The personal workbooks It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit! and Sammy's Big Dream! (formerly titled "Will Sammy Ride the World's First Space Coaster?") coincide with the two softcover books of the same titles. The workbooks measure 7 7/8" x 10". They have glossy soft covers and black-and-white interior pages with grayscale graphics. The prominent goals (Save, Read, and Lead) are emphasized on the covers and throughout the 16 pages of each personal workbook. The inside back cover of each includes all of the answers for that book. The first page of each workbook has a letter to the adult user of the book. It gives basic guidance for the use of the workbook and is signed by Sammy. There is no outright permission given for making copies of the pages (each page has a copyright line at the bottom). However, the grayscale presentation implies that family use of the workbook might be appropriate. Children who have truly enjoyed the readers offered in the series would probably prefer their own copy of the personal workbook.

The Sammy's Big Dream! workbook begins with multiple-choice questions for recalling the story and a "Decode the Secret Message" activity that our family found very enjoyable. The pages of recall activities follow the book by chapter and do require the reading and use of the reader books of the same title for each personal workbook. These are not stand-alone workbooks. The It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit! workbook has two fewer recollection pages, which left space for two pages of additional prediction activities and a little more work on the personal use of money. The remaining activity pages are more general in nature, but they still require a knowledge of Sammy's personality and saving habits. All of the pages encourage saving and explain the benefits of building confidence while doing so. Prediction and opinion pages further the knowledge of the child reader as parents discuss saving, whether it be carrots, money, or something else important to the child. A Choices activity allows the child to explain his answers, although only one line of space is allowed for the explanation. The Vocabulary page uses synonyms and antonyms to extend the learning of saving, earning,and spending. Even though some of the words are included in both workbooks, each workbook includes words pertinent to the story line. The final pages include mathematics activities. These are basic addition and subtraction, but younger readers may still require help. Openended writing activities are also offered in the final pages. Budding writers will enjoy this activity, and parents will gain insight into their child's level of understanding.

These workbooks support one another and have identical learning goals for the child: habits are predictable, dreams can come true when we properly plan for them, and saving makes us better prepared to help others. The workbooks are an excellent addition to the offerings from The "It's A Habit!" Company, Inc. They will further enable families to promote positive financial habits. If you enjoyed the reader titles in the series, or if you simply want a more complete program for teaching young children about proper money management, you will definitely appreciate the Personal Workbooks as you enjoy The "It's A Habit, Sammy Rabbit!" series.

Product review by Donna Campos, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2008