Picture Book #20 Those Shoes

Author: Maribeth Boelts

Title: Those Shoes
  
Illustrator: Noah Z. Jones

Readability: 3.2

Genre: Picture Book

SubGenre: Realistic Fiction

Theme: There is a difference between a need and a want; Giving to others that is less fortunate then you is always a good deed.

Primary and Secondary Characters: Grandma, Jeremy, Mr. Alfrey, Antonio

Award(s) date of publication: 2007

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

ISBN number: 978-0-7636-2499-6

Summary:

Those Shoes is story about a boy named Jeremy and like all boys he wanted the cool pair of shoes he saw in the shoe store window. They were black high tops with two white strips, the more he wanted the more people he saw at school with them on. He told his Grandma that he wanted these shoes but he response was that there was no room for a want only a need. The next day at school Jeremy shoes came apart after a game of kickball. He had to go Mr. Alfrey, the schools guidance counselor, to get another pair of shoes. He had to get a pair of shoes that had Velcro on them like a little kid. Everyone in his class laughed at him. The next day his Grandma said she might have a little extra money and took him to the shoe store. After Grandma sees the price of the shoes, she is sad to see that the shoes are out of her budget. Once they leave shoe store Jeremy asks his grandma can he go to the thrift store to see if he could find the shoes. Luckily for him the shoes where there just not in his size. He buys the shoes anyway hoping that one day they would stretch but there was no luck the shoes did not budge at all.  One night Grandma comes in and places a new snow boots in his closet for the winter. In school Jeremy sees one of his classmates,Antonio, at the bored writing and notices that the sole of his shoes are coming off his shoes. Antonio comes over to Jeremy's house after playing at the park, he spies the shoes and falls in love with them too. The next morning as the snow begins to fall Jeremy runs to Antonio's house and leaves the shoes on his doorsteps. The next day at school at school Antonio thanks Jeremy for the shoes and the play in the snow in their snow boots.

Use in the classroom:

This is an excellent book on character building skills for younger grade levels. It will teach students how it feels to get picked on or talked about by other students. Students could write about a time where they felt out of place in class because of the clothes he or she wore. Since this book talks about money this book could be used in math class, how to add and subtract money, and if a person has enough money to buy what he or she wants.