(Christine remarked to me that this Summer story would be appropriate for those over age three; if I was telling this to my own family I probably would mark it for my five and a half/ six year olds if they were the oldest in the family). 

Magic Pennies by Christine Natale

Once upon a time, when a penny was worth a dollar and a dollar was worth a great fortune, there were three poor friends.

Being poor back in those times was very common. There were very rich people, like kings and dukes, a few wealthy merchants and landowners and almost everyone else was poor. Being poor back in those times meant that a person had to work hard to have a small house or cottage, some furniture and a few clothes and their daily bread. There was never very much left over for anything else. Even so, people managed to have fun playing music, dancing and playing games.

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