• Age: 6 to 10
• Grade: 1 to 5

With every shoe he shines, Pedrito gets closer to having enough money for a bicycle. It will make it easier to get his abuela's tamales to the market. It will be fun to ride along bumpy lanes.

Owning a bicycle, he thinks, will mean that he is almost a grown-up.

Then one day Pedrio makes a reckless mistake. And also discovers a better way to prove his maturity.

Acclaimed for his evocative illustrations for Moncia Hughes' A Handful of Seeds, Luis Garay makes his debut here as an author-artist with a story that is both tender and satisfying.

Luis Garay is a celebrated Nicaraguan illustrator who spent six months in Guatemala doing research for the illustrations in this book. He has also illustrated Jade and Iron, A Handful of Seeds, Cousins / Primas and Alfredito Flies Home / Alfredito regresa volando a su casa. One of the best young Latin American illustrators working today, Luis Garay now lives in Mexico.

Luis Garay's profile page

There are many nice touches in the telling. The sights, smells, and sounds of the market permeate the page. Pedrito's longing to be big, his dreams of the perfect bicycle, his dismay at the loss of Tia Paula's money... all of these are described with sensitivity.
- Quill and Quire