Alexander's two brothers have money in their pockets. All he has are bus tokens. It isn't fair. He had money last Sunday when his grandparents gave them each a dollar. Now it's all gone. At first he was saving the money for a walkie-talkie. But saving money is hard. He bought gum with some of the money, but when it stopped tasting good, he had to buy more. Good-bye 15 cents. Then Eddie offered to rent him his snake for an hour, and he couldn't pass up a chance like that. Betting his brother that he could hold his breath while he counted to 300 wasn't a good idea, either. He'll never own that walkie-talkie! Judith Viorst has a gift for getting inside a little boy's head and making sense of what goes on there. Paired with Johnny Heller's acting talent, the result is a good chuckle, laced with real compassion, for the child in everyone.
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"Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday tells of little Alexander who's grandparents gave a dollar last Sunday. With that dollar Alexander started buying many things with it and now has no money left. This a great book for 1st and 2nd graders. Not only can the children practice their counting skills by adding the amount of money together from the items that Alexander buys but it can also help them learn how to save their money."
— Chloe (4 out of 5 stars)
" Great book to teach about budgeting and money. "
— Sarah, 2/17/2014" Ephram loves this book and the 2 other Alexander books by Judith Voirst "
— Jessica, 2/8/2014" This book teaches students about the value of a dollar. It is an excellent book to use with coin manipulatives when teaching students about exchange and the value of a coin. Allow students to follow along with the story while working with money. "
— Erica, 2/5/2014" Let it be known that Alexander is the best easy picture book character out there today. I adore the illustrations, the expressions on the characters faces and the dialect. A great story time/school group read, you can really go to town on voices and flailing limbs :) "
— Kirsten, 2/3/2014" Definatily grab your pencil and paper and subtract along Alexander goes from one whole dollar to a lot less. Keep track of everything Alexander buys throughout the week. See how hard it can be to save money. Teach your students the value of a dollar and how times (and prices) have changed! "
— Brittani, 1/23/2014" Alexander gets $1.00 from his grandparents when they visited from New York. It is only a matter of time before he spends his $1.00 on different things. "
— Danielle, 1/21/2014" I love this book because it teaches children the beginning terms of saving rather than spending. At the beginning of the book Alexander believes he is rich because of the money his grandparents give him but in all actuality he is not. Throughout the book he learns the better concept of money. "
— Jessica, 1/17/2014" This is a good book for a math lesson to do with money. Its also just a good book. Great read! "
— Sephire, 1/10/2014" Great book to introduce money. "
— Michelle, 1/10/2014" This book is good to read when teaching your students about money. The students can use manipulatives as the teacher reads the book to them. "
— Yates, 1/7/2014" This is about how Alexander spends the money he was trying to save. A book students can relate to. "
— Kara, 12/18/2013" Hilarious account of a boy, his money, and how he spends it. My 7 year old, my nine year old, and I were all laughing too much. Don't read this one at bedtime, "
— Heather, 12/16/2013" Great way to incorporate math, specifically money and subtracting. Alexander is such a relate-able character i feel his pain anytime i read a story about him. Black and white pictures =[ "
— Savannah, 12/9/2013" I enjoyed reading this story. I kind of felt Alexander's pain. I remeber when i could never save any money. I would use this book as an introduction to money and ways that Alex could have saved his money so that he wouldn't be broke on sunday. "
— Lauren, 11/18/2013" This book is good for talking about money and money values. Also, it is good talking about subtracting money. "
— Jennifer, 11/14/2013" Judith Viorst deserves much recognition as a creative children's lit author! I LOVE her works! I haven't been disappointed yet! She is funny and insightful and relatable for children and adults! "
— Jeannie, 10/23/2013" This would be a cute book to help teach kids about money and saving. I kept expecting Alexander to mention saving for a trip to Australia! :) "
— Lesley, 10/8/2013" Great book for teaching choices behind money and adding money up to $1 "
— Alysia, 8/31/2013" This is a great book to use for lessons about counting, numbers and operations, money, and addition and subtraction. "
— Lori, 7/30/2013" I love Alexander. I quote him endlessly. "
— Mandi, 7/28/2013" An enjoyable story, and a good lesson book for any child who can't seem to hang onto any money they may be given. "
— Sheila, 7/19/2013" I love this book. It is great book to share with any grade level. You can have your class write about how they feel about money. Happy reading. "
— Rebecca, 7/11/2013" This is a good book that a lot of children can relate to. Alexander tries to save a dollar, but keeps spending it on things. It is a funny story, but it is realistic. I definitely recommend this book for practicing counting change with children. "
— Keidra, 6/2/2013" Great for teaching money. Use real coins as manipulative. Reinforces double digit subtraction - with and without regrouping (borrowing), multiplication and division. A fun lesson! "
— Heidi, 6/1/2013" Good for letting children learn about subtracting money and a fun book. "
— Kristen, 2/21/2013Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, moved to Greenwich Village, and has lived in Washington, DC, since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons and seven grandchildren. A 1981 graduate of the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, Viorst writes in many different areas: science books; children’s picture books—including the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; adult fiction and nonfiction; poetry for children and adults; and musicals.
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.