakes a seven-year-old can feel.
- Real-World Math: Percentage markdowns, sale pricing, and coupon savings applied at a register, not on a worksheet.
- College Savings: A rare, age-appropriate look at long-term college savings accounts and household budgeting.
- The Financial Glossary: Two pages of page-referenced definitions. That is what makes the book defensible as curriculum, not just a picture book.
Stop teaching money with abstract worksheets. Teach it with a mission.
DOWNLOAD THE EDUCATOR’S PREVIEW1 Whitebread, D. & Bingham, S. (2013). Habit Formation and Learning in Young Children. Money Advice Service / University of Cambridge.
The Big Six. (Plus Many More.)
Every concept is woven into the plot — kids absorb them because the story demands it, not because a worksheet tells them to.
Wants vs. Needs
The foundation of every smart money decision. Clarence learns to weigh what he wants against what he’ll really use — the tension drives the whole story.
Pages 4–8Budgeting & Goal Setting
How do you save for something big? Clarence does the math, makes a plan, and learns that chores and patience are actually a finance strategy.
Pages 9–14Comparison Shopping
Sea-Mart has two robots. Different prices. Same brand. Clarence learns that not all deals are what they seem — and smarter shopping wins.
Pages 15–20Coupons & Markdowns
Real coupon math. Percentage off. Sale events. Clarence crunches numbers at the register in a scene kids actually cheer for.
Pages 16–22College Savings (529)
A rare, age-appropriate introduction to long-term savings. Dad explains the future in a way that makes a 7-year-old nod seriously.
Pages 26–28Consumer Awareness
Think before you buy. Just because it’s a deal doesn’t mean you need it. Clarence learns the hardest lesson — and nails it.
Page 29Supports National Education Frameworks
The concepts in Clarence Gets a Bargain support recognized 1–5 financial literacy and academic frameworks. Educators may find natural connections to the standards below.
*Jump$tart and CEE topic names reference the 2021 National Standards for Personal Financial Education, co-published by the Jump$tart Coalition and Council for Economic Education. CCSS codes reference the Common Core State Standards. FDIC labels reference the FDIC Money Smart and Hands on Banking programs.
Framework connections are suggested by the author based on book content and have not been formally verified or endorsed by the listed organizations. Educators are encouraged to review alignment for their specific curriculum requirements.
† Glossary supports vocabulary across every concept covered.
Program in a Box: A Complete 4-Week Financial Literacy Module
Built alongside the book, not bolted on after. Lesson plans map to the frameworks your district already uses. Assessments produce the data grant reports require. All six tools. All free. All yours.
Educator Preview
The page you send your principal. A guided walkthrough of every financial concept covered, with actual illustrations, a 7-stop story timeline, standards-at-a-glance across Jump$tart, Common Core, and CEE, bulk pricing tiers, and a cliffhanger that makes administrators want to read the ending. Scroll-animated, smartboard-ready, built for the person who signs the purchase order.
Open the PreviewZero-Prep Lesson Plans
Three 15-minute modules you can teach tomorrow with nothing but the book and a screen. Each module has a built-in countdown timer, a hands-on activity with coupon-style student cards, and a one-click Presentation Mode that turns your smartboard into a full-screen, arrow-key-navigable lesson. Covers needs vs. wants, coupons and discounts, and saving goals. Zero prep means zero prep.
Get the LessonsThe Money Talk
36 discussion prompts organized into three chapter sections, with a Classroom/Home toggle that swaps facilitation tips for family activities. Filter by depth (Starter, Intermediate, Advanced) or hit the Random button and go. Every prompt expands to reveal a teacher tip or a “Try This at Home” activity. Works at a desk, a dinner table, or in the car on the way to the grocery store.
Open the GuideSmart Shopper Challenge
A five-question interactive quiz that students take on any device. Scenario-based questions with Clarence in every card, instant scoring, animated star ratings, and a printable certificate with the student’s name. Educators get a built-in toolkit with answer key, standards alignment, and a print-ready worksheet version. Use it as a pre/post assessment or a standalone Friday activity.
Try the QuizSea-Mart Secret Mission
A three-mission family grocery store adventure. Kids enter their Agent Name, sort items into needs vs. wants, hunt for real sale prices, and compare brands side-by-side — all at the actual store. Missions unlock sequentially, and completing all three earns a rank (Bargain Apprentice to Chief Bargain Officer) on a printable mission report. The book comes alive in aisle five.
Start the MissionCurriculum Alignment Matrix
An interactive standards map covering eight financial literacy concepts across four national frameworks: Jump$tart, Common Core Math, Common Core ELA, and CEE. Filter by framework or grade level (1–5), expand any concept to see every aligned standard with its code and description, and generate a custom report for your grant application. Built for purchase orders, Title I submissions, and CRA documentation.
Open the MatrixInstitutional & Bulk Ordering
Built for the way schools, libraries, credit unions, and financial education programs actually buy. Purchase orders welcomed. Net 30 standard. Title I pricing on file.
Request Examination Copy
For school curriculum directors, PTA leadership, and Jump$tart board members. Submit your institutional email to receive a complimentary review copy for adoption evaluation.
Request Exam CopyRequest Bulk Quote (25+ Copies)
Volume pricing for school districts, local credit unions, real estate brokerages, Scout troops, and community organizations. Title I volume discounts available.
Contact for Institutional OrdersEnterprise & Co-Branding Partnerships
Custom co-branded editions for corporate sponsors, financial institutions, and national programs. Available for CRA community development initiatives, financial institution outreach programs, and state-level financial literacy efforts.
Contact UsWe accept Purchase Orders (POs), offer Net 30 terms, and support Title I volume pricing. Contact us to discuss your institution’s procurement process.
Let’s Clear This Up Fast.
Build It Into the Budget.
Defend It to the Board.
Clarence Gets a Bargain is a financial literacy resource (estimated Lexile AD 620L) aligned with FDIC Money Smart for Young People themes and Jump$tart National Standards for K–12 Personal Finance Education. It includes pre-built family engagement activities, making it well-suited to support CRA community development initiatives, Title I supplemental material programs, and corporate financial literacy philanthropy.
When your team asks why you selected this resource, the answer is documented: Jump$tart National Standards (Spending, Saving, Earning Income, Managing Credit). Common Core CCSS.Math.5.NBT.B.7. FDIC Money Smart K–5 themes. Council for Economic Education topics. Pre- and post-assessment activities included.
And the kids actually think it’s hilarious.