Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

 

Jeremy tells his grandmother he wants ‘those shoes’, a new pair of black shoes with white stripes. Her no-nonsense response leaves him wishing he had what his friends have. “There’s no room for ‘want’ around here – just ‘need’. And what you need are new boots for winter.”

 

Jeremy is mortified when his old shoes fall apart and the school counsellor provides an unstylish replacement pair. Jeremy successfully searches a second-hand shop for a pair of the shoes. There is one problem, they are too small. After some contemplation, he passes the sneakers to a young child who Jeremy realises needs them more than him.