Those Shoes

December 1, 2007
K-Gr 3-Jeremy desperately wants a pair of advertised sneakers. "I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes." In fact, some of his classmates already own them. However, money is tight, and his grandmother reminds him that there is a difference between what he wants and what he needs (he needs winter boots). He buys with his own money a used pair of the cool sneakers even though they are too small, saying "sometimes shoes stretch," but ends up with bandage-covered feet. This story exposes the value many children place on wearing the same cool clothing as or fitting in with the in-crowd; however, a message of generosity shines through when Jeremy gives his prized sneakers to a friend in need who has smaller feet. Illustrations done in pencil, ink, and watercolors effectively depict the grays and browns of the wintertime inner-city setting, the institutional greens and blues of the school, and the warm hues of this African-American home. The characters' faces, drawn with thin lines, wide-set eyes, and a variety of skin tones, are expressive. A poignant, thought-provoking book.Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2007
Boelts tacklesboth the appeal of high-tops and the difficulty of doing the right thing in a story narrated by African American Jeremy. In the opening pages, Jeremy lies on the floor of his apartment, drawing while his grandmother reads. She answers his request for those shoes with, Theres no room for want around herejust need. And what you need are new boots for winter. Jeremy notes how many classmates are wearing the black shoes with white stripes. He is humiliated when one of his own shoes comes apart during recess, and the well-meaning guidance counselor gives him a bright-blue pair of shoes decorated with uncool superheroes. Jeremy wants high-tops so much that he settles for a thrift-shop pair that are really too small. After some delay, he gives in to his kinder impulses and passes them on to a smaller friend. Ultimately, he gets his rewardsnowand makes great use ofhis new winter boots. Jones autumn-toned illustrations wonderfully complement Boelts sweet-natured main characters and nondidactic life lesson.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2007
Jeremy yearns for the expensive striped high-top sneakers that most of the boys in his class, black and white alike, wear. But his kind yet firm grandmother says, "There's no room for 'want' around here -- just 'need,'" and when his old shoes fall apart at school, he has to wear what's available: a pair of sneakers with babyish Velcro from the guidance counselor's box of extras. Though humiliated, Jeremy works hard to keep things in perspective ("I'm not going to cry about any dumb shoes"), but when he spots a pair of the prized shoes in a resale shop, he buys them even though they are much too small. Jones uses watercolor, pencils, and ink to depict a multiethnic urban neighborhood. The first spread, which shows a gigantic "Buy these shoes" poster looming over small Jeremy, conveys the enormous pressures on children who don't have as much money as their classmates. At the same time, both Boelts and Jones show that even though Jeremy's family lacks disposable income -- and, presumably, live-in parents -- he is secure and loved. Whether children are on the shoe-owning or the shoe-envying side of the economic line, they can sympathize with Jeremy and rejoice in the way he eventually resolves his problem with his too-small shoes.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)