"The Can Man"
By Laura E. Williams, illustrated by Craig Orback
Lee & Low, $18.95, ages 7-9
Money's not easy for anybody in Tim's world. His Dad tells him that too many bills means no toys or sports stuff this year. "The Can Man"; is the neighborhood nickname for the man only Dan's parents still remember as 'Mr. Peters'; who lived in apartment 3C. Tim decides that the only way to get the skateboard of his dreams is to collect cans, Both readers and Tim's parents see the collision course he's on before Tim does. At first, Tim allows himself not to worry about cutting into Mr. Peters' take, seeing his own collecting as just temporary. But the humanizing of "The Can Man" at home finally reaches Tim, and it's believable because not immediate. Birthdays can be testing occasions, for all of us, with warring needs and wants, others and ourselves. A good angle to watch all that.
Mary Harris Russell, professor emeritus of English at Indiana University Northwest, reviews children's books for Tribune newspapers.
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