Inside: An honest review of Connor Boyack’s Tuttle Twins series. reading log free download This post may contain affiliate links. for more information, see my disclosure.
My love for economics began during my freshman year in college. I chose economics 101 on a whim to fill out an elective. but there, in an auditorium of 200 students, I eagerly absorbed information and spent the semester falling in love with the subject that would become my major.
You are reading: Tuttle twin books review
When it comes to my own children, I’m afraid I’ve done little to teach them fundamental economic principles. Of course, we talk about supply and demand, some here and there. we have discussed tanstaafl (there is no such thing as a free lunch). but I never intentionally set out to teach it.
when i saw an ad for the tuttle twins series on my facebook page, i noticed and kept scrolling.
When other moms I knew were discussing the books and whether or not they should take advantage of the sale, I listened.
I was attracted to the idea of books written for children that taught economic principles. I turned to Cathy Duffy’s reviews to see what she had to say. It all seemed positive, so I jumped on board, eager to share my love of economics with my kids (and maybe get a refresher myself!).
what are the tuttle twins books
Written by Connor Boyack, the books focus on two twins, Ethan and Emily. Boyack based the twins on her own children.
Each picture book is approximately 60 pages. the books try to explain economic principles in terms simple enough for children to understand. most books are based on a larger body of work by different authors or economists.
To date, there are eleven books in the series.
different schools or thoughts of economics
It’s important to know, especially if economics is something you’re not familiar with yourself, there are different schools of thought. this series very follows Austrian economics. this train of thought places incredible faith in the free market and believes that government control or interference should be minimal or non-existent.
an unexpected discovery
I excitedly grabbed my package containing tuttle’s twin books from my porch. I brought it inside where I promptly broke it.
grabbing the first book, I opened it and started reading, eager to see what I would share with my children come fall.
And as I read, my enthusiasm began to wane. when I was done, I had to sit down and think what it was that baffled me. after all, I think stealing is wrong. but having people in government portrayed as bad guys who steal from me to give to other people didn’t sit well with me.
and then it hit me. this book had a libertarian bias.
Not expecting a political bias, I was taken by surprise. and since I don’t share the author’s political beliefs, I was taken aback.
That’s when I realized I was going to need to preview each book before giving them to my kids.
my honest review of the tuttle twins series
Since I found that reviews of the tuttle twins series were missing when I was researching, I thought I’d share my own more comprehensive review. one that went deeper than “my family loves this!” or “we have these!” because those superficial testimonials don’t give much idea if their family will love them or not. So, here is my take on the series in general. you can choose for yourself whether or not they will suit your family.
what I liked about the tuttle twins series
Since I forcefully (and perhaps foolishly) ordered the entire series before reading any of them, I read the remaining books.
ethan and emily, age 9, come across as hard workers and care about the people in their community. when they see an injustice, they look for how they can help and what actions can be taken.
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For example, in the taco truck fiasco, they work to change regulations stemming from protectionism. in the world of spectacular show business, they become entrepreneurs and borrow capital to run a theater.
They have a strong support system of family and neighbors to guide them.
books encourage hard work, honesty, and fair treatment of others.
As for economics, they explain the economic concept in a way that is easy for children to understand.
Most of the books did not have a strong political background, although some did.
the miracle pencil and the educational vacation were my favorites in the series.
I found the miracle pencil interesting and the educational vacation is about the benefits of homeschooling from a financial point of view, which I thought was well done.
the tuttle twins activity books
Each book came with a free pdf activity book. included in the activity book are:
- coloring pages
- crossword puzzles
- word search
- unscramble the sentences
- mazes
- mad libs
- a recipe
- discussion questions
- a writing assignment
These can add some fun to books. From a homeschooling point of view, these sheets would mostly be considered “busy work.” there is little reinforcement in the booklets other than the writing assignment and discussion questions. but, children would still enjoy them.
what I didn’t like about the tuttle twins series
I was obviously surprised at the political bias of these books given the age range they are targeting (5-10). along with the Austrian school of thought on economics, they sometimes read anti-government.
There are many ways to teach economic concepts that allow students to develop their own views on government and free markets. boyack chooses to do so by presenting the government as evil and praising free markets. his bias is evident throughout the books.
the books talked about the government as the “bad guys”. there were several references to the government “robbing” the people.
for example, in the first book, the twins’ neighbor, fred, shows how the government steals his property and gives it to others without his permission (alluding to taxes). this is demonstrated by a policeman disguised as a thief who steals his tomatoes to give them to his neighbor.
In The Creature from Jekyll Island, the Fed is depicted as a miserable creature and accused of stealing money from his grandfather. (The Jekyll Island Creature is actually his own G. Edward Griffin book on the Federal Reserve.)
Mostly, I would have preferred a more neutral and politically biased teaching tone.
the tuttle twins series: a book-by-book breakdown
Since there are twelve books in the series, I’m not going to give a full review of each book. instead I’m just going to touch on the highlights and then give my overview of the series.
For each book, I will say whether or not there is a religious or political point of view, the economic principle being taught, and whether it is based on another book or line of thought.
At the end, I’ll share my thoughts on the series as a whole.
the tuttle twins learn about the law #1
With the help of their neighbor, the twins learn that we all have God-given rights. they learn that we must protect these rights from the bad guys in government.
the tuttle twins and the miracle pencil #2
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The twins go on a field trip to learn how pencils are made. they learn all about the different jobs needed to get all the materials to make a single pencil. the breakdown of the pencil’s family tree is quite fascinating.
the tuttle twins and the creature from jekyll island #3
The twins head to a carnival to sell their honey. they learn about the federal reserve and how money loses value due to inflation and it would be better if people could choose their currency instead of having fiat currency.
the tuttle twins and the food truck fiasco #4
The twins learn that their friend, who owns a food truck, is going out of business due to regulations created by the mayor to protect their friend, who owns a great restaurant and wants to eliminate the competition. the twins work to change the regulations.
the tuttle twins and the road to surfdom #5
the twins learn that their favorite beach is losing store owners and residents due to a new road that diverts people to a new and now more popular beach. they learn that there can be unintended consequences when the government tries to plan for everyone and is best when individuals are allowed to choose what is best for them.
the tuttle twins and the golden rule #6
The twins are going to summer camp. A teammate on Ethan’s team cheats to make sure he wins. Emily’s team finds out and takes revenge. instead of making ethan’s team stop, it generates knockback when they up their trap game. The twins learn about the golden rule and economic principle of non-aggression: they should never attack another person or their belongings and only use force to defend themselves.
the tuttle twins and the search for the atlas #7
the twins try to be circus clowns. the other circus clowns demand the same advantages as the strong man, although he does more work. this causes him to leave the circus and the circus loses business. Emily and Ethan set out to find the strong man and convince him to come back. they learn that what the clowns wanted was called socialism, where everyone gets the same, even when they’re not putting in the same amount of effort.
the tuttle twins and their spectacular entertainment #8
In this book, the twins decide to start their own business. With a $14,000 loan from their grandmother, the twins create a business plan and start a theater.
the tuttle twins and the fate of the future #9
It’s your turn to choose the next book for the book club. the twins learn that states (government) are a lot like a gang that uses coercion to get their way and that it would be better if there was polycentric law where governments could compete with each other. they and their friends brainstorm ways persuasion could be used instead of coercion to create better government.
the tuttle twins and educational vacation #10
mr. Tuttle gets the chance to take the family to Europe with him, but it will mean the twins will miss school. after attending a lecture by mr. gatto, they learn that children learn best when education can be individually tailored to each child, something public schools cannot do. they choose to homeschool and enjoy their freedom by delving into topics they are passionate about.
the tuttle twins and the disorderly market #11
After a successful career, the twins sell their theater. not wanting to lose money by depositing their profits in a bank, they decide to give loans to other child entrepreneurs. the twins learn about incentives and risks when it comes to choosing who to lend their money to.
the tuttle twins and the leviathan crisis #12
In The Tuttle Twins and the Leviathan Crisis, the twins learn how governments use fear in times of crisis to exploit people’s emotions as an opportunity to gain more power. they learn the importance of the power of truth and understanding of history. this book is great for helping kids understand the economics behind the pandemic and explaining people’s behavior.
my general thoughts on the tuttle twins
I still plan to use the books this coming fall with my younger children. I will approach them the same way I do any other curriculum that deviates from our personal beliefs. we will read it and discuss the differences.
discussion starters
I would recommend reading these books with your children. the true teaching of these will come in the subsequent discussions.
Do you think the government should help the poor or subsidize businesses? Should anyone else benefit from your hard work?
At the end of each book, there are some discussion questions to get you started. in the activity book, there are deeper questions.
In my opinion, the discussion aspect of these books is what makes them worthwhile. encourage your children to be critical thinkers and challenge what they think. Do you agree with the author’s thoughts? why or why not?
These books don’t quite fit the original mold I had in mind, but that’s okay. they will fulfill their purpose in the same way.
update
We have been using these books in our homeschooling for several months now. I have come to really appreciate the economic principles they teach. we moved to an area of the country where socialist ideals are very popular and these books have helped my children understand the dangers of too much government interference and why limited government is preferable.
My high school sophomore even used them to help her understand the economic principles she was learning in her economics class because it breaks down the concepts easily.
These are the best economics books I have found for elementary school children.
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