The Three Lads and the Lizard King

This book was great. In the middle of it, in a mere two pages, Bob is able to easily illustrate the problems that arise from an entity who has the power to create money at will. And in a children's fiction book no less. Simply awesome.The book is definitely worth it for that lesson alone. Paul Krugman would certainly benefit from giving this book a read, and really focusing on the consequences the town faced after the initial excitement of all the free money. But conceptually it is a few years away from my two year old's intellectual grasp, so one would understand if Krugman similarly failed to absorb the economic lesson of unintended consequences.The rest of the book was fine too, and I enjoyed the Bob Murphyesque peaceful / pacifist triumph at the end. This will be a morsel of tasty economic education that I will continue to educate my children with for years to come. Well done, Bob.

Full disclosure: I'm already an admirer of Robert Murphy's professional writing (economics) - he writes in a clear and engaging style and can make a subject as mundane as economics actually interesting and entertaining. So I was curious about his foray into the world of children's literature. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Not that I expected Bob to do a poor job but I'm thinking "It's a story for 8-10 year olds... how interesting can it be for a 40 something year old?" Thankfully my skepticism was shattered. Each chapter was a page turner. As each chapter ended I had no choice but to proceed to the next. I literally read it cover to cover in one sitting. There is no higher honor for an author then to write a book that is so engaging that the reader simply cannot set it aside. Bob achieve's that with this bookFor those of you who are fans of his economic works you won't be disappointed either. He manages to weave some basic lessons about money, value, trade, etc without hitting the reader over the head with it. I think most children will absorb the lesson without even realizing it it was in any way educational (it's also a lesson most adults need as well). But it is only a part of the overall story, I don't want to give the impression the whole thing is just some econ lesson in disguise. Overall it has everything a good children's book requires: relatable characters, adventure, exploration, overcoming challenges and some good old fashion fantasy. Highly recommended. You won't be disappointed.

Really wanted to like this book for my kiddos since I love Bob Murphy and the way he presents information. Unfortunately this book fell a little short. Story itself isn't too bad but the writing/editing could have been better....with that said I love that people like Dr Murphy are trying to get educationl and fun kids content out. I hope to see more.

Love ALL the Tuttle books so my grandson is excited about the Lizard King book.If you're looking for books that truly that teach the truth in history in a fun way - these are the books!

I’ve read my 4 year old hundreds of books and this was my favorite book I have read him so far.

Love it!Some subtle economic teaching. Quite a fun adventure with some scary parts.

Really good book for kids. I must admit I have read Murphy's other books before purchasing his foray into children's books. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the book and was always wanting to continue to the next chapter.Many good lessons for the youth in this wonderful book.

Creative story. Can hear Bob's voice sometimes which kids don't understand my laughing as narrator gives precise distances when seemingly unnecessary.