"In this witty, wise picture book, Boelts presents a kid’s-eye view of a consumer fad that rages through school at gale force." — BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS (starred review)
All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for "want," just "need," when his old shoes fall apart at school, he 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 soon sees 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.
同學間流行一種球鞋，傑洛米很想要一雙。但他奶奶告訴他，他們家的經濟只能讓他買「需要」的，不能讓他買「想要」的。但是後來傑洛米的舊鞋在學校裂開，於是他更堅持要買一雙鞋，即便義賣店裡的那一雙尺寸小了很多，他還是想買。可是腳痛實在是不好玩。不久傑洛米看到自己擁有的東西：溫暖的靴子和慈愛的奶奶以及幫助朋友的機會。這些東西比他想要的鞋珍貴多了。