Since 2017, Education Reporter has reviewed the Tuttle Twins series of books by Connor Boyack because they fill an important gap in government school education as well as provide a valuable addition to homeschool curricula. The books offer solid academic teaching in civics, history, economics, and more for elementary school children ages 5-11.

In addition to the original 12 book series plus the more recent 13th volume — The Tuttle Twins and the 12 Rules Boot Camp — Libertas and Boyack have introduced 12 hard-bound graphic novels adapted from episodes of the Tuttle Twins animated cartoon series produced by Angel Studios. These books bring to the printed page the principles of freedom portrayed in the animated shows, giving children an alternative learning experience.

This reviewer viewed the animated cartoon episode, When Laws Give You Lemons, upon which Season 1, Book 1 of the same name is based, and found it entertaining, humorous, and educational. Some of the characters are quirky, and the dialogue seems more suited to the older children in Libertas’s target audience. While the description of the hard-bound book series does not specify a preferred age, the upper age range may be best suited to the content.

As an expanded version of the very first Tuttle Twins book, The Law, published in 2014, both the cartoon and the hard-bound version of When Laws Give You Lemons teach students how the U.S. government was intended to protect the God-given rights of its citizens, and contain elements of economist and statesman Frédéric Bastiat’s eternal truths on the law and the fallacies of socialism. When the Tuttle Twins travel back in time to the French Revolution in the cartoon, Bastiat appears briefly as a character.

Through their characters and story lines, the Tuttle Twins books teach the value and importance of individual rights, free market economies, the value of “the golden rule,” and the significance of private property. Customers may order the graphic novel set in a 12-book bundle, or the books may be purchased separately.

The full set includes:

• Book 1 — Season One — Episode 1 adaptation: “When Laws Give You Lemons”
• Book 2 — Season One — Episode 2 adaptation: “War of the Worms”
• Book 3 — Season One — Episode 3 adaptation: “Pencils, Pirates, and Ice Cream People”
• Book 4 — Season One — Episode 4: “Of Business and Benjamins”
• Book 5 — Season One — Episode 5 adaptation: “Rising Tides & Dirty Deals”
• Book 6 — Season One — Episode 6 adaptation: “The Inflation Monster”
• Book 7 — Season One — Episode 7 adaptation: “Cakes, Pies, & Flat Earth Guys”
• Book 8 — Season One — Episode 8 adaptation: “Wonky Wages”
• Book 9 — Season One — Episode 9 adaptation: “Dumpsters & Disobedience”
• Book 10 — Season One — Episode 10 adaptation: “Roll for Power”
• Book 11 — Season One — Episode 11 adaptation: “Free Speech Freestyle”
• Book 12 — Season One — Episode 12 adaptation: “Fight for the Future”

Each book features full-color pages and a hard cover.

The Tuttle Twins books are all based on well-known works and teach critical concepts that reinforce liberty, honor, personal responsibility, and the value of hard work, in language children can understand. Each of the original volumes is short (chapter length) and simplifies a complex topic in order to educate and make learning fun. The stories are based on the everyday lives, activities, and experiences of the fictional twins, their family, friends, and neighbors.

The Libertas Institute also offers a curriculum on how to teach free-market principles to students, with lessons and activities for both young and older children. There are currently a total of 120 lessons in both print and downloadable formats.

The curriculum teaches how to prioritize needs and wants, the importance of choices and the principle of hard work, the creation of wealth and value, and the importance of freedom for the creation of beneficial goods and services.

Parents and grandparents may wish to familiarize themselves with these potentially helpful resources to ensure that their children and grandchildren learn the truth about the intent of America’s Founding Fathers and documents.

To read the entire book, go to Tuttle Twins to order!

The Education Reporter Book Review is a project of America’s Future, Inc. To find out more about America’s Future, visit AmericasFuture.net.

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