With the scarcity of solid academic teaching in civics and history in public schools, The Tuttle Twins is a refreshing 12-volume series that conveys important concepts about freedom, personal responsibility, economics, government, and more, set in story lines children can identify with and understand.

When Boyack created the characters of nine-year-old twins Ethan and Emily Tuttle, his goal was to teach children through their adventures about capitalism, how free markets work, how to live by the golden rule, and the concept of true justice rather than the socialist "justice" popular in education today. The books examine adult topics and make them understandable to a young audience and are generally recommended for ages five through ten, although the subject matter is sophisticated enough to appeal to slightly older children, and some of the concepts may be lost on five-year-olds.

This reviewer read The Tuttle Twins Learn About the Law, which presents the concept that natural rights come from God and that citizens need to protect these rights through a moral government, while demonstrating that it does not always work out this way.

The author shows through concrete examples that children can understand, how the redistribution of wealth by government equates to stealing, which the twins concede is "always wrong," no matter who is committing the theft. The ideas presented are based on Frédéric Bastiat's famous book, The Law, which advocates that "true laws protect people and their property from plunder," such as by pirates, the kid-friendly example Boyack uses to illustrate his point. "When true laws exist and are respected," the twins' fictional neighbor, Fred, explains to them in the story, "people work hard to improve their lives. Everyone prospers together and is happier."

Fred uses the example of his own home-grown tomatoes to illustrate the concepts presented. What if his neighbor, Mrs. Lopez, should take some tomatoes without asking? If it's wrong for her to do that, does it become right if she gets her police-officer uncle to help her take them? The parallel is whether something the children know is always wrong becomes right when it's done by a government official. The idea that government can be the bad guy by plundering and bullying citizens, and that this is wrong, comes through in the story without too deep a dive for the target audience.

"When there is no legal plunder," such as by unjust laws, Boyack writes, "people rely on the kindness and service of others for the things they need. But when the law allows legal plunder, it turns everyone against each other. Everyone wants to take instead of give. Some people stop working hard and look to the government to take care of them instead. When this happens, the government begins to control everything."

The story shows children that it is necessary to fight back against such laws through knowledge of what true laws are, and by supporting good government. On their way home from Fred's house, the Tuttle twins come up with a plan to share the prized tomatoes he had given them with Mrs. Lopez, who is very appreciative of the gesture and in turn gives them fresh-baked cookies to take home with them.

Each of The Tuttle Twins books conveys sound concepts and most are based on well-known works. In The Tuttle Twins and the Creature from Jekyll Island, for example, which this reviewer also read, the basis is The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin. The lesson is that the Federal Reserve System's creation of "fiat money" produces negative consequences. The story uses the phrase "the creature from Jekyll Island," uttered by the twins' grandfather, to illustrate the points the author wishes to make. The twins picture "the creature" as a kind of octopus, and wonder why it is taking their grandfather's money.

Boyack uses the plotline that the Tuttles are beekeepers, in order to illustrate the concept of a central monetary system, and shows how difficult if not impossible bartering for various goods and services would be in the modern world. At the farmer's market, Grandpa Tuttle asks the children why they are selling their honey, and they tell him they want to earn money to buy roller coaster ride tickets. He shows them how bartering does not work by having them ask at the ticket booth if they can trade some honey for ride tickets.

Grandpa explains that "money is a means of exchange so people can sell the things other people want so they can buy the things they want. It makes trading a whole lot easier." The twins ask what the creature from Jekyll Island has to do with all of that. "One of the sneaky things the creature does," Grandpa explains, "is make prices go up. He asks: "What if the creature makes the price of a ticket go up from $1.00 to $2.00?" in order to show how easy it is for the Federal Reserve to manipulate the system.

The book describes how the Federal Reserve came into existence and how it can print as much money as it wants, which in turn causes inflation, all within the child-friendly story line.

Other titles in the series include The Tuttle Twins and the Road to Surfdom, which demonstrates the dangers of central planning, based on the book The Road to Serfdom, by F.A. Hayek. The Tuttle Twins and the Education Vacation exposes the problems associated with our government-controlled education system and contrasts it with the concept of educational freedom. John Taylor Gatto's book, The Underground History of American Education is the basis for this topic.

Boyack's books are short, about 60 pages each, and include colorful illustrations. The twins have a consistently stable, supportive family structure and exceptional neighbors who appear throughout the series.

The Tuttle Twins have amassed an impressive body of positive reviews. One online reviewer wrote: "I see how books like these could help children understand our government, the way it is supposed to work, and, sadly, how it is changing." Another observed: "These kids' books simplify complex ideas from economists, historians, and professors — and make it fun."

A consistent observation of parents is that the books do not have a strong political overtone and that they "encourage hard work, honesty, and treating others fairly." They are not religious, although some of the stories mention God and all convey traditional Judeo-Christian values and morality.

Overall, The Tuttle Twins series is worth a look for parents and grandparents who are seeking good educational reading for the children in their lives from the age of six up to the age of twelve.

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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