Set in a Tanzanian village in the early 1960s, this compelling story is based on a memory from the author’s own childhood. Young Saruni has always helped his parents in the marketplace and they have frequently rewarded him with a ten-cent piece. What his parents don’t know is that Saruni is secretly saving all his coins so that he may one day buy a bicycle to be even more hepl to his parents. Cultural details come through both in E.B. Lewis’s sun-dappled watercolor illustrations and in the story itself, as we see the busy marketplace and realize that Saruni proudly contributes to his family’s economic well-being. His strong desire to earn his own money to save up for something special, however, will certainly strike a chord of recognition with children in the United States today. (Ages 4-8)