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 Pedrito 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.