Product Description

But all the kids are wearing them! Any child who has ever craved something out of reach will relate to this warm, refreshingly realistic story.

"I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes."

All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy’s grandma tells him they don’t have room for "want," just "need," and what Jeremy needs are new boots for winter. When Jeremy’s shoes fall apart at school, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, the boy is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216343 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-11
• Released on: 2007-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780763624996
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A poignant, thought-provoking book." -- -------- School Library Journal 12/01/2007

"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." -- -------- Horn Book, The 11/01/2007

Blue Ribbon Award, 2007 -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,

Charlotte Zolotow Award, Highly Commended Book for 2007 -- Cooperative Children's Book Center

"Boelts blends themes of teasing, embarrassment and disappointment with kindness and generosity in a realistic interracial school scenario." -- Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2007

"Jones' autumn-toned illustrations wonderfully complement Boelts' sweet-natured main characters and non-didactic life lesson." -- Booklist 11/01/2007

December 2007 (circ. 3,000): "In this witty, wise picture book Boelts presents a kids-eye view of a consumer fad that rages through school at gale force." -------- -- -------- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review, The 12/05/2007

About the Author
Maribeth Boelts is a former preschool teacher who has written numerous books for children. She lives in Iowa with her husband and three children.

Noah Z. Jones is the illustrator of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY, THE MONSTER IN THE BACKPACK, and WELCOME TO THE BED AND BISCUIT. He lives in Maine.

Customer Reviews

take a walk in my shoes
Everyone at school has a certain pair of shoes (Chuck Taylor style hi-cut sneakers) and Jeremy wants them too. He just can't afford them. His sneakers fall apart and he has to go to the guidance counselor's office to pick new ones from a bin - embarrassing and disappointing. He finds a pair of the coveted shoes at a thrift store and buys them although they are really too small for him and they blister his feet. After a short while he gives them to another boy in his class (whose soles of his shoes are taped together) who truly fits into them.

Empathy is the big word here. Some lucky children may not understand about the scene in the guidance counselor's office. Someone can't afford shoes? Other children will come to understand that they ar not alone in their needs.

This is a book about sharing that reaches out especially to boys! Kicks are important to them.

Everyone I have shared this book with has been touched by it. I highly recommend it for all elementary school age children.

The perfect friendship/compassion book.
This is a magical book that always works for school-aged kids, even the ones that think they are too cool to have someone read to them.

When I read it to a group, I ask, "Have you ever not gotten what you wanted, even if you thought you really needed it? How did that make you feel?" Even the "privileged" kids can relate.

Without being syrupy, this is the story of a kid who is just getting by; he wants the cool shoes the other kids have and knows he can never have them. He finds them--sort of, they are too small--in a consignment shop and manages to buy them, desperate to fit in. Meanwhile, the only kid who didn't laugh at him a few days ago doesn't have any shoes, either. Without giving too much away, I'll say the story ends with compassion and dignity. It's also miraculously brief; every word is important.

Since I am a librarian, I often have parents or teachers asking me for books on friendship. I've never seen one as well-written as this, and the illustrations round out the story perfectly.

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
Just about every boy at school seemed to be wearing those black high-tops with two white stripes, and Jeremy wanted a pair also. Unfortunately Grandma remained firm about only paying for needs, not wants, and Jeremy needed a new pair of winter boots. To add insult to injury, when one of Jeremy's shoes fell apart at school, the only replacement available from the guidance counselor's supply box was a pair of children's Velcro sneakers with a cartoon animal on the side. Even Jeremy's idea of buying his dream high-tops at a local thrift shop backfired when the one pair in stock fit so poorly that they hurt his feet. Little did Jeremy realize that those thrift-store high-tops held the key to a deeper understanding of generosity and friendship.

This clever book contains a powerful lesson about differentiating between wants and needs in the face of tight budget constraints. At the same time, the subtle text and expressive illustrations communicate clearly a child's desire to conform. At a time when expensive shoes have become a high-status consumption good, Those Shoes comes out a winner for telling an appealing story to which readers across age groups can relate.