Holiday gift guide, children's book edition

• "Until we get more of it in the schools," she says, "we need it in homes."

How it works: "I love reading these books to kids directly," says Bair. "They're focused, they're quiet, they're listening."

• "If they like the book, they read it over and over again."

Bair's gift guide: Beyond her own books, which are distributed to kids living in poverty via the Foolproof Foundation, Bair recommends "Bunny Money"; the unrelated Moneybunny books; "Money Ninja"; the Berenstain Bears' "Trouble With Money"; and the grocery-shopping book "Money Plan" (yes, there's ice cream).

The bottom line: "Stay away from didactic books that read more like instructional manuals," Bair tells Axios. "It's so much cozier to curl up with a child and read a good story."