\u201cAny kid who doesn\u2019t learn something about Bitcoin is missing out,\u201d says Bitcoin advocate Ben De Waal.<\/strong><\/p>\n De Waal explains that his 12-year-old daughter Samantha has already convinced \u201ca couple\u201d of her schoolmates and a teacher to hop on the Bitcoin bandwagon, though she\u2019s not attempting to \u201corange pill the entire school\u201d\u2026 yet.<\/p>\n Thanks to her upbringing in a \u201cBitcoin family\u201d that has largely abandoned fiat currency, Sam is now a Bitcoin ambassador wunderkind nicknamed The Bitcoin Kid.<\/p>\n De Waal himself discovered Bitcoin \u201caround 2010\u201d and dedicated his life to it around 2016 (sadly, after he deleted 200 Bitcoin!). He\u2019s worked in engineering leadership positions at both Swan Bitcoin and Lightning Labs and explains he first introduced Sam to children\u2019s books about Bitcoin when she was just 10 years old.<\/p>\n Just two years after she read her first Bitcoin book, Sam found herself on the grand stage of BTC Prague 2023 in mid-June, delivering a speech about Bitcoin.<\/p>\n Oh, and she had to follow MicroStrategy\u2019s Michael Saylor\u2019s presentation, too.<\/p>\n Seems like she nailed it, though \u2013 she was \u201cthe best\u201d speaker at the conference according to Peter McCormack, the host of the incredibly popular podcast What Bitcoin Did.<\/p>\n It\u2019s her second big conference appearance, following a presentation at Adopting Bitcoin in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n Adults shouldn\u2019t feel too bad, though \u2014 kids have a natural advantage when it comes to understanding and learning about Bitcoin.<\/p>\n Scott Sibley, co-author of the children\u2019s book Goodnight Bitcoin, believes this is because kids haven\u2019t really latched onto a specific form of currency yet.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, it\u2019s easier for kids to learn about Bitcoin because they don\u2019t have the baggage of thinking it\u2019s new or different.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Goodnight Bitcoin is an origin tale recounting how Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin and sent the first Bitcoin to Hal Finney.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight Bitcoin tells the story of Satoshi and Hal as they attempt to create the impossible: a new money called Bitcoin,\u201d Sibley says.<\/p>\n It brings children through various stages of the \u201cBitcoin story.\u201d<\/p>\n The book touches on the perception that many had toward Bitcoin when it was first introduced, stating that \u201cmany monsters thought it was impossible and very funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Also lightly touching on how the Bitcoin network operates, the book explains, \u201cIn 2011, Satoshi slipped away to his hidden shelter. But don\u2019t worry, the helpers have kept the Bitcoin network running.\u201d<\/p>\n Another Bitcoin kid\u2019s book author Graeme Moore (B Is for Bitcoin) believes that kids who are exposed to Bitcoin today will find it easier to form their own opinions about it later in life.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s a thing that\u2019s been around forever since you were born, then you have a lot more confidence in pursuing it as a legitimate endeavor for a number of years,\u201d Moore says.<\/p>\n This is evident with Sam, who has been exposed to Bitcoin throughout her entire life.<\/p>\n She even accidentally orange-pilled her own school teacher.<\/p>\n \u201cHer teacher said to me, \u2018Hey, I learned some basics from your daughter, but you know, what is this [Bitcoin], can you tell me more about this?\u2019\u201d De Waal recalls.<\/p>\n Sam is mainly interested in reading allegory books with a hidden message.<\/p>\n Two of her favorite books so far are Bitcoin Money: A Tale of Bitville Discovering Good Money, a story that explores different types of money and helps kids tackle the \u201cWhy Bitcoin?\u201d question, and 99 Bitcoins and an Elephant, a tale of a young girl lost in a huge department store that becomes flush with Bitcoin.<\/p>\n De Waal says that while these books \u201cdidn\u2019t necessarily\u201d teach her all the fundamentals about Bitcoin, they \u201cfirmed up her knowledge and made it clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n The real question is: Does introducing kids to Bitcoin early via children\u2019s book help create the next generation of Bitcoiners? And is it education or a form of indoctrination?<\/p>\n While there are no guarantees that simply reading books about Bitcoin to children will lead them to grace the stage at BTC Prague, Bitcoiner parents see benefits to be gained from planting the seed early.<\/p>\n The authors that Magazine speak to believe that getting kids familiar with the word \u201cBitcoin\u201d and teaching them a few basic concepts is a good base of knowledge for further exploration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moore explains that brand-new technologies do not \u201creally take off\u201d until they are \u201caccepted as inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are kids now who were born in 2009, and they\u2019ve never been alive without blockchain,\u201d Moore says. (Samantha is a good example of this).<\/p>\n \u201cBitcoin has always existed since they were born, so they assume they will always exist until the end of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Moore admits that children will not \u201clearn a ton\u201d about the mechanics of Bitcoin from his book, but there are \u201csome funny rhymes in the book\u201d that introduce larger concepts.<\/p>\n \u201cC is for consensus that the blockchain brings, D is for decentralization of all of the things,\u201d he quotes from B Is for Bitcoin.<\/p>\n Drawing inspiration from Dr. Seuss, his \u201cfavorite author ever,\u201d Moore understands how powerful it is to instill certain words and ideas into children from a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n He says that diving into all the nitty-gritty technical stuff isn\u2019t really necessary.<\/p>\n \u201c[Kids] don\u2019t have to know how proof-of-work actually works and how the difficulty adjustment makes it secure, and why the blockchain is immutable,\u201d Moore explains.<\/p>\n The book has become a hit within the Bitcoin community, with Moore occasionally waking up to a big order.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLike a couple of people in Bitcoin, they\u2019ll call me randomly and be like, \u2018Hey, I need 20 copies,\u2019 and I\u2019ll be like \u2018Cool, that\u2019s awesome.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A famous billionaire Bitcoin investor even requested a stack of copies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTim Draper bought 10 copies from me one time,\u201d Moore gleefully recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, not all believe shoving Bitcoin down children\u2019s throats is a good idea.<\/p>\n Jason Don, author of Rhyming Bitcoin, has a similar belief to Moore on just introducing the broad topic to kids and says it is important to just \u201copen their minds to the possibilities that Bitcoin offers.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhyming Bitcoin has a similar style to Alice in Wonderland and Dr. Seuss\u2019 books, gently easing children down the Bitcoin rabbit hole in a fun and playful way.<\/p>\n While it doesn\u2019t tackle the technical details of \u201chow\u201d Bitcoin was created, it focuses more on the \u201cwhy.\u201d<\/p>\n The book doesn\u2019t shy away from taking a few playful jabs at fiat currency, proclaiming that \u201cdollars, like rocks, don\u2019t mean much\u201d and gently introducing them to inflation in a passive-aggressive way.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Silly State prints dollars, all day and all night. They Keep printing dollars, and prices take flight!\u201d the book declares.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think it\u2019s important that children understand that money isn\u2019t just what the government says it is and that anyone should be free to use whatever money they like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sibley believes that children don\u2019t have the \u201cability to think fiat is weird yet,\u201d but he\u2019s confident that hearing these stories with an underlying message now will come in handy later in life.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no doubt that as they get older, they will wonder why people had cash, went to banks \u2014 no different than people in their 20s and 30s today find writing a check so odd,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The simple lessons conveyed in these books can serve as a foundation for children to engage in a chinwag with their schoolmates, allowing them to develop their understanding even further.<\/p>\n De Waal says Sam is \u201cpretty good at actually kind of talking about Bitcoin to other kids and explaining\u2026 What is Bitcoin? Why does Bitcoin exist?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe read the [Bitcoin Money book] to the class, and you know, there were a lot of questions which came out of that, which was great.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Interest in Bitcoin kids\u2019 books is much higher during bull markets than bear markets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sales of Bitcoin kids\u2019 books perfectly track the price of Bitcoin,\u201d says Moore, adding he can forecast his earnings several months in advance just by looking at the price.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo to three months after the coin price goes up, there\u2019s more frequent sales, and then when the price goes down, you know there\u2019s a lot less sales,\u201d Moore adds.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not necessarily a lucrative area, though, and authors often do it as a labor of love rather than as a money-making scheme. For example, Don doesn\u2019t have a marketing team and relies on Bitcoiners on Twitter sharing photos of the book to \u201chelp grow the book\u2019s audience.\u201d<\/p>\n Sibley explains that the majority of his sales are to people already in the Bitcoin space \u201cthat have or are starting families\u201d and sees those embracing alternative approaches to education as a potential audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe anticipate more homeschool families gravitating towards Bitcoin education, but that will take some time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Similar to how Bitcoin requires time for mainstream adoption, the books for children are still a fair bit away from topping the charts anytime soon.<\/p>\n One of the most popular Bitcoin kids\u2019 books sold on Amazon is Bitcoin Money: A Tale of Bitville Discovering Good Money by Michael Caras and Marina Yakubivska, which has more than 250 reviews and an average rating of 4.6.<\/p>\n My First Step in Crypto and Bitcoin Investing for Kids and Beginners: Simplified Introduction of Cryptocurrencies for Dummies by Sweet Smart Books and Kelly Rhodes is another hot product for Bitcoiners with 95 reviews and an average rating of 4.2.<\/p>\n But their success is relative: Mainstream kids\u2019 books such as I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, have 66,074 and 33,920 ratings, respectively.<\/p>\n Read also<\/p>\n Features<\/span><\/p>\n State of Play: India\u2019s Cryptocurrency Industry Prepares For A Billion Users<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Features<\/span><\/p>\n When worlds collide: Joining Web3 and crypto from Web2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The motivation behind creating a Bitcoin children\u2019s book for many authors seems to originate from the desire to share their passions and beliefs with their offspring.<\/p>\n It is not uncommon for children\u2019s books that tackle political or ideological concepts to be inspired by a desire from the author to communicate their beliefs to their own children.<\/p>\n For example, Ibram X. Kendi wrote Antiracist Baby to share his views on race and racism with his four-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n He said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the idea was to open up the conversation with parents and \u201clittle children about racism\u201d before they can even understand it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea is that when they\u2019re older, they will have heard so much about it, it won\u2019t be anything mysterious or taboo.\u201d<\/p>\n Similar books include A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara, which explores social justice and promotes LGBT equality through playful illustrations, and Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, which challenges traditional gender roles through witty writing and creative drawings.<\/p>\n While anti-racists, activists and Bitcoiners all see teaching their beliefs to their kids as education, opponents may view it as indoctrination.<\/p>\n DeFi Dad, a popular crypto podcaster and influencer with over 152,000 Twitter followers, tells Magazine he has refrained from exposing his two young children to Bitcoin kids\u2019 books and would be cautious to do so anytime soon.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, despite how bullish I am on crypto, I would still be cautious of any \u2018Bitcoin kids\u2019 books\u2019 until I read them myself to verify they are objectively educational and not some form of propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Even if the books present themselves to be educational, he believes that these books should be \u201ccomplementary\u201d to children\u2019s education about fiat currencies and not \u201creplace any such books.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the United States, I would bet more than 99% of children are not exposed to any form of education on fiat or basic finance,\u201d he says, adding there was a real \u201clack of financial literacy\u201d as a result.<\/p>\n De Waal explains that, while he introduced Sam to reading books about Bitcoin and is running a \u201cBitcoin family,\u201d he is OK if she decides to go her own way too.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe one day, she\u2019ll come to me and say, \u2018Hey, dad, you know, I think Bitcoin is terrible.\u2019 I\u2019ll say, \u2018Okay, tell me why,\u2019 you know, \u2018Explain to me why, and we\u2019ll discuss this.\u2019 I\u2019m not just going to say, \u2018You\u2019re wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The authors have the best of intentions, however. Moore says that he wrote B Is for Bitcoin with his young niece in mind, wanting to have something special to read to her.<\/p>\n Sibley explains that \u201cas a family with a then infant,\u201d he wanted to expose her to Bitcoin before she could even walk.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to be able to make it easier for her to be able to jump down the Bitcoin rabbit hole as early as possible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n For Don, who isn\u2019t a parent, the motivation behind writing the book was because he found most \u201cso-called entry-level\u201d Bitcoin books too complicated for beginners.<\/p>\n \u201cBitcoin can be daunting, difficult to explain, and even more difficult to wrap your mind around,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, I was reading a so-called \u2018beginner\u2019 book, and it really wasn\u2019t for beginners. So, I thought, Why not try to create a beautifully illustrated book that would appeal to people of all ages, something to ease people into the rabbit hole and that explains why Bitcoin is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite not having a child of his own to test the book on, he was able to recruit his mate\u2019s kids.<\/p>\n \u201cI was able to send the manuscript and illustrations to a number of friends with children for feedback, which I think proved incredibly helpful,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Don asserts that while there is a market for children\u2019s books about Bitcoin, publishing houses are hesitant to take the risk. He sent the manuscript and illustrations for Rhyming Bitcoin to a publishing agent he \u201chas a relationship with,\u201d but they questioned how profitable the book would actually be.<\/p>\n \u201cThe feedback in terms of marketability wasn\u2019t great. Rather than fight an uphill battle there, I opted for more control through self-publishing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Moore also opted for self-publishing, as he was reluctant to \u201close massively on sales, on the back end.\u201d<\/p>\n Although he acknowledges the advantage of \u201cgetting your $200,000 advance\u201d through traditional publishing, he argues that relying on a publisher means betting \u201cless on yourself\u201d and forfeiting long-term rewards.<\/p>\n He draws a parallel to this arrangement, similar to being an employee rather than owning your own business.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read also<\/p>\n Features<\/span><\/p>\n WTF happened in 1971 (and why the f**k it matters so much right now)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Features<\/span><\/p>\n Why Animism Gives Japanese Characters a NiFTy Head Start on the Blockchain<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Moore says the feedback has been great besides those Bitcoin maxis who weren\u2019t too thrilled about the inclusion of a non-Bitcoin currency.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, a few people who just wanted to be Bitcoin strictly, you know, Bitcoin maxis, of course, they weren\u2019t huge fans that E was for Ethereum.\u201d<\/p>\n But overall, the feedback has been positive, with many parents happy they can share their love of Bitcoin with their offspring.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s being able to share something that you love with your kid while teaching them how to read. That\u2019s been the really heart-warming feedback that I want.\u201d<\/p>\n While it may be tempting for Bitcoin maxis to orange pill their child as young as possible, Sibley says it is better to take baby steps when introducing Bitcoin to children.<\/p>\n He says:<\/p>\n \u201cIf there are ways you can work in little lessons throughout the day when things are happening, that will probably stick the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Sibley explains that integrating Bitcoin into everyday life, along with reading books, is the best approach.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a service light on in our car that our daughter noticed one day and asked what it was. I explained to her how people have jobs fixing cars and that ours might need something done, but that would cost money. She then asked if we\u2019d pay in Bitcoin, which shows how she is already thinking about transactions for value.\u201d<\/p>\n Subscribe<\/p>\n The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Screen-Shot-2023-07-03-at-9.39.12-PM.png\"\/)
<\/figure>\n\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
![\"Goodnight](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Goodnight-Bitcoin-Page-1.jpg\"\/)
![\"B](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/B-is-for-Bitcoin.jpg\"\/)
What do children learn from Bitcoin kids\u2019 books?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Graeme](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/GraemeMoore_Headshot_.jpg\"\/)
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
![\"Sibley\"](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sibley.jpg\"\/)
\n
Parents want to \u2018orange pill\u2019 their kids during bull markets<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Bahamas](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Bahamas-school-B-for-Bitcoin.jpg\"\/)
\n
The author\u2019s personal motivations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Ibram](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ibram-X-Kendis-Antiracist-Baby-is-another-kids-book-exploring-grown-up-topics.jpg\"\/)
\n
\n
Explaining a complicated subject<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Graeme](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Graeme-Moore-his-niece-and-mother.jpg\"\/)
![\"Scott](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/cott-Sibley-with-his-daughter-at-BTC-Prague.jpg\"\/)
The authors opt for self-publishing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Screen-Shot-2023-07-03-at-9.54.59-PM.png\"\/)
<\/figure>\nWhat has the feedback been like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kid](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Kid-with-bitcoin-book-e1688411304300.jpg\"\/)
Bitcoin should be introduced to children naturally\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Subscribe](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/reading-copy.png\"\/)
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/ED8906FB-583C-453F-8874-2267513D655C.jpeg\"\/)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n