My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
I'm pretty sure this book was recommended in Raising Financially Fit Kids. (See my review here.) We read it as part of our Financial Literacy course this year for Basic Money Skill #1: How to Save.
Saruni is a young Tanzanian boy who decides to save his coins for a bicycle which he can then use to help his mother take more produce to market and to run errands for her. Each week, he saves the coins she shares with him and practices faithfully on his father's bicycle. It's a marvelous book of dreams, perseverance, patience, and generosity. It is set in the 1960s, but a note from the author at the end (which also includes useful pronunciation guides and definitions) says much of rural Tanzania remains as it is depicted.
The illustrations are just as wonderful as the text. They're a realistic glimpse at a beautiful African family. I particularly love the ones showing Saruni with his parents. They seem so proud and loving.
