Everybody has a bike but Ruben. He longs for one like his friend Sergio’s, but he knows his family can’t afford any kind of bicycle. So when Ruben sees a neighbor in the grocery store drop a hundred-dollar bill from her purse, he snatches it up and pockets it. It’s enough to buy him a bike like Sergio’s. Will he do it? Ruben thinks through this ethical dilemma over the next day or so and ultimately decides to do the right thing. “What you did wasn’t easy,” his dad tells him later, “but it was right.” Both text and pictures show a family living on the economic edge, facing realistic challenges in their day-to-day lives. Highly Commended, 2017 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 5–8)

Finders keepers, right? When Ruben picks up someone’s lost money, he finds out how hard it can be to do the right thing.

Ruben feels like he is the only kid without a bike. His friend Sergio reminds him that his birthday is coming, but Ruben knows that the kinds of birthday gifts he and Sergio receive are not the same. After all, when Ruben’s mom sends him to Sonny’s corner store for groceries, sometimes she doesn’t have enough money for everything on the list. So when Ruben sees a dollar bill fall out of someone’s purse, he picks it up and puts it in his pocket. But when he gets home, he discovers it’s not one dollar or even five or ten—it’s a hundred-dollar bill, more than enough for a new bike just like Sergio’s! But what about the crossed-off groceries? And what about the woman who lost her money? Presenting a relatable story told with subtlety and heart, the creative team behind Those Shoes pairs up again for a satisfying picture book.