About the Book
Book: Marcus and the Emperor’s Coin
Author: Dennis Conrad
Genre: Christian Children’s Picture Book
Release date: October 30, 2023
Marcus and the Emperor’s Coin is an exciting adventure in the Ancient Roman Empire at the time of Christ. Eight-year-old Marcus and his father are on a mission for the Emperor and visit a mine and a mint where coins are made. Marcus himself makes a denarius, a coin with the emperor’s image.
Marcus goes to Jerusalem where he sees Jesus hold a denarius saying, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” What will seeing Jesus mean for Marcus, and will he ever be the same again?
Click here to get your copy!
My Review:I was excited to see the second book Marcius and the Emperor’s Coin “In the God We Trust Series”. Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing The Two-Cent Piece. This was the first book in the series.
Marcus is about to embark on his first journey with his father. This is an important mission for the Emperor of Rome. His father needs to check on the quality of silver at the mine. Afterward, they will travel to the place where the coins are made. Then they will transport the coins. The mission could be dangerous as they could get robbed. Many soldiers will travel with them to protect the coins. Marcus’s father reminds him that he must be careful and not to make any mess ups. Marcus knew that his father was talking about how clumsy he could be.
It didn’t take Marcus long to show how clumsy he can be. He fell off a horse, and cut up his hands and legs in the mines. On top of that, he hit his thumb at the place where the coins were being made. Then on a ship to Jerusalem Marcus almost ended up as fish bait leaning over the rails. Marcus was making a mess of the mission. At the camp near Jerusalem Marcus woke up before sunrise. What he saw was men clothed in dark clothes sneaking into camp. He didn’t know where the guards were. Marcus yelled out “THIEVES”, and saved the mission.
What happened next was the most important event of the journey to Jerusalem. He hears Jesus talking to the crowd. His words put him on a new mission.
This is a 7-part “In God We Trust” series for children. I was delighted to see a book with a historical flare and a message of our Savior.
The book is appropriate for young elementary ages. Illustrator Courtney Smith creates the illustrations in this book. The illustrations are lovely and eye-catching, Dennis Conrad also includes links at the back of the book on coin collecting.
My daughter has been collecting coins for a while and gets excited about anything with coins. I had some ancient Israeli coins which she had to look at again. Not the Roman coins mentioned in the book but, they could be around the same era.
At the end of the book, you will find information about how to collect coins.
A wonderful book for kids that are interested in collecting coins and learning about history.
Disclosure: I received this complimentary product in exchange for my honest thoughts.
About the Author
A former coin collector for over fifty years, Dennis combines his love for the Bible, children’s literature, and sharing stories about the history behind coins.
Dennis retired as a professor of speech communications from Barstow Community College. He and his wife served as English and public speaking teachers ten summers overseas.
Dennis became a sustaining member of the Numismatic Association of Southern California in 1979. He is also a life member of the American Numismatic Association.
Dennis is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a Fellow of the National Writing Project.
More from Dennis
How to Turn a Penny into a Teachable Moment
Dennis Conrad
Connect with your child or grandchild by starting a coin collection.
Start with the penny, also known as the Lincoln Head Cent. The coins were first minted in 1909 because it was the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
Use the coin to help your child make the connections with who Lincoln was, what he did, and when he lived. Reasons why Abraham Lincoln is featured on a coin include the following:
- Lincoln is often at the top of the list of America’s greatest presidents.
- He helped to preserve the Union during the American Civil War.
- His Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves.
- The Gettysburg Address ranks as one of the best speeches of all time.
Now, Look On the Back (the Reverse)
Go through change to find the different images on the backs of pennies.
There are wheat ears (1909-1958) and the Lincoln Memorial (1959-2008).
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, the U.S. Mint issued coins with four different images on the back. The Lincoln Bicentennial (2009) coins include a log cabin, Lincoln sitting on a log, Lincoln standing in front of the state capitol of Illinois, and an unfinished U.S. Capitol Building (the way it was when he was president.) For the past several years, there has is a shield on the back representing the preserved union (2010-Present).
Add one of each reverse to the child’s collection.
Don’t forget to mention the words, the date, and the mintmark.
The words include “One Cent,” “In God We Trust,” “Liberty,” “The United States of America,” and “E Pluribus Unum” which means “Out of many, one.”
Also, look for and find the year minted and the mintmark.
Find and add a coin from the child’s birth year to the child’s collection.
Look at the mintmark. It is a letter on the front of the coin under the date. The “D” is for Denver, the “S” for San Francisco, and the absence of a mintmark means the coin was minted in Philadelphia.
Add coins with the different mintmarks to the child’s collection.
Keep the collection safe in a small box or a Ziploc bag. Have fun. Add to the collection as time goes by.
Free Resources
Want to encourage the child in your life to learn more about coins? Sign up at https://dennisconradauthor.com so your child can become a Junior Coin Collector. Receive free, monthly activity sheets like a crossword puzzle. There is a Coin Hunt section where children can search for and find coins in change for their collection, and a Vocabulary Builder section with coin collecting terms.
Blog Stops
Lots of Helpers, May 8
Artistic Nobody, May 9 (Author Interview)
BookZone Reviews 
, May 9
Vicky Sluiter, May 10
Texas Book-aholic, May 11
Beauty in the Binding, May 12 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 13
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 14
Hannahbandanarama, May 15
Guild Master, May 16 (Author Interview)
Lights in a Dark World, May 16
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 17
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 18
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 19 (Author Interview)
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 20
Labor Not in Vain, May 21
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Dennis is giving away the grand prize package of a $100 Amazon gift card and a signed hardback copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2b7c8/marcus-and-the-emperor-s-coin-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thanks for sharing your lovely review. This looks like a great book for kids and a great way to start a new hobby.
ReplyDeleteLooks like such a fun read! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun read. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour.
ReplyDeleteExcellent review! I read Dennis' earlier children's book and enjoyed it. I'll have to check this one out too.
ReplyDelete