I remember feeling instant empathy with the boy, recalling my own experience of being left out. The boy returned wearing a pair of black, slip-on dress shoes, and many of the students laughed at him. The teacher sent him to the guidance counselor to get a pair to wear for the day. In college, while student teaching, I saw a 4th-grade boy wearing a pair of old shoes that fell apart at recess. They were out of reach financially for my parents, which made me feel out of step with the other kids, particularly as more and more showed up to school wearing “Those Shoes.” When I was in 6th grade, I wanted a pair of blue Adidas that were very popular with both the boys and girls in my school. The idea for “Those Shoes” came from three different memories. What was the inspiration for “Those Shoes”?

Maribeth shared with us her inspiration for writing the book “Those Shoes” and the lessons she hopes readers will walk away with. Maribeth Boelts has been writing for over 25 years with over 30 children’s books to show for it. We chatted with Maribeth about her inspiration for the book and her hopes for the children that embrace it. In the end, Jeremy realizes that he genuinely has everything he needs, and it’s worth much more than what he wants. So how do we reinforce these ideals in such challenging times? In Those Shoes, author Maribeth Boelts tries to do just that through the story of a boy named Jeremy who would do anything to have the “cool” shoes that everyone in school seems to have. Their still egocentric view of the world means their perception centers around what they see as being the most obvious.

Children are naturally apt to focus on themselves and their desires. The thing about empathy and generosity, though, is that it can be a challenging topic to teach, particularly to young children. We are looking to facilitate conversations about empathy, compassion and generosity. During times like these, many of us are looking for ways to raise children that will be forces for change in this world.

Those shoes book