Title: Gonzalo Grabs the Good Life
Author: Janice Levy
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5328-8
Year: 2009

Concepts: wants and needs

Review: Gonzalo the rooster has some quibbles about his working conditions on the farm, so winning the lottery provides the perfect opportunity for him to seek contentment somewhere else. Gonzalo uses his new wealth to purchase a mansion in Florida, hire a domestic staff, join a country club, buy a fancy yacht, and become a party animal, but none of these luxuries make him happy. Running out of money and friends may prove a blessing in disguise as Gonzalo embarks on a different path to discover what it is that he truly needs.

With its tongue-in-cheek humor and enormously funny illustrations, this book is an obvious crowd pleaser. Woven into the tall tale is an important lesson about wants and needs, a lesson that children will not soon forget given Gonzalo's absurd and charming shenanigans.

Review by: Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children